Jackson County, Tennessee

Jackson County, Tennessee
Jackson County Courthouse in Gainesboro
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1801
Named for	Andrew Jackson
Seat	Gainesboro
Largest city	Gainesboro
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	320 sq mi (828 km²) 309 sq mi (800 km²) 11 sq mi (28 km²), 3.34%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	10,984 36/sq mi (14/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 10,984. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 11,072. Its county seat is Gainesboro.

Jackson is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 320 square miles (828.8 km²), of which 309 square miles (800.3 km²) is land and 11 square miles (28.5 km²) (3.34%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Clay County (north)
• Overton County (east)
• Putnam County (south)
• Smith County (southwest)
• Macon County (northwest)

History

Jackson County was created by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly on November 6, 1801. It was the eighteenth county established in the state. It was formed from part of Smith County plus Indian lands. The name honors Andrew Jackson, a U.S. congressman and senator, Tennessee Supreme Court judge, commander at the Battle of New Orleans, and the seventh President of the United States.

In the 1790s, an Army outpost named Fort Blount was built 10 miles (16 km) west of Gainesboro on the Cumberland River, in what is now western Jackson County. Fort Blount was an important stop for travellers on Avery's Trace. Williamsburg, a town developed around the fort, served as the Jackson County seat from 1807 to 1819.

The county's early records were all lost in a disastrous courthouse fire on August 14, 1872.

Demographics

Age pyramid for Jackson County

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,984 people, 4,466 households, and 3,139 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 5,163 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.63% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,466 households out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% were married couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,502, and the median income for a family was $32,088. Males had a median income of $24,759 versus $19,511 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,020. About 15.10% of families and 18.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 22.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Gainesboro
• Granville (unincorporated)
• Nameless (unincorporated)
• North Springs (unincorporated)
• Whitleyville (unincorporated)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jackson County, Tennessee

External links

• Jackson County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county
• Jackson County at the Open Directory Project