Carroll County, Tennessee

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 600 sqmi, of which 599 sqmi is land and 0.8 sqmi (0.1%) is water.

Carroll County Thousand Acre Recreational Lake

The Carroll County Thousand Acre Recreational Lake serves as a large water territory in Carroll County, Tennessee. Many locals have called the lake their home for years.

In 2022, the county attempted to change the name, but after citizens of the county petitioning to keep the original name, they kept the Carroll County Thousand Acre Recreational Lake name the same.

Adjacent counties

• Henry County (northeast)
• Benton County (east)
• Decatur County (southeast)
• Henderson County (south)
• Madison County (southwest)
• Gibson County (west)
• Weakley County (northwest)

State protected areas

• Harts Mill Wetland Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Jarrell Switch Refuge
• Natchez Trace State Forest (part)
• Natchez Trace State Park (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 28,440, and the median age was 43.3 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.6 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 84.4% White, 8.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian,

The 2020 census indicated that 17.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 82.1% lived in rural areas.

There were 11,446 households in the county, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.5% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 13,084 housing units, of which 12.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.9% were owner-occupied and 26.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.7%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 29,475 people, 11,779 households, and 8,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 49 /mi2. There were 13,057 housing units at an average density of 22 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 87.68% White, 10.35% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,779 households, out of which 30.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,463, and the median income for a family was $36,880. Males had a median income of $29,904 versus $20,024 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,251. About 10.90% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.90% of those under age 18 and 13.40% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The Carroll County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located 4 nmi northwest of the central business district of Huntingdon, Tennessee.

Media

Radio stations

• WRQR-FM 105.5 "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning"
• WTPR-AM 710 "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
• WTPR-FM 101.7 "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
• WEIO "100.9 The Farm"
• WHDM 1440-AM 98.9-FM
• WAJJ 89.3 FM Christian Radio "The J"

Newspapers

• Carroll County News-Leader
• The McKenzie Banner
• Tennessee Magnet Publications

Online News Publications

• Carroll County Observer

Communities

City

• McKenzie (small portions in Henry County and Weakley County)

Towns

• Atwood
• Bruceton
• Clarksburg
• Hollow Rock
• Huntingdon (county seat)
• McLemoresville
• Trezevant

Census-designated places

• Lavinia
• Yuma

Unincorporated communities

• Buena Vista
• Cedar Grove
• Christmasville
• Hopewell
• Lavinia
• Leach
• Westport

Politics

In the 21st century, Carroll County is overwhelmingly Republican. In general, the alignment of voters with the two major parties has shifted since the late 20th century, but Carroll County had a different history. Conservative whites in the upland and Deep South largely shifted away from the Democratic Party in the late 20th century to the Republican Party, but Carroll County had only briefly supported Democratic presidential candidates in the 20th century: 1912, when Southerner Woodrow Wilson was elected; from 1932 to 1948, for Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman during the Depression and years of World War II and after, and Southerners Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Jimmy Carter in 1976, and Bill Clinton in 1992–1996.

But at the time of the American Civil War and for decades after, Carroll was the northernmost county in the Unionist Republican bloc, made up of Wayne, Henderson, Hardin and McNairy counties, within historically Democratic West Tennessee. The whites in this bloc were yeomen farmers who owned few slaves; most identified as Unionist. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Carroll County voted to remain in the Union by a margin of 1,349 to 967, whilst earlier on February 9, 1861, county voters voted against holding a secession convention by a margin of 1,495 to 678. Historians note that the enclave developed this way because, unlike in the fertile Delta, this region of the Highland Rim had soils that were shallow, humus-poor and easily erodible. Settlers who were poor could acquire land here, as the area could not support the plantations more typical of Middle and West Tennessee, which were dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans.

References

References

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6. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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9. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
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11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
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13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
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18. "Tennessee Secession Referendum, 1861". Vote Archive.
19. (March 21, 1861). "Tennessee Vote on Secession Convention, 1861". [[The Fayetteville Observer.
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