Cumberland County, Tennessee

Cumberland County
County
The Cumberland County courthouse in Crossville, Tennessee.
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°57′N 85°00′W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	November 16, 1855
Seat	Crossville
Largest city	Crossville
Area
• Total	685 sq mi (1,774 km2)
• Land	682 sq mi (1,765 km2)
• Water	3 sq mi (9 km2)  .49%
Population  (2010)
• Total	56,053
• Density	69/sq mi (27/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)

Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is situated in the East Grand Division of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 56,053. Its county seat is CrossvilleTemplate:GR.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 685 square miles (1,774.1 km²), of which 682 square miles (1,766.4 km²) is land and 3 square miles (7.8 km²) (0.49%) is water.

Grassy Cove is a very large, closed depression located 10 miles south-southeast of Crossville. It is 3 miles wide, 5 miles long, and over 1,000 feet deep. All of the water draining into Grassy Cove flows underground through a large cave system and emerges 4 miles southwest at Head of Sequatchie to form the Sequatchie River.

Adjacent counties

• Fentress County (north)
• Overton County (northwest)
• Morgan County (northeast)
• Roane County (east)
• Rhea County (southeast)
• Bledsoe County (south)
• Van Buren County (southwest)
• White County (west)
• Putnam County (northwest)

National protected area

• Obed Wild and Scenic River (part)

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 46,802 people, 19,508 households, and 14,513 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 people per square mile (27/km²).

Age pyramid Cumberland County

There were 22,442 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.11% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the 2000 Census the largest ancestry groups in Cumberland County were English (38.5%), German (13.9%), Irish (13.2%) and Scottish (2.7%)

There were 19,508 households out of which 26.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.80% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 22.40% 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 2.37 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the county, the population was spread out with 21.40% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 20.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,901, and the median income for a family was $35,928. Males had a median income of $26,559 versus $20,644 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,808. About 11.10% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.80% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.

History

Cumberland County was the site of an important saltpeter mine. Saltpeter is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave. According to Barr (1961), Dicky Mathews began the manufacture of gunpowder at the cave in 1859. His son was killed by an explosion at Powder House Spring below the cave. This is an exceptionally large cave and evidence of mining extends far from the entrance. The leaching vats were located in a large room near the entrance, but this room is damp and the wooden vats have deteriorated to the point that they are difficult to recognize. It is also possible that this cave may have been mined much earlier, during the War of 1812. (Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961, 568 pages.)

Cities and towns

• Crab Orchard
• Crossville
• Fairfield Glade (unincorporated)
• Grassy Cove (unincorporated)
• Lake Tansi (unincorporated)
• Pleasant Hill
• Ozone (unincorporated)

See also

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

External links

• Cumberland County at Curlie
• Cumberland County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county