Fayette County, Tennessee

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,990.[2] Its county seat is Somerville.[3] The county was named after the Marquis de la Fayette, French hero of the American Revolution.[4] A part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, Fayette County is culturally alike to the Mississippi Delta and was a major area of cotton plantations dependent on slave labor in the nineteenth century.

Fayette County
County
County Courthouse, Town of Somerville, seat of Fayette County
County Courthouse, Town of Somerville, seat of Fayette County
Official seal of Fayette County
Seal
Map of Tennessee highlighting Fayette County
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°11′N 89°25′W
Country United States
State Tennessee
FoundedSeptember 29, 1824
Named forMarquis de Lafayette[1]
SeatSomerville
Largest townOakland
Area
 • Total706 sq mi (1,830 km2)
 • Land705 sq mi (1,830 km2)
 • Water1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total41,990 Increase
 • Density56.8/sq mi (21.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitefayettetn.us

History

Fayette County was established by Tennessee General Assembly in 1824 from the neighboring counties of Shelby and Hardeman.[5] The same year, Somerville was selected as its county seat. The first churches in the county were the First Presbyterian Church in Somerville, established in 1829, and Immanuel Parish, established in 1832.

Herb Parsons 1908–1959) of Somerville, Tennessee, was Winchester's "Showman Shooter" for 30 years.

Following the emancipation of slaves on plantations, many of Fayette County's African-American residents worked as sharecroppers. In the 1960s and 1970s, civil rights activists fought for school integration and voting rights; and created tent cities to house displaced tenant farmers who had tried to register to vote.

In recent years, Fayette County has been transitioning from a rural area to accommodate the suburban sprawl from Memphis.[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 706 square miles (1,830 km2), of which 705 square miles (1,830 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (0.2%) is water.[7] It is the third-largest county in Tennessee by area. The county is, roughly, the same size as Marshall County, Mississippi.

Adjacent counties

State protected areas
  • William B. Clark Conservation Area
  • Ghost River State Natural Area
  • Piperton Wetland Complex Wildlife Management Area (part)
  • Wolf River Wildlife Management Area
  • WMA Briggs Tract
  • Herb Parsons Lake

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18308,652—
184021,501148.5%
185026,71924.3%
186024,327−9.0%
187026,1457.5%
188031,87121.9%
189028,878−9.4%
190029,7012.8%
191030,2571.9%
192031,4994.1%
193028,891−8.3%
194030,3225.0%
195027,535−9.2%
196024,577−10.7%
197022,692−7.7%
198025,30511.5%
199025,5591.0%
200028,80612.7%
201038,41333.4%
202041,9909.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2014[2] 2017[12]
Age pyramid Fayette County[13]

Since the four-lane expansion of Highway 64 in the early 1990s, western Fayette County has had a population explosion. Although the county seat is still in Somerville, the population of Oakland has far surpassed it because of the influx of people working in Shelby County and seeking more affordable housing.

Although Fayette County is growing on its western side, the county's economy is still based on agriculture. Historically it was a site of cotton plantations as part of the Mississippi Delta. Several of the county's largest farmers control the vast majority of the county's wealth. Some of these families have been farming for generations dating back to plantations before the Civil War. Others are younger farmers who have used their skill, business savvy, and work ethic to develop large farming operations.

Fayette County has become a destination for people of the Memphis metro area. The total value for building permits in June 2007 was close to that of the much larger Memphis suburban area of DeSoto County, Mississippi.

2020 census
Fayette County racial composition[14]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 27,558 65.63%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 11,038 26.29%
Native American 59 0.14%
Asian 269 0.64%
Pacific Islander 18 0.04%
Other/Mixed 1,618 3.85%
Hispanic or Latino 1,430 3.41%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 41,990 people, 15,596 households, and 11,567 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010[15] there were 38,413 people, 14,505 households, and 11,029 families residing in the county. The population density was 54.49 persons per square mile and the housing unit density was 20.57 units per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 69.19% White, 28.07% Black or African American, 0.48% Asian, 0.28% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origins were 2.23% of the population.

Of the 14,505 households, 32.58% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 58.24% were married couples living together, 4.64% had a male householder with no wife present, 13.15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.96% were non-families. 20.77% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.71% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.02

Of the 38,413 residents, 23.11% were under the age of 18, 62.01% were between the ages of 18 and 64, and 14.88% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.9 years. 50.42% of the residents were female, and 49.58% were male.

The median household income in the county was $57,919 and the median family income was $68,159. Males had a median income of $50,560 versus $40,412 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,471. About 9.9% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under the age of 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 and over.

2000 census

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 28,806 people, 10,467 households, and 8,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 41 inhabitants per square mile (16/km2). There were 11,214 housing units at an average density of 16 units per square mile (6.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 62.48% White, 35.95% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Fayette County were English 51.66%, African 35.95%, Scots-Irish 7.1%, and Scottish 1.2%.

In 2000 there were 10,467 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were married couples living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.40% were non-families. 20.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,279, and the median income for a family was $46,283. Males had a median income of $33,603 versus $24,690 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,969. About 10.90% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.40% of those under age 18 and 18.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education
  • "Fayette County Schools". Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  • Fayette Ware Comprehensive High
  • Fayette Academy (PK-12 Independent School)
  • Fayette Christian School
  • Rossville Christian Academy
  • West Jr High
  • East Jr High
  • Buckley-Carpenter Elementary School
  • Southwest Elementary
  • Oakland Elementary
  • LaGrange-Moscow Elementary
  • University of Tennessee at Martin (Somerville Campus)

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Fayette County has a 19-seat legislative body referred to as the Board of County Commissioners representing 8 districts. All positions are elected every four years.

* District 1 (Somerville)

    • Matt Rhea
    • Win Moore

* District 2 (Laconia)

    • Ray Seals
    • Tommy Perkins

* District 3 (Gallaway/Braden/Garnett)

    • Elizabeth Rice
    • Jim Norton

* District 4 (North Oakland)

    • David Webb
    • Tim A. Goodroe

* District 5 (Piperton/Rossville)

    • Terrye Canady
    • Betty Knox Morrison Salmon
    • David Crislip

* District 6 (Moscow/Williston)

    • Mike Reeves
    • Steve Reeves

* District 7 (Moscow)

    • Claude Oglesby

* District 8 (Hickory Withe/Eads)

    • Robert Sills
    • Terry Leggett

* District 9 (South Oakland

    • Adrian Wiggins
    • Steve Laskoski

* District 10 (Lagrange)

    • Larry Watkins

[17]

The County Mayor is currently Rhea "Skip" Taylor.[18]

United States presidential election results for Fayette County, Tennessee[19]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 15,690 68.26% 7,027 30.57% 267 1.16%
2016 13,055 67.31% 5,874 30.29% 465 2.40%
2012 12,689 64.83% 6,688 34.17% 197 1.01%
2008 12,173 63.22% 6,892 35.80% 189 0.98%
2004 8,962 60.81% 5,696 38.65% 79 0.54%
2000 6,402 55.53% 5,037 43.69% 90 0.78%
1996 4,406 46.29% 4,655 48.90% 458 4.81%
1992 3,713 43.13% 4,211 48.91% 685 7.96%
1988 3,573 51.63% 3,292 47.57% 56 0.81%
1984 3,733 50.44% 3,634 49.10% 34 0.46%
1980 2,944 40.92% 4,141 57.55% 110 1.53%
1976 2,133 35.31% 3,853 63.79% 54 0.89%
1972 3,264 59.75% 2,067 37.84% 132 2.42%
1968 740 13.34% 2,236 40.32% 2,570 46.34%
1964 2,922 52.57% 2,636 47.43% 0 0.00%
1960 1,370 48.95% 892 31.87% 537 19.19%
1956 358 18.19% 639 32.47% 971 49.34%
1952 1,029 46.73% 1,173 53.27% 0 0.00%
1948 66 3.70% 226 12.66% 1,493 83.64%
1944 172 10.81% 1,417 89.06% 2 0.13%
1940 78 4.09% 1,826 95.80% 2 0.10%
1936 29 1.62% 1,764 98.38% 0 0.00%
1932 42 3.12% 1,287 95.62% 17 1.26%
1928 121 9.91% 1,100 90.09% 0 0.00%
1924 65 5.11% 1,181 92.77% 27 2.12%
1920 346 13.11% 2,294 86.89% 0 0.00%
1916 116 6.01% 1,812 93.89% 2 0.10%
1912 59 6.01% 830 84.52% 93 9.47%

Historically, Fayette County was part of the "Solid South" whereby the county's black majority was entirely disenfranchised. From the end of Reconstruction until Harry S. Truman's civil rights proposals during the 1940s, Democrats won over 85 percent of Fayette County's vote even in 1920 and 1928 when Warren G. Harding and Herbert Hoover carried the state's electoral votes. During the Civil Rights era, Fayette County's politics resembled that of Mississippi more than that of the rest of Tennessee, with Strom Thurmond winning over 83 percent of the county's limited electorate in 1948 and T. Coleman Andrews carrying the county as a "States' Rights" candidate in 1956. Once the county's blacks were enfranchised during the 1960s, Democrats would carry the county or only lose narrowly between 1976 and 1996, but in the twenty-first century as the county becomes increasingly white and suburban, its strongly conservative social views have made it strongly Republican. The first county Republican Primary was held in 2018.[20]

See also

References
  1. Dorothy R. Morton, "Fayette County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 27 June 2013.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 124.
  5. Summerlin, Cathy; Summerlin, Vernon (1999). Traveling Tennessee. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 1418559687.
  6. Morton, Dorothy R. (October 8, 2017). "Fayette County". Tennessee Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  12. "QuickFacts. Fayette County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  13. Based on 2000 census data
  14. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  15. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  16. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  17. https://fayettetn.us/county-boards-councils/county-commission/commissioner-board-members/
  18. "County Directory". Fayettetn.us. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  20. Cohn, Nate; 'Demographic Shift: Southern Whites' Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats', The New York Times, April 24, 2014
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