Smith County, Tennessee

History

Smith County was established in 1799 from a portion of Sumner County, and was named for Daniel Smith, a U.S. Senator and former Secretary of the Southwest Territory. The location of the county seat was hotly contested between Bledsoesborough (near modern Dixon Springs) and William Walton's ferry and tavern at the confluence of the Caney Fork and the Cumberland River. In 1804, voters chose Walton's site, and a town, named Carthage, was platted the following year.

Smith County was the site of a large saltpeter mine. Piper Cave, located near Monoville, contains the poorly preserved remnants of dozens of saltpeter leaching vats. Most saltpeter mining in Middle Tennessee took place during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, though the exact dates of this operation are unclear.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 325 sqmi, of which 314 sqmi is land and 11 sqmi (3.4%) is water. The county is located in a transition area between the rugged Highland Rim to the east and the flatter Nashville Basin to the west. The Caney Fork has its confluence with the Cumberland River in Carthage; these are the primary waterways flowing through the county. Cordell Hull Dam on the Cumberland is located near Carthage.

Adjacent counties

• Macon County (north)
• Jackson County (northeast)
• Putnam County (east)
• DeKalb County (southeast)
• Wilson County (west)
• Trousdale County (northwest)

State protected areas

• Cordell Hull Wildlife Management Area (part)

Highways

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 19,904 people, 7,663 households, and 5,409 families residing in the county. The median age was 41.2 years, with 23.0% of residents under the age of 18 and 17.4% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 91.4% White, 1.8% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.0% from some other race, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.6% of the population.

Of those households, 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.9% were married-couple households, 16.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,513 housing units, of which 10.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.7% were owner-occupied and 24.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.

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 17,712 people, 6,878 households, and 5,069 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 /mi2. There were 7,665 housing units at an average density of 24 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.42% White, 2.53% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,878 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $41,645. Males had a median income of $30,853 versus $22,133 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,473. About 10.30% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Towns

• Carthage (county seat)
• Gordonsville
• South Carthage

Census-designated place

• Hickman

Unincorporated communities

• Brush Creek
• Chestnut Mound
• Defeated
• Difficult
• Dixon Springs
• Elmwood
• Enigma
• Kempville
• Lancaster
• New Middleton
• Pleasant Shade
• Riddleton
• Rome
• Stonewall
• Sykes

Education

The Smith County School System operates nine schools:

• Carthage Elementary School, Carthage (PreK–4)
• Defeated Elementary School, Defeated (PreK–8)
• Forks River Elementary School, Elmwood (PreK–8)
• Gordonsville Elementary School, Gordonsville (3–6)
• Gordonsville High School, Gordonsville (7–12)
• New Middleton Elementary School, New Middleton (PreK–2)
• Union Heights Elementary School, Rome (PreK–8)
• Smith County Middle School, South Carthage (5–8)
• Smith County High School, Carthage (9–12)

The county formerly operated Pleasant Shade Elementary School, which closed in 2007, and Cox Davidson Elementary, which closed sometime in the 1950s. New Middleton Elementary was formerly PreK–8, while Gordonsville Elementary was formerly PreK–6. A realignment beginning with the 2017–2018 school year resulted in the current grade alignment of those schools.

Politics

Prior to 2008, Smith County was a Democratic Party stronghold at the presidential level. The county failed to back a Democratic candidate only twice between the Civil War and 2004, when voting for George Wallace in 1968 and against George McGovern in 1972. However, while the county was Carthage resident Al Gore's fourth strongest statewide in his 2000 presidential bid, he failed to win an increasingly Republican Tennessee. Democrat John Kerry won the county in 2004, but by a much narrower four point margin. Since then, Smith County has swung hard towards the Republican Party similar to the rest of the state outside of Memphis and Nashville. Hillary Clinton failed to win even a quarter of the county's votes in 2016, a far cry from the 71 percent and 62 percent her husband Bill won in the county with Gore also on the ticket.

References

References

1. Sue W. Maggart, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1213 Smith County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: April 6, 2013.
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Smith County, Tennessee". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
4. Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961, 568 pages.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Explore Census Data".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "Smith County School System".
17. (July 13, 2024). "Pleasant Shade Elementary School (Closed 2007) - Pleasant Shade, TN".
18. (February 14, 2017). "UPDATE: 5 to 2 Vote Splits Gordonsville Elementary and New Middleton School; 1 Abstained".
19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
20. (December 2, 2024). "State of Tennessee General Election Results, November 5, 2024, Results By County". Secretary of State of Tennessee.