Putnam County, Tennessee

Putnam County
County
Putnam County Courthouse
Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°08′N85°30′W / 36.14°N 85.5°W / 36.14; -85.5
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	February 11, 1854
Named for	Israel Putnam [1]
Seat	Cookeville
Largest city	Cookeville
Government
•  County executive	Randy Porter (R) [2] [3]
Area
• Total	403 sq mi (1,040 km2)
• Land	401 sq mi (1,040 km2)
• Water	1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	79,854
• Estimate  (2023)	83,844
• Density	200/sq mi (77/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	38501, 38502, 38503, 38505, 38506, 38544, 38545, 38548, 39574, 38582
Area code	931
Congressional district	6th
Website	putnamcountytn.gov

Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,854. ^[4] Its county seat is Cookeville. ^[5] Putnam County is part of the Cookeville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Putnam County is named in honor of Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War. The county was initially established on February 2, 1842, when the Twenty-fourth Tennessee General Assembly enacted a measure creating the county from portions of Jackson, Overton, Fentress, and White counties. ^[1]

After the survey was completed by Mounce Gore, the Assembly instructed the commissioners to locate the county seat, to be called "Monticello," near the center of the county. Contending, however, that the formation of Putnam was illegal because it reduced their areas below constitutional limits, Overton and Jackson counties secured an injunction against its continued operation. Putnam officials failed to reply to the complaint, and in the March 1845 term of the Chancery Court at Livingston, Chancellor Bromfield L. Ridley declared Putnam unconstitutionally established and therefore dissolved. The 1854 act reestablishing Putnam was passed after Representative Henderson M. Clements of Jackson County assured his colleagues that a new survey showed that there was sufficient area to form the county. White Plains, near modern Algood, acted as a temporary county seat. ^[6]

The act specified the "county town" be named "Cookeville" in honor of Richard F. Cooke, who served in the Tennessee Senate from 1851 to 1854, representing at various times Jackson, Fentress, Macon, Overton and White Counties. The act authorized Joshua R. Stone and Green Baker from White County, William Davis and Isaiah Warton from Overton County, John Brown and Austin Morgan from Jackson County, William B. Stokes and Bird S. Rhea from DeKalb County, and Benjamin A. Vaden and Nathan Ward from Smith County, to study the Conner survey and select a spot, not more than two and one-half miles from the center of the county, for the courthouse. The first County Court chose a hilly tract of land, then owned by Charles Crook, for the site.

Putnam County was the site of several saltpeter mines. Saltpeter is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from several local caves. Calfkiller Saltpeter Cave, located in the Calfkiller Valley, was a major mining operation, as was Johnson Cave, also located in the Calfkiller Valley. Both caves still contain significant remnants of the mining activity. Several other caves in the county were the site of smaller operations. Most saltpeter mining in Middle Tennessee occurred during the War of 1812 and the Civil War. ^[7]

Geography

Farm in rural northern Putnam County

Burgess Falls near the southern border with White County

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 403 square miles (1,040 km²), of which 401 square miles (1,040 km²) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²) (0.4%) is water. ^[8]

The county is part of the greater Cumberland River watershed. The southern part of the county is drained by tributaries of the Caney Fork, the northeastern part by tributaries of the Obey River, and the north-central and northwestern parts of the county drain into the Cumberland's Cordell Hull Lake impoundment. ^[9] The sources of two tributaries of the Caney Fork, the Falling Water River and the Calfkiller River, lie near Monterey in the eastern part of the county.

Adjacent counties

• Overton County (northeast)
• Fentress County (northeast)
• Cumberland County (east)
• White County (south)
• DeKalb County (southwest)
• Smith County (west)
• Jackson County (northwest)

State protected areas

• Burgess Falls State Natural Area (part)
• Burgess Falls State Park (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	8,558		—
1870	8,698		1.6%
1880	11,501		32.2%
1890	13,683		19.0%
1900	16,890		23.4%
1910	20,023		18.5%
1920	22,231		11.0%
1930	23,759		6.9%
1940	26,250		10.5%
1950	29,869		13.8%
1960	29,236		−2.1%
1970	35,487		21.4%
1980	47,690		34.4%
1990	51,373		7.7%
2000	62,315		21.3%
2010	72,321		16.1%
2020	79,854		10.4%
2023 (est.)	83,844	[10]	5.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 1790-1960 [12] 1900-1990 [13] 1990-2000 [14] 2010-2014 [4]

Age pyramid Putnam County

2020 census

Putnam County racial composition ^[16]

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	66,782	83.63%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,161	2.71%
Native American	161	0.2%
Asian	1,086	1.36%
Pacific Islander	33	0.04%
Other/Mixed	3,375	4.23%
Hispanic or Latino	6,256	7.83%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 79,854 people, 31,778 households, and 19,395 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census ^[17] of 2010, there were 72,321 people, 28,930 households, and 18,489 families residing in the county. The population density was 181 people per square mile (70 people/km²). There were 31,882 housing units at an average density of 80 per square mile (31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 5.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 28,930 households, out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 14.70% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,092, and the median income for a family was $39,553. Males had a median income of $29,243 versus $21,001 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,892. About 10.30% of families and 16.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over.

According to the US Census for 2013 Putnam County has the highest wealth inequality of any United States county with a population of over 65,000. ^[18]

Education

The Laboratory Science Commons at Tennessee Tech

Cookeville, the largest town in Putnam County, is the home of Tennessee Technological University, which is known for its College of Education's undergraduate and graduate programs, its Engineering program's rigor, its College of Business alumni success, and the creativity of the College of Arts and Sciences. The largest college at Tennessee Tech is the College of Education. The university student population of 11,800 comprises one fourth of the resident population of Cookeville. ^[19]

The Putnam County school system enrolls approximately 12,000 students in 18 schools throughout the county. All schools are accredited. Cookeville High School is the largest non-metropolitan school in the state and is one of only eight high schools in the state to offer the International Baccalaureate program.^{[ citation needed ]}

Communities

Cookeville

Cities

• Algood
• Cookeville (county seat)

Towns

• Baxter
• Monterey

Unincorporated communities

• Bangham
• Bloomington Springs
• Buffalo Valley
• Grandview
• Post Oak Estates
• Post Oak
• Shady Grove
• Silver Point
• Winona

Politics

Putnam County is extremely conservative for a county anchored by a college town (Cookeville, the county seat, is home to Tennessee Technological University); formerly a reliable Solid South county, Putnam has voted Republican in nearly every presidential election since Richard Nixon narrowly did so in 1968, making exceptions for Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton (both of whom are former governors of a neighboring state, namely and respectively Georgia and Arkansas).

Though favorite son Al Gore was just over 2% short of carrying Putnam County in 2000, he would be the last Democratic presidential candidate to come within a single-digit margin of doing so or even win so much as 40% of the county vote. In 2020, Republican Donald Trump easily swept Putnam with over 70% of the county vote, while Democrat Joe Biden racked up less than 28% of the vote.

United States presidential election results for Putnam County, Tennessee ^[20]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	25,554	73.14%	8,991	25.73%	394	1.13%
2020	23,759	70.73%	9,185	27.34%	649	1.93%
2016	19,002	69.83%	6,851	25.18%	1,359	4.99%
2012	17,254	67.66%	7,802	30.60%	444	1.74%
2008	17,101	62.60%	9,739	35.65%	476	1.74%
2004	15,637	59.14%	10,566	39.96%	239	0.90%
2000	11,248	50.13%	10,785	48.07%	405	1.80%
1996	9,093	43.53%	10,047	48.10%	1,748	8.37%
1992	7,998	37.23%	10,858	50.54%	2,626	12.22%
1988	9,547	58.62%	6,606	40.56%	132	0.81%
1984	8,999	54.40%	7,443	45.00%	99	0.60%
1980	6,235	42.26%	8,084	54.80%	434	2.94%
1976	4,079	32.10%	8,485	66.77%	144	1.13%
1972	6,038	60.39%	3,738	37.38%	223	2.23%
1968	3,693	35.83%	3,541	34.36%	3,073	29.81%
1964	2,993	32.18%	6,309	67.82%	0	0.00%
1960	4,240	48.65%	4,443	50.98%	32	0.37%
1956	3,492	43.63%	4,481	55.98%	31	0.39%
1952	3,183	43.73%	4,096	56.27%	0	0.00%
1948	1,879	33.77%	3,134	56.33%	551	9.90%
1944	1,770	38.83%	2,788	61.17%	0	0.00%
1940	1,576	34.68%	2,963	65.21%	5	0.11%
1936	1,207	31.50%	2,619	68.35%	6	0.16%
1932	1,281	30.40%	2,911	69.08%	22	0.52%
1928	1,612	42.91%	2,145	57.09%	0	0.00%
1924	1,489	37.06%	2,474	61.57%	55	1.37%
1920	2,132	41.58%	2,996	58.42%	0	0.00%
1916	1,383	37.51%	2,300	62.38%	4	0.11%
1912	923	29.02%	1,867	58.69%	391	12.29%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Putnam County, Tennessee
• Putnam County, New York
• 2020 Cookeville tornado

References

1. Blythe Semmer, "Putnam County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 20, 2013.
2. "Putnam". County Technical Assistance Service. University of Tennessee . Retrieved October 5, 2020.
3. "Putnam County Election Results August 2, 2018". Putnam County, Tennessee. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
4. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
6. Randal William, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for White Plains ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}. Retrieved: September 27, 2009.
7. Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961.
8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
9. Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Watershed Management Approach Archived April 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved: May 10, 2012.
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
13. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
14. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
15. Based on 2000 census data
16. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
17. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
18. Cohn, Emily (September 23, 2014). "'Here Are the Most Unequal Counties in America'". Huffington Post. Retrieved October 16, 2019.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
19. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Cookeville city, Tennessee". Census.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

External links

• Official site
• Putnam County Library System
• Putnam County Schools
• Putnam County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county

36°08′N85°30′W / 36.14°N 85.50°W / 36.14; -85.50