Lebanon, Tennessee

For other places with the same name, see Lebanon (disambiguation).

Lebanon, Tennessee
—  City  —
Lebanon's Town Square
Location of Lebanon, Tennessee
Coordinates: 36°12′29″N 86°19′35″W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Wilson
Area
• Total	29.3 sq mi (75.8 km2)
• Land	29.2 sq mi (75.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	528 ft (161 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	20,235
• Density	692.0/sq mi (267.2/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	37087, 37088, 37090
Area code(s)	615
FIPS code	47-41520
GNIS feature ID	1290901

Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it "Cedar-City", mostly a reference to the abundance of cedar trees in the area. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Lebanon is home to Cumberland University, a small, private, 4-year liberal arts institution.

Geography

Lebanon is located at 36°12′29″N 86°19′35″W (36.207991, -86.326300).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.2 square miles (76 km²), of which, 29.2 square miles (76 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.

Demographics

Lebanon City Hall in Lebanon, TN

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,235 people, 7,987 households, and 5,319 families residing in the city. The population density was 692.0 people per square mile (267.2/km²). There were 8,693 housing units at an average density of 297.3 per square mile (114.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.89% White, 13.78% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.00% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.26% of the population.

There were 7,987 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,118, and the median income for a family was $45,094. Males had a median income of $31,207 versus $24,420 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,366. About 9.3% of families and 13.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Interstate 40 runs just south of the city, which is the major road corridor between Nashville and Knoxville. Railroad freight service is provided by the Nashville and Eastern Railroad short line. Beginning service in 2006, Lebanon is the eastern terminus of the new Music City Star commuter rail service to Nashville.

Rail service began in 1871 with the now defunct Tennessee & Pacific Railroad, which ran to Nashville. The last original passenger train departed Lebanon in 1935.

Lebanon has a municipal airport.

Media

Newspapers

• Lebanon Democrat, published Monday through Saturday
• Wilson Post, published two times weekly (W,F)

Radio

• WANT 98.9 FM [2], country music/local sports and affairs
• WCOR 1490 AM (simulcast of WANT)

Another radio station, WRVW 107.5 FM [3], is licensed to Lebanon, but primarily serves Nashville.

Television

• WJFB 66, 24-hour home shopping feed
• WRTN 6, General/Local Programming

Industry

Banking

Lebanon is considered a banking center for regional banks.^{[citation needed]} It is home to the corporate headquarters of at least three. Most of the larger state and national banks have only a minimal presence in Lebanon.

Corporations

The Cracker Barrel restaurant chain was founded in Lebanon by Dan Evins in 1969, and has its corporate headquarters based there.

Lochinvar Corporation, a water products manufacturer, is based in Lebanon.

Education

Lebanon Special School District (LSSD) has four elementary schools: Byars Dowdy, Sam Houston, Coles Ferry, Castle Heights, and two middle schools Walter J. Baird and Winfree Bryant. The three high schools operating under the Wilson County School System, are Wilson Central High School, Mt. Juliet High School, and Lebanon High School. A new Lebanon High School will soon be built on South Hartmann Drive.^{[citation needed]}

Lebanon is also home to Cumberland University which was founded in 1842. Cumberland University has a rich heritage and has produced over eighty Congressmen and Senators such as Albert Gore, Sr. and Thomas Gore. The institution has also produced a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Cordell Hull, who served as Secretary of State from March 1933 - November 1944.

Sports and Recreation

Nashville Superspeedway is located outside of Lebanon.

Lebanon is host to the annual Wilson County Fair, which is considered by Busy Bee Trader Magazine (based in Greenbrier, TN) to be the best County Fair in Tennessee. The Wilson County Fair has been listed as one of the top 50 fairs in North America by attendance in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The Fair has also been named as one of the top events to attend by Southeastern Tourism and voted "the Best Fair" by the Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation. It has paid attendance more than double that of the Tennessee State Fair.

Film production

Lebanon is featured in Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino, as the setting for the second half of the film, although none of the scenes were actually filmed in Lebanon. In the theatrical release (as part of the double feature Grindhouse), only the newspaper held and referenced by the character "Zoe" gives away the location. In the September 2007 DVD release, the action's location is revealed by a title card and multiple references by several characters. Tarantino was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and has referenced his home state in other films.

Lebanon is also featured in Miranda Lambert's "Famous in a Small Town" music video.

Other movies were filmed in Lebanon are:^{[citation needed]}

• All The Kind Strangers shot in 1974 on Old Rome Pike.
• Charlie's War shot in 2003 on Old Rome Pike.
• Happiness Is... shot in 1975 unknown location.
• Perry's Wait shot in 2007 unknown location.

See also

• Lebanon (Music City Star station)
• Cedars of Lebanon State Park

External links

• City Government of Lebanon