Robertson County, Tennessee

History

This was part of the Miro District (also spelled Mero), named after the Spanish Governor Esteban Rodríguez Miró of what was then Louisiana on the west side of the Mississippi River. Miró had served with Spanish troops that assisted the Americans during their war for independence. James Robertson, the explorer for whom this county was named, was trying to create an alliance with Miró that would allow free movement on the Mississippi River (which Spain controlled) to settlers on the Cumberland frontier. Before statehood, this territory was known as Tennessee County.

Thomas Kilgore, the first European settler in Robertson County, arrived in 1778 to establish a settlement in what is now present-day Cross Plains. Robertson County was organized in 1796, at the same time as Montgomery County, which had also been part of the Miro district. The county seat, Springfield, Tennessee, was laid out in 1798. Although initially, most settlers did not hold slaves, by the 1820s planters began to cultivate tobacco, a commodity crop that was labor-intensive and depended on enslaved African Americans. The planters bought slaves to work their plantations, as well as to care for the livestock they bred - thoroughbred horses and cattle.

By the time of the Civil War, African Americans comprised about one-quarter of the area's population, typical for Middle Tennessee, where tobacco and hemp were commodity crops. During the Civil War, Tennessee was occupied by the Union from 1862, which led to a breakdown in social organization in Middle Tennessee.

By 1910 the county's population was 25,466, including 6,492 black citizens, who continued to make up one-quarter of the total. Most of the residents were still involved in farm work, and tobacco was the primary commodity crop, but agricultural mechanization was reducing the need for laborers. White Democrats had tried to restrict black voting; other southern states had excluded blacks from the political process. Many African Americans left rural Robertson County and other parts of Tennessee in the Great Migration to northern and midwestern cities for employment and social freedom. Combined with the later in-migration of whites to the county, by the early 21st century, African Americans comprised less than 10 percent of the county population. They live chiefly in its larger towns.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 476 sqmi, of which 476 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (0.04%) is water.

Unlike most of Tennessee, a sizable part of northern Robertson County is outside of the Sun Belt due to a past error surveying the northern border of Middle and East Tennessee. Downtown Springfield in particular is north of the Sun Belt. The Sun Belt is defined by the Kinder Institute as being south of 36°30'N latitude, which was intended to be the northern border of Tennessee and is the actual northern border of West Tennessee.

Adjacent counties

• Logan County, Kentucky (north)
• Simpson County, Kentucky (northeast)
• Sumner County (east)
• Davidson County (south)
• Cheatham County (southwest)
• Montgomery County (west)
• Todd County, Kentucky (northwest)

State protected areas

• Cedar Hill Swamp Wildlife Management Area
• Port Royal State Park (part)

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 72,803 people, 26,885 households, and 20,378 families residing in the county. The median age was 39.8 years; 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older, with 97.8 males for every 100 females overall and 96.0 males for every 100 females age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 80.3% White, 7.1% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian,

47.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 53.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 26,885 households in the county, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.7% were married-couple households, 15.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 28,459 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.0% were owner-occupied and 25.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 54,433 people, 19,906 households, and 15,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 114 /mi2. There were 20,995 housing units at an average density of 44 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 89.13% White, 8.62% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 2.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2005 the racial makeup of the county was 85.4% non-Hispanic whites, 8.3% African Americans, and 5.3% Latinos.

There were 19,906 households, out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% were non-families. 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 31.40% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,174, and the median income for a family was $49,412. Males had a median income of $34,895 versus $24,086 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,054. About 6.40% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those aged 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Adams
• Cedar Hill
• Cross Plains
• Greenbrier
• Millersville (primarily in Sumner County)
• Orlinda
• Portland (primarily in Sumner County)
• Ridgetop (partly in Davidson County)
• Springfield (county seat)
• White House (partly in Sumner County)

Towns

• Coopertown

Hamlets

• Calistia
• Jernigan Town

Unincorporated communities

• Ashburn
• Baggettsville
• Barren Plains
• Bethlehem (Robertson County)
• Courtland
• Crunk
• Holmansville
• Hubertville
• Milldale
• Port Royal (partial Montgomery County)
• Sandy Springs
• Stroudville
• Turnersville
• Youngville

Transportation

;Highways Interstate Highways

• [[Image:I-65.svg|25px]] Interstate 65
• [[Image:I-24.svg|25px]] Interstate 24 United States Numbered Highways
• [[Image:US 31W.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 31W
• [[Image:US 41.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 41
• [[Image:US 41A.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 41 Alternate
• [[Image:US 431.svg|25px]] U.S. Route 431 Tennessee State Routes
• [[Image:Tennessee 11.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 11
• [[Image:Tennessee 25.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 25
• [[Image:Tennessee 41.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 41
• [[Image:Tennessee 49.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 49
• [[Image:Tennessee 52.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 52
• [[Image:Tennessee 65.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 65
• [[Image:Tennessee 76.svg|25px]] / [[Image:Secondary Tennessee 76.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 76
• [[Image:Tennessee 109.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 109
• [[Image:Tennessee 112.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 112
• [[Image:Secondary Tennessee 161.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 161
• [[Image:Secondary Tennessee 256.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 256
• [[Image:Secondary Tennessee 257.svg|25px]] Tennessee State Route 257 Interstate 65 runs along the eastern border of the county for about 20 mi, and Interstate 24 runs along the southwestern border of the county for about 10 mi. U.S. Routes 41 and 431 run through the county, intersecting and briefly forming a concurrency in Springfield. US 31W forms the eastern border with Sumner County and runs through White House and Cross Plains. Major state routes include 25, 49, 52, 76, and 109. Secondary state routes in Robertson County include 161, 256, and 257.

Government and politics

County Government

The county mayor serves as the chief executive officer of Robertson County and is elected at-large. The office is responsible for overseeing county administration and finances and serves as a non-voting ex-officio member of the county commission, except in the case of a tie vote. The current county mayor is Independent Billy Vogle, who first took office in 2018.

Legislative authority is vested in the Robertson County Board of County Commissioners, which is composed of 24 members elected from 12 districts, with two commissioners representing each district. The commission is charged with adopting the county budget, setting the property tax rate, and overseeing county departments and services. Regular meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the third Monday of each month, except in January and February when they are scheduled for the fourth Monday.

State elected offices

Both members that represent Robertson County in the Tennessee General Assembly are held by Republicans.

Political history

Robertson County was historically a "Solid South" Democratic stronghold, like much of Middle Tennessee, consistently supporting Democratic presidential candidates through much of the 20th century and even supporting segregationist George Wallace in 1968. Republican candidates began gaining some traction in the latter half of the century, with Richard Nixon carrying the county in 1972 for the first time in recent memory.

After 1972, Democrats continued to win Robertson County until the beginning of the 2000s. By 2004, Robertson County solidified as a Republican stronghold, when George W. Bush flipped the county and carried it by over 21 points.

Since then, the county has voted reliably Republican in every presidential election, with Donald Trump surpassing 70% of the vote in 2016, and Democrats have not approached one-third of the county’s vote share since. The last time Robertson County voted for a Democratic candidate in a statewide race was for Phil Bredesen in 2006, and the last time it voted for a Democratic candidate on a presidential level, was in 2000 when it voted for Al Gore, a Tennessee native.

Notes

References

References

1. Yolanda Reid, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1136 Robertson County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: March 21, 2013.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Durham, Walter T. ''Rebellion Revisited: A History of Sumner County, Tennessee from 1861 to 1870''(Franklin, Tennessee: Hillsboro Press, 1999, 2nd ed.)
4. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. https://www.williamsonherald.com/features/w_life/tennessee-history-a-closer-look-at-why-state-s-northern-border-is-askew/article_fa390acc-5383-11ea-ab72-9bfcdc4177a8.html
6. https://kinder.rice.edu/urbanedge/large-young-and-fast-growing-sun-belt-metros-need-urban-policy-innovation#:~:text=The%20Kinder%20Institute%20defines%20the,degrees%2030%20minutes%20north%20latitude
7. "Robertson County, Tennessee Population 2025".
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10. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
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12. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
13. "Explore Census Data".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
16. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
17. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
18. Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization. (2018). "Robertson County". [[Tennessee Department of Transportation]].
19. ohtadmin. (2022-08-05). "Vogle re-elected as Robertson County Mayor - Main Street Media of Tennessee".
20. "Robertson County, TN".
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24. MADEO. "Jan. 14, 1963 {{!}} Newly Elected Governor George Wallace Calls For “Segregation Forever!”".
25. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".