Smith County, Tennessee

Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,166.[2] In the section known as Middle Tennessee, its county seat is Carthage.[3] The county was organized in 1799 and is named for Daniel Smith, a Revolutionary War veteran who made the first map of Tennessee and served as a United States senator .

Smith County
U.S. county
Smith County Courthouse in Carthage
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°15′N 85°58′W
Country United States
State Tennessee
Founded1799
Named forDaniel Smith[1]
SeatCarthage
Largest townCarthage
Area
 • Total325 sq mi (840 km2)
 • Land314 sq mi (810 km2)
 • Water11 sq mi (30 km2)  3.4%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
20,157
 • Density61/sq mi (24/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district6th
Galena-fluorite specimen from the Elmwood mine, south of Carthage

Smith County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Smith County was established in 1799 from a portion of Sumner County, and was named for Daniel Smith, a U.S. Senator and former Secretary of the Southwest Territory.[1] The location of the county seat was hotly contested between Bledsoesborough (near modern Dixon Springs) and William Walton's ferry and tavern at the confluence of the Caney Fork and the Cumberland River. In 1804, voters chose Walton's site, and a town, named Carthage, was platted the following year.[1]

Smith County was the site of a large saltpeter mine. Piper Cave, located near Monoville, contains the poorly preserved remnants of dozens of saltpeter leaching vats. Most saltpeter mining in Middle Tennessee took place during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, though the exact dates of this operation are unclear.[4]

Geography
Houses and buildings near Gordonsville

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 325 square miles (840 km2), of which 314 square miles (810 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (3.4%) is water.[5] The county is located in a transition area between the rugged Highland Rim to the east and the flatter Nashville Basin to the west. The Caney Fork has its confluence with the Cumberland River in Carthage; these are the primary waterways flowing through the county. Cordell Hull Dam on the Cumberland is located near Carthage.

Adjacent counties

State protected areas
  • Cordell Hull Wildlife Management Area (part)

Highways

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18004,294—
181011,649171.3%
182017,58050.9%
183019,90613.2%
184021,1796.4%
185018,412−13.1%
186016,357−11.2%
187015,994−2.2%
188017,79911.3%
189018,4043.4%
190019,0263.4%
191018,548−2.5%
192017,134−7.6%
193015,473−9.7%
194016,1484.4%
195014,098−12.7%
196012,059−14.5%
197012,0590.0%
198014,93523.8%
199014,143−5.3%
200017,71225.2%
201019,1668.2%
Est. 201920,157[6]5.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2014[2]
Age pyramid Smith County[11]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 17,712 people, 6,878 households, and 5,069 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 7,665 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.42% White, 2.53% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,878 households out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $41,645. Males had a median income of $30,853 versus $22,133 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,473. About 10.30% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Prior to 2008, Smith County was a Democratic Party stronghold at the presidential level. The highly transitional presidential elections for the South of 1968 & 1972 were the lone two from 1912 to 2004 where the county failed to back a Democratic candidate. However, while the county was Carthage resident Al Gore's fourth strongest statewide in his 2000 presidential bid, he failed to win an increasingly Republican Tennessee. Since then, Smith County has swung hard towards the Republican Party similar to the rest of the state outside of Memphis & Nashville. Hillary Clinton failed to win even a quarter of the county's votes in 2016, a far cry from the 71% & 62% her husband Bill won in the county with Gore also on the ticket.

Presidential election results
Presidential election results[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 73.9% 5,494 22.7% 1,689 3.4% 253
2012 63.4% 4,495 34.8% 2,470 1.8% 124
2008 59.0% 4,563 38.7% 2,992 2.4% 186
2004 47.8% 3,739 51.7% 4,044 0.6% 45
2000 32.4% 2,384 66.5% 4,884 1.1% 80
1996 30.7% 1,857 62.9% 3,812 6.4% 388
1992 21.0% 1,482 71.9% 5,061 7.1% 501
1988 45.6% 2,138 53.8% 2,522 0.6% 26
1984 42.1% 2,393 57.3% 3,258 0.7% 40
1980 31.7% 1,755 66.4% 3,674 1.9% 102
1976 25.9% 1,332 73.1% 3,753 1.0% 51
1972 56.8% 1,812 39.5% 1,260 3.6% 116
1968 25.0% 1,089 33.1% 1,443 42.0% 1,831
1964 27.0% 1,084 73.0% 2,934
1960 39.4% 1,601 59.4% 2,411 1.2% 48
1956 30.0% 1,267 69.7% 2,949 0.3% 13
1952 34.8% 1,412 64.6% 2,622 0.6% 24
1948 27.3% 773 62.4% 1,764 10.3% 291
1944 29.5% 887 70.1% 2,107 0.4% 12
1940 22.3% 648 77.2% 2,244 0.5% 14
1936 23.0% 626 76.7% 2,092 0.3% 8
1932 22.3% 595 77.1% 2,057 0.6% 16
1928 43.9% 1,150 55.3% 1,446 0.8% 21
1924 28.8% 700 70.0% 1,701 1.2% 28
1920 38.6% 1,981 61.4% 3,150
1916 30.0% 941 70.0% 2,196 0.1% 2
1912 30.9% 915 62.9% 1,863 6.2% 184
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See also

References
  1. Sue W. Maggart, "Smith County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 6 April 2013.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961, 568 pages.
  5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  9. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  11. Based on 2000 census data
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  13. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-12.

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