Fayette County, Tennessee

Fayette County, Tennessee
County Courthouse, Town of Somerville, seat of Fayette County
Map of Tennessee highlighting Fayette County
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded September 29, 1824
Named for Marquis de Lafayette[1]
Seat Somerville
Largest town Oakland
Area
 • Total 706 sq mi (1,829 km2)
 • Land 705 sq mi (1,826 km2)
 • Water 1.5 sq mi (4 km2), 0.2%
Population (est.)
 • (2017) 40,036
 • Density 56.8/sq mi (21.9/km2)
Congressional district 8th
Time zone Central: UTC−6/−5
Website fayettetn.us

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 38,413.[2] Its county seat is Somerville.[3] The county was named after the Marquis de la Fayette, French hero of the American Revolution.[4]

Fayette County is part of the Memphis, TN–MS–AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is considered part of the Mississippi Delta and was a major area of cotton plantations dependent on slave labor in the nineteenth century.

Rhea "Skip" Taylor is currently the county mayor.[5] Fayette County has a 19 person legislative body referred to as the Board of County Commissioners. All positions are elected every four (4) years along with the County Mayor.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 706 square miles (1,830 km2), of which 705 square miles (1,830 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.2%) is water.[6] It is the third-largest county in Tennessee by area.

Adjacent counties

State protected areas

  • William B. Clark Conservation Area
  • Ghost River State Natural Area
  • Piperton Wetland Complex Wildlife Management Area (part)
  • Wolf River Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18308,652—
184021,501148.5%
185026,71924.3%
186024,327−9.0%
187026,1457.5%
188031,87121.9%
189028,878−9.4%
190029,7012.8%
191030,2571.9%
192031,4994.1%
193028,891−8.3%
194030,3225.0%
195027,535−9.2%
196024,577−10.7%
197022,692−7.7%
198025,30511.5%
199025,5591.0%
200028,80612.7%
201038,41333.4%
Est. 201740,036[7]4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2014[2] 2017[12]
Age pyramid Fayette County[13]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 28,806 people, 10,467 households, and 8,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 11,214 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 62.48% White, 35.95% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Fayette County were English 51.66%, African 35.95%, Scots-Irish 7.1%, and Scottish 1.2%.

By 2005 Fayette County was 67.9% non-Hispanic whites. Its population was 28.2% African-American, 1.9% Latino and 1.2% Asian.

In 2000 there were 10,467 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% were non-families. 20.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,279, and the median income for a family was $46,283. Males had a median income of $33,603 versus $24,690 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,969. About 10.90% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.40% of those under age 18 and 18.00% of those age 65 or over.

Since the four-lane expansion of Highway 64 in the early 1990s, western Fayette County has had a population explosion. Although the county seat is still in Somerville, the population of Oakland has far surpassed it because of the influx of people working in Shelby County and seeking more affordable housing.

Although Fayette County is growing on its western side, the county's economy is still based on agriculture. Historically it was a site of cotton plantations as part of the Mississippi Delta. Several of the county's largest farmers, including the Rhea, German, Dilliard, and Karcher families, control the vast majority of the county's wealth. Some of these families have been farming for generations dating back to plantations before the Civil War. Others are younger farmers who have used their skill, business savvy, and work ethic to develop large farming operations.

Fayette County has become a destination for people of the Memphis metro area. This group is known by Fayette County natives as "Shelby County Spillover" or "White Flight Memphonites". The total value for building permits in June 2007 was close to that of the much larger Memphis suburban area of DeSoto County, Mississippi.

Education

[15]

  • Fayette Ware Comprehensive High
  • Fayette Academy
  • Rossville Christian Academy
  • West Jr High
  • East Jr High
  • Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School
  • Southwest Elementary
  • Oakland Elementary
  • LaGrange-Moscow Elementary

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Presidential Elections Results[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 67.3% 13,055 30.3% 5,874 2.4% 465
2012 64.8% 12,689 34.2% 6,688 1.0% 197
2008 63.2% 12,173 35.8% 6,892 1.0% 189
2004 60.8% 8,962 38.7% 5,696 0.5% 79
2000 55.5% 6,402 43.7% 5,037 0.8% 90
1996 46.3% 4,406 48.9% 4,655 4.8% 458
1992 43.1% 3,713 48.9% 4,211 8.0% 685
1988 51.6% 3,573 47.6% 3,292 0.8% 56
1984 50.4% 3,733 49.1% 3,634 0.5% 34
1980 40.9% 2,944 57.6% 4,141 1.5% 110
1976 35.3% 2,133 63.8% 3,853 0.9% 54
1972 59.8% 3,264 37.8% 2,067 2.4% 132
1968 13.3% 740 40.3% 2,236 46.3% 2,570
1964 52.6% 2,922 47.4% 2,636
1960 49.0% 1,370 31.9% 892 19.2% 537
1956 18.2% 358 32.5% 639 49.3% 971
1952 46.7% 1,029 53.3% 1,173
1948 3.7% 66 12.7% 226 83.6% 1,493
1944 10.8% 172 89.1% 1,417 0.1% 2
1940 4.1% 78 95.8% 1,826 0.1% 2
1936 1.6% 29 98.4% 1,764
1932 3.1% 42 95.6% 1,287 1.3% 17
1928 9.9% 121 90.1% 1,100
1924 5.1% 65 92.8% 1,181 2.1% 27
1920 13.1% 346 86.9% 2,294
1916 6.0% 116 93.9% 1,812 0.1% 2
1912 6.0% 59 84.5% 830 9.5% 93

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dorothy R. Morton, "Fayette County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 27 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 124.
  5. ↑ "County Directory". Fayettetn.us. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  6. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  12. ↑ "QuickFacts. Fayette County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  13. ↑ Based on 2000 census data
  14. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  15. ↑ "Fayette County Schools ::". Fcsk12.net. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  16. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-10.

Coordinates: 35°11′N 89°25′W / 35.19°N 89.41°W / 35.19; -89.41

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