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Lexington, Tennessee

Coordinates: 35°39′26″N 88°23′33″W / 35.65722°N 88.39250°W / 35.65722; -88.39250
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Lexington, Tennessee
City
Former post office in Lexington
Former post office in Lexington
Motto: 
"the central city for southern industry"
Location in Henderson County, Tennessee
Location in Henderson County, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°39′26″N 88°23′33″W / 35.65722°N 88.39250°W / 35.65722; -88.39250
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountyHenderson
Government
 • MayorDavid Jowers
Area
 • Total12.42 sq mi (32.16 km2)
 • Land12.25 sq mi (31.73 km2)
 • Water0.17 sq mi (0.43 km2)
Elevation
522 ft (159.1 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total7,652
 • Estimate 
(2016)[1]
7,769
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
38351
Area code731
FIPS code47-41980[2]
GNIS feature ID1291101[3]
Websitewww.lexingtontn.gov

Lexington is a city in Henderson County, Tennessee, United States. Lexington is midway between Memphis and Nashville, lying 10 miles (16 km) south of Interstate 40, which connects the two cities. The population was 7,652 at the 2010 census.[4] It is the county seat of Henderson County.[5]

History

Shortly after the 1821 creation of Henderson County, a site near its center was chosen as a county seat, and was named "Lexington" in honor of Lexington, Massachusetts, site of the first battle of the American Revolution.[6] The first county courthouse was built in 1823; Lexington was incorporated in 1824 and by 1830 had a population of 260.

As the lead-up to the Civil War began, Henderson County voted against secession. As the war progressed, both Union and Confederate regiments were recruited in the county. The area in and around Lexington was the site of a skirmish on December 18, 1862. Union Colonel Robert Ingersoll sent his troops to destroy a bridge over Beech Creek to disallow the Confederate army moving into the area. However, Ingersoll's troops did not destroy the bridge, and General Nathan Bedford Forrest's troops headed into Lexington. Forrest's troops overtook the Union soldiers, taking over 140 men, including Colonel Ingersoll, and collected artillery and supplies left behind by Union soldiers who escaped.[7]

In 1918, an African-American man called Berry Noyse who was accused of killing the sheriff was lynched by a mob in the courthouse square and burned in the street.[8]

Geography

Lexington is in central Henderson County. U.S. Route 412 (Church Street) is the main road through the city, leading east 85 miles (137 km) to Columbia and west 27 miles (43 km) to Jackson. Tennessee State Route 22 (Broad Street) crosses US 412 in the center of Lexington, leading north 9 miles (14 km) to Interstate 40 at Parkers Crossroads and south 20 miles (32 km) to Milledgeville.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Lexington has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32.2 km2), of which 12.2 square miles (31.7 km2) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2), or 1.34%, are water.[4] The Beech River, an east-flowing tributary of the Tennessee River, runs through the southwestern part of the city.

Lexington is 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Natchez Trace State Park.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880329—
1890715117.3%
19001,33286.3%
19101,49712.4%
19201,79219.7%
19301,8231.7%
19402,52638.6%
19503,56641.2%
19603,94310.6%
19705,02427.4%
19805,93418.1%
19905,810−2.1%
20007,39327.2%
20107,6523.5%
2016 (est.)7,769[1]1.5%
Sources:[9][10]

As of the census[2] of 2000, the population density was 640.4 people per square mile (247.4/km²). There were 3,371 housing units at an average density of 292.0 per square mile (112.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.50% White, 13.07% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

There were 3,039 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city, the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,725, and the median income for a family was $41,429. Males had a median income of $31,558 versus $23,212 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,368. About 10.2% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools are run by the Lexington City School System. There are three schools: Paul G. Caywood Elementary School, Lexington Middle School and Lexington High School. Lexington High School is in the Henderson County School System. Paul G. Caywood Elementary School, commonly referred to as "Caywood", and Lexington Middle School, commonly referred to as "LMS", are both in the Lexington City School System(LCSS).

Newspapers

  • Tennessee Magnet Publications

Arts and culture

The Lexington-Henderson County Everett Horn Public Library serves the city.[11]

Lexington is home to the very popular Beech Lake. Lexington has one museum, Beech River Heritage Museum, that holds a variety of historical artifacts of Lexington and Henderson County.

Lexington was the setting of a 1994 episode of The X-Files called "E.B.E."[12]

Lexington claims to be the barbeque capital of the country; it supposedly has more barbeque restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States.[13]

Infrastructure

Henderson County Community Hospital is located in and serves the Lexington area.[14]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2008-01-31. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Lexington city, Tennessee". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ History of Tennessee from the Earliest Time to the Present. Southern Historical Press. 1886. p. 804.
  7. ^ "Rebles rout Yankees in western Tennessee". This Day in History. History.com. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  8. ^ Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror: Second Edition: Report Summary (PDF). Montgomery, Alabama: Equal Justice Initiative. 2015. p. 13. When Berry Noyse was accused of killing the sheriff in Lexington, Tennessee, in 1918, an angry mob lynched him in the courthouse square, dragged his body through the town, shot it dozens of times, and burned the body in the middle of the street below hung banners that read, "This is the way we do our bit."
  9. ^ "Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2006-02-08. Retrieved 2012-03-04. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Lexington-Henderson County Everett Horn Public Library". Lexington-Henderson County Everett Horn Public Library. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  12. ^ http://www.x-fileslexicon.com/season1/1x16.html
  13. ^ Mancour, Terry. "Lexington City Website". Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Henderson County Community Hospital". Henderson County Community Hospital. Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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