Decatur County, Tennessee

Last updated

Decatur County
Decatur-County-Courthouse-tn.jpg
Decatur County Courthouse in Decaturville
Dectur co seal.jpg
Map of Tennessee highlighting Decatur County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee in United States.svg
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°37′N88°07′W / 35.61°N 88.11°W / 35.61; -88.11
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Tennessee.svg  Tennessee
FoundedNovember 1845
Named for Stephen Decatur [1]
Seat Decaturville
Largest city Parsons
Area
  Total345 sq mi (890 km2)
  Land334 sq mi (870 km2)
  Water11 sq mi (30 km2)  3.2%
Population
 (2020)
  Total11,435 Decrease2.svg
  Density35/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 7th
Website decaturcountytn.org

Decatur County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,435. [2] Its county seat is Decaturville. [3]

Contents

History

This county is named after naval hero Stephen Decatur, Jr., who gained national recognition in the First Barbary War, the Second Barbary War, and the War of 1812 by his leadership and achievements at sea. The county was created in November 1845 from the part of Perry County west of the Tennessee River in response to a petition by citizens on the west side of the river. [1]

Like several other counties west of the Tennessee River, Decatur County was substantially pro-Union during the Civil War, contrary to the generally pro-Confederate sympathies of West and Middle Tennessee. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Decatur County voted to remain in the Union by a margin of 550 to 310, [4] being one of only eight counties in West or Middle Tennessee to support the Union. Earlier on February 9, 1861, Decatur County voters had voted against holding a secession convention by a margin of 514 to 251. [5]

In 2015, the Decatur County clerk of court and the entire staff of that office resigned, to express conscientious objection to the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges , which would oblige the office to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. [6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 345 square miles (890 km2), of which 334 square miles (870 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (3.2%) is water. [7]

Adjacent counties

National protected area

State protected area

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1850 6,003
1860 6,2764.5%
1870 7,77223.8%
1880 8,4989.3%
1890 8,9955.8%
1900 10,43916.1%
1910 10,093−3.3%
1920 10,1981.0%
1930 10,106−0.9%
1940 10,2611.5%
1950 9,442−8.0%
1960 8,324−11.8%
1970 9,45713.6%
1980 10,85714.8%
1990 10,472−3.5%
2000 11,73112.0%
2010 11,7570.2%
2020 11,435−2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]
1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10]
1990-2000 [11] 2010-2014 [2]
Age pyramid Decatur County USA Decatur County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid.svg
Age pyramid Decatur County

2020 census

Decatur County racial composition [13]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)10,46291.49%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)2702.36%
Native American 90.08%
Asian 420.37%
Pacific Islander 50.04%
Other/Mixed 2892.53%
Hispanic or Latino 3583.13%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,435 people, 4,440 households, and 3,059 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census [14] of 2000, there were 11,731 people, 4,908 households, and 3,415 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile (14 people/km2).

There were 6,448 housing units at an average density of 19 units per square mile (7.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.12% White, 3.47% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.20% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,908 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.70% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,741, and the median income for a family was $34,919. Males had a median income of $25,945 versus $20,155 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,285. About 13.80% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 22.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Decatur County – like all of rural Tennessee – is a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry this county was Al Gore in 2000, and even before the collapse of traditional rural Democratic support after Bill Clinton the county had a sizeable Unionist population that caused it to vote Republican several times during the “System of 1896”.

United States presidential election results for Decatur County, Tennessee [15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.%No.%No.%
2020 4,22980.69%90417.25%1082.06%
2016 3,58878.14%89419.47%1102.40%
2012 2,87467.61%1,30330.65%741.74%
2008 3,10165.11%1,56632.88%962.02%
2004 2,56652.59%2,26846.48%450.92%
2000 2,04646.82%2,27852.13%461.05%
1996 1,71240.53%2,26253.55%2505.92%
1992 1,66735.76%2,63356.49%3617.75%
1988 2,28654.55%1,88044.86%250.60%
1984 2,39053.82%2,03145.73%200.45%
1980 2,09548.95%2,13949.98%461.07%
1976 1,63739.77%2,43259.09%471.14%
1972 2,36864.79%1,18732.48%1002.74%
1968 1,40936.79%87722.90%1,54440.31%
1964 1,42944.08%1,81355.92%00.00%
1960 1,68454.76%1,32142.96%702.28%
1956 1,51248.76%1,55450.11%351.13%
1952 1,40645.35%1,68154.23%130.42%
1948 1,29142.75%1,56551.82%1645.43%
1944 1,23544.70%1,51554.83%130.47%
1940 1,27540.90%1,83258.77%100.32%
1936 91937.96%1,50262.04%00.00%
1932 60136.58%1,02062.08%221.34%
1928 74848.04%80951.96%00.00%
1924 79947.11%87751.71%201.18%
1920 1,60857.84%1,14941.33%230.83%
1916 89349.69%88749.36%170.95%
1912 40524.27%75845.42%50630.32%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Wayne County is a county located in south central Tennessee, along the Alabama border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,232. Its county seat is Waynesboro. The county is named after General "Mad Anthony" Wayne, a prominent military leader in the American Revolutionary War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Warren County is a county located on the Cumberland Plateau in Middle Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,953. Its county seat is McMinnville. Warren County comprises the McMinnville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Scott County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,039, down from 22,228 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Huntsville and the largest town is Oneida. Scott County is known for having seceded from Tennessee in protest of the state's decision to join the Confederacy during the Civil War, and subsequently forming The Free and Independent State of Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roane County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Roane County is a county of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,404. Its county seat is Kingston. Roane County is included in the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meigs County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Meigs County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,758. Its county seat is Decatur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McNairy County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

McNairy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,866. Its county seat and largest city is Selmer. McNairy County is located along Tennessee's border with the state of Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McMinn County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

McMinn County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,794. The county has a total area of 432 square miles (1,120 km2). Most of the county is within the Ridge and Valley area of the Appalachian Mountains. Its county seat is Athens. McMinn County comprises the Athens, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Macon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,216. Its county seat is Lafayette. Macon County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Jefferson County is an exurban county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,683. Its county seat is Dandridge. Jefferson County is part of the Morristown Metropolitan Statistical Area with neighboring Grainger and Hamblen counties. The county, along with the Morristown MSA, is included in the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henderson County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Henderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,842. Its county seat is Lexington. The county was founded in 1821 and named for James Henderson, a soldier in the War of 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardin County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The county seat is Savannah. Hardin County is located north of and along the borders of Mississippi and Alabama. The county was founded in November 1819 and named posthumously for Col. Joseph Hardin, a Revolutionary War soldier and a legislative representative for the Province of North Carolina; the State of Franklin; and the Southwest Territory. Hardin County was the site of the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fentress County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Fentress County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,489. Its county seat is Jamestown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeKalb County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,080. Its county seat is Smithville. The county was created by the General Assembly of Tennessee on December 2, 1837, and was named for Revolutionary War hero Major General Johann de Kalb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Carroll County is a county located in the western division of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,440. Its county seat is Huntingdon. The county was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on November 7, 1821, and was named for Governor William Carroll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bledsoe County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Bledsoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,913. Its county seat is Pikeville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson County, Tennessee</span> County in Tennessee, United States

Anderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the northern part of the state in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 77,123. Its county seat is Clinton. Anderson County is included in the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dade County, Georgia</span> County in Georgia, United States

Dade County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. It occupies the northwest corner of Georgia, and the county's own northwest corner is the westernmost point in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population is 16,251. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Trenton. Dade County is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1860, residents of Dade County voted to secede from the state of Georgia and from the United States, but no government outside the county ever recognized this gesture as legal. In 1945, the county symbolically "rejoined" Georgia and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decaturville, Tennessee</span> Town in Tennessee, United States

Decaturville is a town in and the county seat of Decatur County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 867 at the 2010 census. It is named for American Revolutionary War Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parsons, Tennessee</span> City in Tennessee, United States

Parsons is a city in Decatur County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,373 at the 2010 census. Parsons is the largest city by population in Decatur County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotts Hill, Tennessee</span> Town in Tennessee, United States

Scotts Hill is a town in Decatur and Henderson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 877 at the 2020 census.

References

  1. 1 2 Teresa Biddle-Douglass, "Decatur County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: June 26, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "Tennessee Secession Referendum, 1861". Vote Archive.
  5. "Tennessee Vote on Secession Convention, 1861". Fayetteville Observer. March 21, 1861.
  6. Boggioni, Tom (July 5, 2015). "Entire staff in Tenn. county clerk's office resigns over same-sex marriage". Alternet. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  12. Based on 2000 census data
  13. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 10, 2018.

35°37′N88°07′W / 35.61°N 88.11°W / 35.61; -88.11