Crockett County, Tennessee

History

Crockett County was formed in 1871 from portions of Haywood, Madison, Dyer and Gibson counties. It is named in honor of David Crockett, frontier humorist, soldier, Tennessee state legislator and U.S. congressman, and defender of the Alamo.

In 1876, in what apparently was a political rivalry gone bad, Crockett County Sheriff R. G. Harris and 19 other unidentified men removed four men from the county jail and beat them, killing one of them. The sheriff was arrested. In United States v. Harris (1883), the Supreme Court ruled that the Sheriff could not be prosecuted under federal law.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 266 sqmi, of which 266 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (0.08%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Gibson County (northeast)
• Madison County (southeast)
• Haywood County (south)
• Lauderdale County (west)
• Dyer County (northwest)

State protected areas

• Horns Bluff Refuge (part)

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 13,911 people, 5,565 households, and 3,700 families residing in the county. The median age was 41.2 years; 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.9 males.

Of the households, 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.0% were married-couple households, 17.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 6,071 housing units, of which 8.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.7% were owner-occupied and 29.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.

Fewer than 0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 72.29% White (non-Hispanic), 13.51% Black or African American (non-Hispanic), 0.14% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.11% other or mixed, and 10.77% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,532 people, 5,632 households, and 4,066 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 /mi2. There were 6,138 housing units at an average density of 23 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 81.96% White, 14.37% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 2.79% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 5.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,632 households, out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 15.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,015, and the median income for a family was $36,713. Males had a median income of $27,436 versus $21,073 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,600. About 13.20% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.50% of those under age 18 and 17.90% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Radio

• WTJS Good News 93.1 - WTJS - Alamo - Contemporary Christian Music

Newspaper

The Crockett Times is the paper of record in Crockett County, Tennessee. Locally owned and operated, The Times publishes articles on Crockett County communities of Alamo, Bells, Crockett Mills, Friendship, Gadsden and Maury City, as well as surrounding areas. The Times also publicizes legal notices such as notice to creditors, foreclosure notices, adoption notices, and beer permits. The newspaper is published once a week on Thursday. The Times began publishing in 1873 as the Crockett County Sentinel. In 1933, The Sentinel merged with two other newspapers and was renamed the Crockett Times.

Communities

Cities

• Bells
• Friendship

Towns

• Alamo (county seat)
• Gadsden
• Maury City

Unincorporated communities

• Cairo
• Shady Grove
• Crockett Mills
• Frog Jump
• Fruitvale
• Midway
• Shady Grove

Points of interest

• Louise Pearson Memorial Arboretum

Politics

References

References

1. Annie Laurie James, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=332 Crockett County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: June 25, 2013.
2. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Crockett County, Tennessee".
3. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
6. [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/tu_chet_ver01/data/sn83045160/00200293149/1876081501/0145.pdf Bloody Conflict, ''Memphis Daily Appeal'', August 15, 1876]
7. [https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/tu_brownie_ver01/data/sn85033673/00280779441/1876082301/0798.pdf Crockett County Troubles, ''Public Ledger'', August 23, 1876, 3]
8. [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=106&page=629 ''U.S. v. HARRIS'', 106 U.S. 629 (1883)], Findlaw.com. Retrieved: June 25, 2013.
9. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates".
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
13. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
14. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
16. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
18. "Explore Census Data".
19. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".