Maury County, Tennessee

Maury County, Tennessee
Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, TN

Seal

Location in the state of Tennessee

Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded 1807
Seat Columbia
Largest city Columbia
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

616 sq mi (1,594 km²)
613 sq mi (1,587 km²)
3 sq mi (7 km²), .43%
Population
 - (2010)
 - Density

80,956
113/sq mi (44/km²)
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Maury County ( /ˈmɒr/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 80,956. Its county seat is Columbia.[1]

Contents

History

The county was formed in 1807 from Williamson County and Indian lands. Maury County was named in honor of Major Abram Poindexter Maury of Williamson County, who was a member of the Tennessee legislature and an officer. Maj. A. P. Maury was an uncle of Commodore Matthew Fontaine Maury.

Columbia Race Riot of 1946

In 1946, a race riot dubbed the "Columbia Race Riot" occurred in the county seat, Columbia, TN. A fight between James Stephenson, an African-American Navy veteran, and a white shopkeeper apparently ignited the event, and later that same day there was shooting, fighting, and rioting between whites and blacks in a part of Columbia known as "Mink Slide", a name for the African-American business district. Several people were eventually charged with rioting and attempted murder; the main attorney who arrived in Columbia to defend Stephenson in the case was Thurgood Marshall, who would later become the first black United States Supreme Court justice.[2]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 616 square miles (1,600 km2), of which 613 square miles (1,590 km2) is land and 3 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.43%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 69,498 people, 26,444 households, and 19,277 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile (44/km²). There were 28,674 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile (18/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.39% White, 14.25% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 3.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 26,444 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.90% were married couples living together, 12.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $41,591, and the median income for a family was $48,010. Males had a median income of $37,675 versus $23,334 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,365. About 8.30% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 12.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Unincorporated towns and communities

This is an incomplete list

See also

References

  1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  2. ^ "Columbia race riot, 1946". Tennessee Encyclopedia. http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=C128. Retrieved 2008-07-04. 
  3. ^ Based on 2000 census data
  4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links