Obion County, Tennessee

History

In the year, 1811 there was a large seismic activity located on the New Madrid Fault Line. The series of earthquakes, while devastating, formed Reelfoot Lake.

Obion was later established in 1823 and organized the following year. It was named for the Obion River, which flows through the county and is a tributary of the nearby Mississippi River. The word "Obion" is believed to be derived from a Native American word meaning "many forks", or from an Irish trapper named O'Brien.

The founding of Obion County originally came from the expansion of railroads. The county has since moved towards many agricultural and manufacturing productions.

In 2013, Discovery Park of America opened in Union City. Discovery Park is a 50-acre encyclopedic museum and heritage park with exhibits pertaining to local and national history, military history, art, science, and technology.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 556 sqmi, of which 545 sqmi is land and 11 sqmi (1.9%) is water. It is located in the "rolling hills of northwest Tennessee".

Adjacent counties

• Fulton County, Kentucky (north)
• Hickman County, Kentucky (northeast)
• Weakley County (east)
• Gibson County (southeast)
• Dyer County (southwest)
• Lake County (west)

National protected area

• Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected areas

• Glover Wetland Wildlife Management Area
• Gooch Wildlife Management Area
• Hop-In Refuge
• Obion River Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Reelfoot Lake State Natural Area (part)
• Reelfoot Lake State Park (part)
• Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area

Major highways

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 30,787 people, 12,928 households, and 8,389 families residing in the county.

The median age was 43.6 years, with 21.7% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.3% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 91.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 81.2% White, 10.3% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian,

40.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 59.3% lived in rural areas.

Of the 12,928 households, 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 46.6% were married-couple households, 17.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older; there were 14,314 housing units, of which 9.7% were vacant, 66.5% of occupied units were owner-occupied, and 33.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,450 people, 13,182 households, and 9,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 PD/sqmi. There were 14,489 housing units at an average density of 27 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 88.16% White, 9.85% Black or African American, 0.19% Asian, 0.14% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,182 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% 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 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,764, and the median income for a family was $40,533. Males had a median income of $32,963 versus $20,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,409. About 10.10% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 15.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The county is part of District 77 of the Tennessee House of Representatives, currently represented by Republican Rusty Grills, and District 76, currently represented by Republican Tandy Darby. The county is part of District 24 of the Tennessee Senate, currently represented by Republican John Stevens. At the federal level, it is part of the state's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Republican David Kustoff.

Education

There are two school districts: Obion County Schools and Union City Schools.

Obion County Schools

• School District website

Union City Schools

• School District Website

Attractions

Obion County is home to many attractions and activities.

• Discovery Park of America focuses on nature, science, technology, history, and art. Discovery Park is the main source of tourism to Obion County.
• Reelfoot Lake is a protected area in Obion County. It is a venue for hiking, boating, and nature.
• Masquerade Theatre is a local theater groups. What started as the historical Capitol Theater has now been renovated to meet the community's needs.
• The Obion County Fair is one of the biggest events held in the county. Fair Rides, Agricultural displays, pageants, and much more are held in late August every year.

Media

• WENK-AM 1240 "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
• WWGY 99.3 "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning"
• WQAK-FM 105.7 "The Quake" (alternative rock)
• The Union City Daily Messenger The county's Newspaper since 1926

Other services

Obion County has a public library, with a 30000 sqft building and a catalog of over 70,000 books, video and audio materials.

Residents of the county's unincorporated communities have the option of paying $75 per year if they want firefighting services from the city of South Fulton.

Communities

Cities

• South Fulton
• Union City (county seat)
• Woodland Mills

Towns

• Hornbeak
• Kenton (partly in Gibson County)
• Obion
• Rives
• Samburg
• Trimble (mostly in Dyer County)
• Troy

Unincorporated communities

• Cunningham
• Dixie
• Midway
• Protemus
• Walnut Log

References

References

1. R.C. Forrester. "Obion County".
2. (August 5, 2022). "Steve Carr Wins Obion County Mayors Race". Thunderbolt Radio.
3. "Census - Geography Profile: Obion County, Tennessee". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. (2005–2006). "Origins Of Tennessee County Names". Tennessee Blue Book.
6. Connection, Sportsman's. (July 16, 2016). "Western Tennessee Fishing Map Guide". Sportsman's Connection.
7. Miller, Larry L.. (April 27, 2001). "Tennessee Place-names". Indiana University Press.
8. "Obion County, Tennessee: History and Information".
9. "Obion County {{!}} Tennessee Encyclopedia". Tennessee Encyclopedia.
10. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
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. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
18. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
19. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
21. [http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Senate/members/s24.html Senate District 24] from the website of the [[Tennessee General Assembly]]
22. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Obion County, TN". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
23. "Obion County, Tennessee - Home".
24. "Obion County Fair – A Volunteer Tradition".
25. "About". Obion County Public Library.
26. (September 30, 2010). "Firefighters watch as home burns to the ground". [[WPSD-TV]].
27. Jason Hibbs. (December 5, 2011). "Home burns while firefighters watch, again". [[WPSD-TV]].