White County, Tennessee
White County | |
---|---|
UTC−5 (CDT) | |
Congressional district | 6th |
Website | whitecountytn |
White County is a
White County is a component of the
History
On September 11, 1806, an act of the Tennessee General Assembly created White County out of Smith and Jackson counties, responding to a petition signed by 155 residents of the area. The county's original geographic area included all of what are now White and Warren counties, as well as parts of modern Cannon, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Grundy, Putnam, and Van Buren counties.[4]
The origin of the county's name is disputed. The county is officially held to be named for John White (1751–1846), a
A temporary county seat was established near Rock Island, now in Warren County. Three years later a permanent county seat was established on the banks of the Calfkiller River and named Sparta.
In 1840, White County became a destination for people from all over the country when Christopher Haufmann erected a large hotel on Bon Air Mountain, part of the
White County was the site of a very large
The
Over the subsequent decades, White County slowly rebuilt from the ashes of war. The county was connected to the outside world by railroad, mainly because of the booming coal mining industries being started on Bon Air Mountain. The mountain was rich in bituminous coal, and enterprising local businessmen were quick to realize the profit potential that represented. Several mining towns sprang up on the plateau part of the county, including Bon Air, Eastland, and Ravenscroft.[7]
In 1981, a dispute between a local mining company and residents escalated and later became a Tennessee Supreme Court case known as Doochin v. Rackley. The disagreement began when the local coal companies began to strip mine residents' private land. The court ruled in favor of the defendants because the Broad Form Deed did not recognize strip mining as a legal form of mining.[8]
Geography
According to the
The
The Calfkiller River, a tributary of the Caney Fork, flows through the central part of White County, and drains the county seat, Sparta. The Falling Water River, also a tributary of the Caney Fork, flows through the northwestern part of the county, and forms part of the county's border with Putnam County. The Falling Water River is noted for its 136-foot (41 m) waterfall, Burgess Falls, which straddles the Putnam-White line.
White County also boasts over 1,200 documented caves (over 3.17 caves per square mile), which makes White County one of the most cave-dense regions in the world.[10]
Adjacent counties
The following counties are adjacent to White.[11]
- Putnam County (north)
- Cumberland County (east)
- Van Buren County (south)
- Warren County (southwest)
- DeKalb County (west)
Blue Spring Cave
Blue Spring Cave, located five miles northeast of Sparta, is the longest mapped cave in Tennessee and the tenth longest cave in the United States, with 38 miles (61 km) of passages. The footprints of extinct Pleistocene (Ice Age) jaguars were discovered in the cave in 1990 by Bill Walter.[12]
Major highways
State protected areas
- Bledsoe State Forest (part)
- Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness Wildlife Management Area (part)
- Burgess Falls State Park and Natural Area (part)
- Rock Island State Park (part)
- Sparta Rock House State Historic Site
- Virgin Falls State Natural Area
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1810 | 4,028 | — | |
1820 | 8,701 | 116.0% | |
1830 | 9,967 | 14.6% | |
1840 | 10,747 | 7.8% | |
1850 | 11,444 | 6.5% | |
1860 | 9,381 | −18.0% | |
1870 | 9,375 | −0.1% | |
1880 | 11,176 | 19.2% | |
1890 | 12,348 | 10.5% | |
1900 | 14,157 | 14.7% | |
1910 | 15,420 | 8.9% | |
1920 | 15,701 | 1.8% | |
1930 | 15,543 | −1.0% | |
1940 | 15,983 | 2.8% | |
1950 | 16,204 | 1.4% | |
1960 | 15,577 | −3.9% | |
1970 | 17,088 | 9.7% | |
1980 | 19,567 | 14.5% | |
1990 | 20,090 | 2.7% | |
2000 | 23,102 | 15.0% | |
2010 | 25,841 | 11.9% | |
2020 | 27,351 | 5.8% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2010-2014[17] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
24,833 | 90.79% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
405 | 1.48% |
Native American
|
75 | 0.27% |
Asian
|
132 | 0.48% |
Pacific Islander
|
10 | 0.04% |
Other/Mixed
|
1,160 | 4.24% |
Latino
|
736 | 2.69% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,351 people, 10,048 households, and 6,904 families residing in the county.
2000 census
As of the
There were 9,229 households, out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.50% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,383, and the median income for a family was $34,854. Males had a median income of $26,706 versus $20,346 for females. The
Education
Public schools
- White County High School[21]
- White County Middle School
- BonDeCroft Elementary School
- Cassville Elementary School
- Central View Elementary School
- Doyle Elementary School
- Findlay Elementary School
- Northfield Elementary School
- Woodland Park Elementary School
Communities
City
Town
Unincorporated communities
Notable people
- David Culley - National Football League head coach
- George Gibbs Dibrell– U.S. Congressman and Confederate general
- Champ Ferguson – Confederate guerrilla
- Lester Flatt – bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in "The Foggy Mountain Boys"
- North Carolina State and Missouri State University) and a graduate of White County High School
- Benny Martin – bluegrass musician; invented the eight-string fiddle
- Carl Rowan – journalist, author, U.S. Ambassador to Finland
- Pauline Weaver – Arizona mountain man, born in White County
- Earl Webb – Major League Baseball record holder for most doubles in a season
Politics
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 9,606 | 80.76% | 2,143 | 18.02% | 146 | 1.23% |
2016 | 7,671 | 78.08% | 1,845 | 18.78% | 309 | 3.15% |
2012 | 6,197 | 67.80% | 2,795 | 30.58% | 148 | 1.62% |
2008 | 6,103 | 63.26% | 3,372 | 34.95% | 172 | 1.78% |
2004 | 5,269 | 55.49% | 4,147 | 43.68% | 79 | 0.83% |
2000 | 3,525 | 45.34% | 4,135 | 53.18% | 115 | 1.48% |
1996 | 2,498 | 37.65% | 3,592 | 54.14% | 545 | 8.21% |
1992 | 2,118 | 29.94% | 4,102 | 57.99% | 854 | 12.07% |
1988 | 2,646 | 50.41% | 2,562 | 48.81% | 41 | 0.78% |
1984 | 2,895 | 48.59% | 3,033 | 50.91% | 30 | 0.50% |
1980 | 2,100 | 37.41% | 3,415 | 60.84% | 98 | 1.75% |
1976 | 1,382 | 26.01% | 3,874 | 72.90% | 58 | 1.09% |
1972 | 2,252 | 60.42% | 1,392 | 37.35% | 83 | 2.23% |
1968 | 1,423 | 29.91% | 1,584 | 33.30% | 1,750 | 36.79% |
1964 | 1,199 | 28.64% | 2,987 | 71.36% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 1,725 | 43.15% | 2,207 | 55.20% | 66 | 1.65% |
1956 | 1,346 | 35.81% | 2,378 | 63.26% | 35 | 0.93% |
1952 | 1,374 | 37.00% | 2,319 | 62.44% | 21 | 0.57% |
1948 | 635 | 23.68% | 1,719 | 64.09% | 328 | 12.23% |
1944 | 668 | 33.22% | 1,339 | 66.58% | 4 | 0.20% |
1940 | 657 | 22.44% | 2,256 | 77.05% | 15 | 0.51% |
1936 | 591 | 41.80% | 814 | 57.57% | 9 | 0.64% |
1932 | 390 | 16.66% | 1,938 | 82.79% | 13 | 0.56% |
1928 | 776 | 43.26% | 1,018 | 56.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 452 | 27.29% | 1,162 | 70.17% | 42 | 2.54% |
1920 | 1,456 | 39.81% | 2,201 | 60.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
1916 | 587 | 28.94% | 1,407 | 69.38% | 34 | 1.68% |
1912 | 330 | 17.48% | 1,222 | 64.72% | 336 | 17.80% |
See also
References
- ^ a b Carroll Van West, "White County," Tennessee Encyclopedia History and Culture. Retrieved: April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: White County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c Brief History of White County, White County TNGenWeb Project website, accessed May 2, 2008
- ^ Coral Williams, "Legends and Stories of White County, Tennessee," DanielHaston.com. Retrieved: November 20, 2013.
- ^ Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961, 568 pages.
- ^ Tennessee Mining Department, Annual Report (Tennessee Mining Department, 1922), p. 68.
- ^ "DOOCHIN v. RACKLEY| Tenn. | Law | CaseMine". www.casemine.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "Tennessee Cave Survey". www.subworks.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ^ "White County, TN - Geographic Facts & Maps - MapSof.net". www.mapsof.net. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-879961-36-4
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
- ^ Based on 2000 census data
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ White County Schools, White County Schools official site. Retrieved: November 20, 2013.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.