Bolivar, Tennessee

Bolivar, Tennessee
City
Bolivar Town Square
Location of Bolivar, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°16′N 89°0′W / 35.267°N 89.000°W / 35.267; -89.000
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Hardeman
Area
• Total	8.5 sq mi (22.0 km2)
• Land	8.5 sq mi (22.0 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	446 ft (136 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	5,417
• Density	684.4/sq mi (264.3/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	38008, 38074
Area code(s)	731
FIPS code	47-07180[1]
GNIS feature ID	1269372[2]

Bolivar is a city in Hardeman County, Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 5,417.^[3] It is the county seat of Hardeman County.^[4] The town was named for South American revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar.

Bolivar is served by William L. Whitehurst Field.

History

The first people to come to Hardeman County looking for permanent residence came in 1819-20. They came from middle Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Kentucky. The first town in Hardeman County was established in 1823 on the banks of the Big Hatchie, the Indian name for the river, and was called Hatchie Town. The new site, the county seat, bore the name Hatchie until by Act of the Tennessee State Legislature, on October 18, 1825, it was changed to Bolivar. Bolivar was named for Gen. Simon Bolivar, the South American patriot and liberator.

Hardeman County was officially organized on October 16, 1823, and was named for Thomas Jones Hardeman, a veteran of the War of 1812, who served as the first county court clerk and a commissioner for Bolivar before moving to Texas in 1835.

Geography

Maxwell's Big Star and theater

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.5 square miles (22 km²), of which 8.5 square miles (22 km²) is land and 0.12% is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 5,802 people, 2,161 households, and 1,462 families residing in the city. The population density was 684.4 people per square mile (264.2/km²). There were 2,352 housing units at an average density of 277.4 per square mile (107.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 42.33% White, 56.39% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.

There were 2,161 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 24.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 83.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,651, and the median income for a family was $35,298. Males had a median income of $30,442 versus $21,544 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,973. About 19.5% of families and 23.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.7% of those under age 18 and 28.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Wayne Chism, former basketball player for the University of Tennessee Volunteers, lived in Bolivar and played high school basketball at Bolivar Central High School.
• John Dodge, baseball player
• Willie Kemp, former basketball player for the University of Memphis Tigers, lived in Bolivar and played high school basketball at Bolivar Central High School.
• Wayne Farris, known as Pro Wrestler The Honky Tonk Man, lived in Bolivar.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bolivar has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[7]

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ↑ Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Certified Population of Tennessee Incorporated Municipalities and Counties, State of Tennessee official website, 14 July 2011. Retrieved: 6 December 2013.
4. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
5. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-03-04. 
6. ↑ "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 11 December 2013. 
7. ↑ Climate Summary for Bolivar, Tennessee
8. ↑ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013.  Retrieved on September 20, 2013.

External links

• On The Ball Magazine - Bolivar Central Tigers

Coordinates: 35°15′48″N 89°00′20″W / 35.2633°N 89.0055°W / 35.2633; -89.0055

v t e Municipalities and communities of Hardeman County, Tennessee, United States County seat: Bolivar Cities Bolivar Grand Junction‡ Middleton Towns Hickory Valley Hornsby Saulsbury Silerton‡ Toone Whiteville Unincorporated communities Forty Five Pocahontas Van Buren Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties