Humphreys County, Tennessee

History

Humphreys County was established in 1809 from parts of Stewart County, and named for Parry Wayne Humphreys, a young Justice of the State Supreme Court, who was later elected as US Congressman from this area. The county seat was initially located at Reynoldsburg, near the mouth of Dry Creek. When the western half of the county was taken to form Benton County to the west in 1835, the seat of Humphreys was newly designated as Waverly, a town that was more centrally located in the redefined jurisdiction.

During the Civil War, the Battle of Johnsonville was fought for two days in the western half of the county in November 1864. The remnants of the battle site are preserved and interpreted at Johnsonville State Historic Park. But much of the battlefield has been submerged by Kentucky Lake, created by dams on the Tennessee River for flood control.

Since the mid-20th century, this area developed increasing ties with the major city of Nashville. Agricultural areas have been developed for residential communities and suburban businesses. As Nashville and the region have prospered, businesses and supporting services have also developed in this county.

21st century

On the morning of August 21, 2021, storms riding along a stationary front in western Middle Tennessee produced widespread flash flooding across the counties of Stewart, Houston, Dickson, Hickman, and Humphreys. Especially hard hit were the towns of McEwen and Waverly, where many homes and businesses were destroyed by floodwaters along Trace Creek. Twenty people were killed as a result of the flooding throughout the county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 557 sqmi, of which 531 sqmi is land and 26 sqmi (4.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Houston County (north)
• Dickson County (northeast)
• Hickman County (southeast)
• Perry County (south)
• Benton County (west)

National protected area

• Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected area

• Johnsonville State Historic Park

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 18,990. The median age was 43.1 years, with 22.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 20.2% aged 65 or older. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.2 males age 18 and over.

There were 7,599 households in the county, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.3% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,849 housing units, of which 14.1% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.7% were owner-occupied and 26.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.

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

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,929 people, 7,238 households, and 5,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 33.7 /mi2. There were 8,482 housing units at an average density of 15.9 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.52% White, 2.94% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,238 households, out of which 30.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.90% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 26.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,786, and the median income for a family was $42,129. Males had a median income of $31,657 versus $20,736 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,757. About 7.60% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.50% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• McEwen
• New Johnsonville
• Waverly (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Bakerville
• Buffalo
• Cedar Grove
• Hurricane Mills
• Hustburg
• Polecat

Politics

Like most other counties in Middle Tennessee, Humphreys is historically a Democratic stronghold: it voted Democrat in almost every US presidential election up until 2004, making exceptions for Independent segregationist George Wallace in 1968 and Republican landslide winner Richard Nixon four years later. However, like other rural Middle Tennessee counties, Humphreys is nowadays solid ground for the Republican Party, with the GOP margin of victory dramatically increasing in each presidential election since John McCain's narrow win in 2008.

References

References

1. (2011–2012). "Tennessee Blue Book". State of Tennessee.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. (1886). "Goodspeed's History of Humphreys County, Tennessee". Goodspeed Publishing Company.
5. Binkley, Trina L.. (January 1, 2010). "Humphreys County".
6. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Government Printing Office.
7. "Johnsonville State Historic Park". Tennessee State Parks.
8. "Flood-related deaths in Humphreys County rises to 20".
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 Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
17. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
18. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".