Perry County, Tennessee
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Perry County, Tennessee | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Tennessee |
|
 Tennessee's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | information needed |
|---|---|
| Seat | Linden |
| Largest City | Linden |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
423 sq mi (1,095 km²) 415 sq mi (1,075 km²) 8 sq mi (21 km²), 1.89% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
7,631 18/sq mi (7/km²) |
| Time zone | Central : UTC-6/-7 |
Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It was named after the War of 1812 naval hero, Oliver Hazard Perry. As of 2000, the population is 7,631. Its county seat is Linden6.
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,095 km² (423 mi²). 1,075 km² (415 mi²) of it is land and 21 km² (8 mi²) of it (1.89%) is water. Perry County is bordered on the west by the Tennessee River (Kentucky Lake), and is bisected (north-south) by the Buffalo River.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Humphreys County (north)
- Hickman County (northeast)
- Lewis County (southeast)
- Wayne County (south)
- Decatur County (west)
- Benton County (northwest)
[edit] History
Perry County was formed in 1819 from parts of Humphreys and Hickman counties. It is named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819), American War of 1812 naval officer who, after his flagship was damaged, continued the fight from another ship and forced the surrender of the British fleet.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 7,631 people, 3,023 households, and 2,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 7/km² (18/mi²). There were 4,115 housing units at an average density of 4/km² (10/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.55% White, 1.70% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,023 households out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 26.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,061, and the median income for a family was $34,792. Males had a median income of $26,626 versus $21,053 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,969. About 12.60% of families and 15.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.00% of those under age 18 and 19.60% of those age 65 or over.
Perry County is notable for having the lowest population density in the state of Tennessee.
