Macon County, Tennessee

Macon County, Tennessee

Macon County Courthouse in Lafayette

Seal
Map of Tennessee highlighting Macon County
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded 1842
Named for Nathaniel Macon[1]
Seat Lafayette
Largest city Lafayette
Area
 • Total 307 sq mi (795 km2)
 • Land 307 sq mi (795 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0 km2), 0.03%
Population (est.)
 • (2015) 23,177
 • Density 72/sq mi (28/km²)
Congressional district 6th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website maconcountytn.gov

Macon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 22,248.[2] Its county seat is Lafayette.[3]

Macon County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Mufreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Old Galen Elementary School building near Lafayette

Macon County was formed in 1842 from parts of Smith and Sumner counties. It was named in honor of the late Revolutionary War veteran and United States Senator, Nathaniel Macon.[4] The county seat was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette.[1]

The county's second-largest city, Red Boiling Springs, thrived as a mineral springs resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Three hotels from this period– the Donoho, the Thomas House (previously the Cloyd Hotel), and the Armour (previously the Counts Hotel)– are still open, though only the Armour still offers mineral water treatments.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 307 square miles (800 km2), of which 307 square miles (800 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.03%) is water.[5] The county is located amidst the northeastern Highland Rim, and is generally rugged and hilly.

Adjacent Counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18506,948—
18607,2904.9%
18706,633−9.0%
18809,32140.5%
189010,87816.7%
190012,88118.4%
191014,55913.0%
192014,9222.5%
193013,872−7.0%
194014,9047.4%
195013,599−8.8%
196012,197−10.3%
197012,3151.0%
198015,70027.5%
199015,9061.3%
200020,38628.2%
201022,2489.1%
Est. 201623,450[6]5.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2014[2]
Age pyramid Macon County[11]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 20,386 people, 7,916 households, and 5,802 families residing in the county. The population density was 66 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 8,894 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.86% White, 0.22% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 1.71% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,916 households out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,867, and the median income for a family was $37,577. Males had a median income of $28,170 versus $20,087 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,286. About 11.30% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.00% of those under age 18 and 25.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Presidential Elections Results[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2016 83.5% 6,263 14.3% 1,072 2.3% 169
2012 76.2% 5,260 22.5% 1,552 1.4% 93
2008 69.9% 5,145 28.0% 2,060 2.1% 155
2004 62.8% 4,670 36.8% 2,738 0.3% 25
2000 51.9% 3,366 47.1% 3,059 1.0% 66
1996 48.0% 2,481 43.4% 2,240 8.6% 445
1992 40.2% 2,299 51.7% 2,961 8.1% 466
1988 65.4% 2,962 33.9% 1,538 0.7% 31
1984 65.2% 3,330 34.2% 1,747 0.6% 28
1980 59.0% 2,925 39.3% 1,947 1.8% 89
1976 50.9% 2,063 48.2% 1,951 0.9% 37
1972 75.7% 2,295 21.5% 653 2.8% 85
1968 58.0% 2,173 14.2% 530 27.8% 1,041
1964 56.1% 1,846 43.9% 1,446
1960 74.8% 2,829 24.2% 915 1.0% 38
1956 67.0% 2,207 32.4% 1,069 0.6% 20
1952 69.2% 2,602 30.8% 1,158
1948 68.1% 1,708 29.4% 738 2.6% 64
1944 76.3% 2,322 23.0% 701 0.7% 22
1940 70.8% 1,730 29.1% 711 0.2% 4
1936 61.2% 1,402 38.3% 876 0.5% 12
1932 55.7% 1,123 43.9% 885 0.5% 10
1928 82.2% 1,937 17.8% 419
1924 72.0% 1,808 27.4% 689 0.6% 15
1920 75.0% 3,208 24.9% 1,066 0.1% 2
1916 62.0% 1,600 38.0% 980
1912 56.1% 1,251 35.3% 787 8.7% 194

Although part of the Middle Tennessee Grand Division, Macon County is geographically firmly a part of Kentucky’s Pennyroyal Plateau and has much more historically in common with adjacent Bluegrass State counties like Monroe, Clinton and Cumberland. Those Pennyroyal counties were overwhelmingly opposed to secession[14] and most of its residents fought their Civil War in Union blue rather than Confederate gray. Consequently, after the Civil War, Macon County became an isolated powerfully Republican County in then-Democratic Middle Tennessee. Since 1884, the only Democratic presidential candidate to carry Macon County has been Bill Clinton in 1992, when he had Tennessee Senator Al Gore – who lived in neighbouring Smith County as a child – as his running mate. In the 2000 election, Gore’s local popularity was sufficient to give him the third-highest Democratic percentage of the past 132 years despite losing the state, but since then like all of Appalachia and surrounding regions the county has shown an extremely rapid trend to the Republican Party due to powerful opposition to the Democratic Party’s liberal views on social issues.[15]

In other statewide elections, Macon County has shown a similar rapid Republican trend. It voted for a Democratic Senator as recently as the 2002 election, when Bob Clement defeated Lamar Alexander by a mere nineteen votes,[16] but for the last three senatorial elections the Democratic candidate has not obtained more than 22.09 percent of the county’s vote. Although Phil Bredesen carried the county in both 2002 and 2006, he is the last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to top thirty percent.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Martha Carver, "Macon County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 11 March 2013.
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 195.
  5. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  11. ↑ Based on 2000 census data
  12. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  13. ↑ http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS
  14. ↑ Copeland, James E.; ‘Where Were the Kentucky Unionists and Secessionists’; The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, volume 71, no. 4 (October, 1973), pp. 344-363
  15. ↑ Cohn, Nate; ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’, New York Times, April 24, 2014
  16. ↑ Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas; 2002 Senatorial General Election Results – Macon County, TN

Coordinates: 36°32′N 86°01′W / 36.53°N 86.01°W / 36.53; -86.01

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