Moore County, Tennessee

Moore County
County
Moore County Courthouse in Lynchburg
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°17′N86°22′W / 35.28°N 86.36°W / 35.28; -86.36
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1871
Named for	William Moore, state legislator [1]
Seat	Lynchburg
Largest city	Lynchburg
Area
• Total	130 sq mi (300 km2)
• Land	129 sq mi (330 km2)
• Water	1.2 sq mi (3 km2)  0.9%
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,461
• Density	49/sq mi (19/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	Government & Education Services

Moore County is a county located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,461, making it the third-least populous county in Tennessee. ^[2] It forms a consolidated city-county government with its county seat of Lynchburg. ^[3] At 130 square miles (340 km²), it is the second-smallest county in Tennessee, behind only Trousdale. The county was created in 1871, during the Reconstruction era. ^{[1] [4]} Moore County is part of the Tullahoma-Manchester, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Moore County was established in 1871 from parts of Lincoln, Bedford and Franklin counties, and named in honor of General William Moore, an early settler and long-time member of the state legislature. ^[1] The new county originally contained about 300 square miles, but Lincoln County sued and successfully reclaimed a portion of its land, reducing the new county's size. ^[1]

Beginning in the 1820s, whiskey distilleries were developed in what is now Moore County. By 1875, fifteen distilleries were operating in the county. At the end of the 20th century, the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg was a major employer and the county's primary source of revenue. ^[1]

Because of the small size of this county, in the late 20th century city and county officials began to discuss creating a consolidated government in order to lower costs and improve services. In 1988, the Metropolitan Government of Lynchburg, Moore County, Tennessee was voted into law as the governing body of Moore County, including Lynchburg. ^{[5] [6]}

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 130 square miles (340 km²), of which 129 square miles (330 km²) are land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) (0.9%) are water. ^[7] It is the second-smallest county in Tennessee by area. The county is located partially on the rugged Highland Rim and partially in the flatter Nashville Basin. ^[1]

Adjacent counties

• Coffee County (northeast)
• Franklin County (southeast)
• Lincoln County (southwest)
• Bedford County (northwest)

Protected area

• Tims Ford Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	6,233		—
1890	5,975		−4.1%
1900	5,706		−4.5%
1910	4,800		−15.9%
1920	4,491		−6.4%
1930	4,037		−10.1%
1940	4,093		1.4%
1950	3,948		−3.5%
1960	3,454		−12.5%
1970	3,568		3.3%
1980	4,510		26.4%
1990	4,721		4.7%
2000	5,740		21.6%
2010	6,362		10.8%
2020	6,461		1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010-2020 [12] 2020 [2]

Age pyramid Moore County

2020 census

Moore County racial composition ^[14]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	5,999	92.85%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	103	1.59%
Native American	17	0.26%
Asian	29	0.45%
Pacific Islander	1	0.02%
Other/Mixed	211	3.27%
Hispanic or Latino	101	1.56%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,461 people, 2,592 households, and 1,862 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census ^[15] of 2010, there were 6,362 people, 2,492 households, and 1,841 families residing in the county. There were 2,492 occupied housing units. The racial makeup of the county was 95.4% White, 2.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,492 households, out of which 27% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, male or female. The average household size was 2.51, and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 20, 14.8% from 20 to 34, 20.5% from 35 to 49, 22.1% from 50 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.3 years.

Per 2000 Census data, the median income for a household in the county was $36,591, and the median income for a family was $41,484. Males had a median income of $31,559 versus $20,987 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,040. 9.6% of the population, and 7.8% of families were below the poverty line. 11.7% were under the age of 18, and 12.1% were 65 or older.

Economy

Moore County is the location of the Jack Daniel Distillery, whose famous brand of Tennessee whiskey is marketed worldwide. Despite the distillery, Moore is a dry county. ^[16] This status dates to the passage of state prohibition laws in the early 20th century.

While federal prohibition ended in 1933 with the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, state prohibition laws remain in effect. All Tennessee counties are dry by default, though any county can become "wet" by passing a county-wide "local option" referendum. Moore County has yet to pass such a referendum. ^[17]

Education

Schools in Moore County are a part of Moore County Schools, overseen by The Moore County Department of Education: ^[18]

• Lynchburg Elementary School - grades PreK–6
• Moore County High School - grades 7–12

Motlow State Community College is located in northern part of Moore County.

Politics

United States presidential election results for Moore County, Tennessee ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	3,060	83.74%	542	14.83%	52	1.42%
2020	2,888	81.60%	573	16.19%	78	2.20%
2016	2,325	79.46%	496	16.95%	105	3.59%
2012	2,053	73.35%	705	25.19%	41	1.46%
2008	2,010	68.09%	881	29.84%	61	2.07%
2004	1,668	60.13%	1,084	39.08%	22	0.79%
2000	1,145	49.76%	1,107	48.11%	49	2.13%
1996	846	42.73%	935	47.22%	199	10.05%
1992	661	30.82%	1,151	53.66%	333	15.52%
1988	786	51.37%	731	47.78%	13	0.85%
1984	863	51.37%	808	48.10%	9	0.54%
1980	551	34.55%	993	62.26%	51	3.20%
1976	331	22.86%	1,101	76.04%	16	1.10%
1972	608	61.04%	356	35.74%	32	3.21%
1968	224	15.71%	346	24.26%	856	60.03%
1964	264	20.34%	1,034	79.66%	0	0.00%
1960	313	26.37%	863	72.70%	11	0.93%
1956	270	23.14%	893	76.52%	4	0.34%
1952	354	30.00%	826	70.00%	0	0.00%
1948	102	12.27%	523	62.94%	206	24.79%
1944	143	16.16%	742	83.84%	0	0.00%
1940	106	10.79%	869	88.49%	7	0.71%
1936	101	12.24%	719	87.15%	5	0.61%
1932	65	6.53%	923	92.67%	8	0.80%
1928	133	23.29%	431	75.48%	7	1.23%
1924	41	7.64%	492	91.62%	4	0.74%
1920	90	15.33%	497	84.67%	0	0.00%
1916	71	8.95%	722	91.05%	0	0.00%
1912	116	14.11%	694	84.43%	12	1.46%

Community

• Lynchburg

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Moore County, Tennessee

References

1. Megan Dobbs Eades, "Moore County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 11, 2013.
2. "2020 Census Data". data.census.gov.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Origins Of Tennessee County Names" (PDF). Tennessee Blue Book. 2005–2006. p. 512. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
5. Leland, Suzanne M.; Thurmaier, Kurt (2010). City–County Consolidation: Promises Made, Promises Kept?. Georgetown University Press. p. 180. ISBN   978-1589016224 . Retrieved November 16, 2017.
6. "Charter of the Lynchburg, Moore County Metropolitan Government" (PDF). University of Tennessee Municipal Technical Advisory Service. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 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 9, 2015.
12. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
13. Based on 2000 census data
14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
16. Locke, Michelle (January 9, 2013). "Some states unhappy about the idea of happy hours". Yahoo! News. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
17. "Jack Daniel Distillery," Moore County News. Retrieved: October 28, 2013.
18. "Board of Education - Moore County Department of Education". www.moorecountyschools.net. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 11, 2018.

External links

• Moore County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county

35°17′N86°22′W / 35.28°N 86.36°W / 35.28; -86.36