Hickory Withe, Tennessee

Hickory Withe, Tennessee
Census-designated place (CDP)

Location of Hickory Withe, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°13′25″N 89°34′55″W / 35.22361°N 89.58194°WCoordinates: 35°13′25″N 89°34′55″W / 35.22361°N 89.58194°W
Country United States
State Tennessee
County Fayette
Area
 • Total 28.4 sq mi (73.6 km2)
 • Land 28.3 sq mi (73.3 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Population (2000)
 • Total 2,574
 • Density 90.9/sq mi (35.1/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
FIPS code 47-33960[1]
Website http://www.hickorywithe.com/

Hickory Withe is an unincorporated community in Fayette County, Tennessee. For several years it functioned as an incorporated town, and was so treated at the 2000 census. The population was 2,574 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Hickory Withe is located at 35°13′25″N 89°34′55″W / 35.22361°N 89.58194°W (35.223636, -89.581927).[2]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town had a total area of 28.4 square miles (74 km2), of which 28.3 square miles (73 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.39%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,574 people, 980 households, and 803 families residing in the town. The population density was 90.9 people per square mile (35.1/km²). There were 1,016 housing units at an average density of 35.9 per square mile (13.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.32% White, 16.24% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.04% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population.

There were 980 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.1% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 33.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,292, and the median income for a family was $62,857. Males had a median income of $42,024 versus $28,550 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,368. About 2.4% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

The historic community of Hickory Withe was settled in 1834 by families who moved from the region around Prosperity, South Carolina.

Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church

One of the first acts of these settlers was to form the congregation of Prosperity Presbyterian Church, which was founded on the fourth Sunday of December, 1834. This congregation united with another Presbyterian congregation, Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church, in 1907 to form Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church, which is still active today.[3] That church, meeting in an historic property on Donelson Drive, is all that remains of what once was "Main Street" of Hickory Withe: Donelson Drive used to be home to a post office, a general store, a cotton gin, and a two-room school house in addition to the church. The school facility was deeded to the Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church in 1974, and is maintained today; the remaining businesses and buildings have been removed, leaving only residences and the church.[4]

Efforts to incorporate Hickory Withe led to revisions of Tennessee laws regarding incorporation and annexation. In the mid-1990s supporters of the idea of incorporating Hickory Withe went to Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee John S. Wilder, who is from nearby Braden and has represented the area in the Tennessee State Senate since 1966, with the idea of sponsoring a bill which would allow Hickory Withe to incorporate, something which could not be accomplished under the then-existing law. Wilder learned that he could not introduce an act allowing only for the incorporation of Hickory Withe as this would be rejected by the courts as unconstitutional, so it was necessary for any act to help Hickory Withe to incorporate to be worded in a broad enough fashion to allow any similar area in Tennessee which also desired to incorporate to do so as well. The eventual bill which passed was drawn in such a way as to allow almost any previously-unincorporated area to incorporate, and several attempted to do so, including, famously, an apartment building near Elizabethton. The resulting legislation became known, somewhat derisively, as the "Tiny Towns Bill". Most of the towns which were set up, or were attempted to be set up under the act, seemed primarily to be efforts to prevent areas from being annexed by larger jurisdictions which charged property tax. The Tennessee Supreme Court struck down the new legislation on November 19, 1997, less than a year after it entered the books.[5] Corrective legislation enacted since has required any new town being set up to have a property tax rate set as a condition of its incorporation (and that rate cannot be "zero"). Towns set up under the "Tiny Town" law, like Hickory Withe, were not automatically dissolved with the act's repeal, although some have subsequently taken this step.

Community Character

The Community of Hickory Withe is rich in its agricultural heritage. Scattered among the numerous farms where “cotton is king” can also be found some of the most beautiful horse farms in west Tennessee - the largest of which is Windy Ridge Paso Fino Ranch located in the heart of the community at the intersection of U.S. Highway No. 64 (old Stage Road) and State Highway 196 (Hickory Withe Road). Autumn is particularly beautiful when the area’s cotton is in full bloom against a backdrop of the majestic fall colors. All of the residential estate developments of the area have been carefully nestled within the existing rural landscape of the area. It is not uncommon to find homes overlooking vast agricultural farms or snuggled against quaint cattle or horse farms.

The major artery into Hickory Withe is along U.S. Highway No. 64 which generally follows the location of the old stagecoach route. While entering Hickory Withe on its western limits, being the Shelby / Fayette county line and adjacent to the City of Memphis, one immediately notices a stark contrast in roadside character than that of neighboring Shelby County. Upon entering the community along Highway 64, the first thing travelers observe is the abundance of mature trees and open spaces within a gently rolling landscape. Being the gateway to Fayette County, the large land owners along this corridor are dedicated to preserving the rural character of their beloved community. Tremendous efforts have been placed on Smart Growth planning for the community to allow for the inevitable commercial needs of the community along this precious corridor without sacrificing the ambiance of this quaint environment.

As the "Welcome to Fayette County Sign" states at the entrance to the County along Highway 64 – Fayette County is certainly “on the grow”. With the newly completed outer loop (Highway 385 - Future I-269) of the Memphis metropolitan area, existing and future residents alike will enjoy the immediate access to neighboring communities including Collierville, Arlington and the City of Memphis. One very little known secret known by those who already live in the community is that Hickory Withe is much closer to the entertainment, restaurants, shopping and employment offered in Shelby County than one would imagine. Although it feels as though you are miles away from the congestion and issues associated with the Big City, reality is that you are only minutes from the conveniences offered in the Memphis area.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  3. ↑ http://www.hickorywithepc.org/about/history/history.html
  4. ↑ ,
  5. ↑ See Phil Campbell, Memphis's Unruly Suburbs, Metropolis, December 1997-January 1998, and Jesse Walker, Rebel Yell: Tennesseans fight back against the conquering cities Reason Magazine, June 1998.

External links

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