Jackson County | |
|---|---|
 Jackson County Courthouse in Gainesboro | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
 Tennessee's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°22′N85°40′W / 36.36°N 85.67°W /36.36; -85.67 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | 1801 |
| Named after | Andrew Jackson[1] |
| Seat | Gainesboro |
| Largest town | Dodson Branch |
| Area | |
• Total | 320 sq mi (830 km2) |
| • Land | 308 sq mi (800 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 3.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,617 |
| • Density | 38/sq mi (15/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 6th |
| Website | www |
Jackson County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofTennessee. The population was 11,617 at the2020 census.[2] Itscounty seat isGainesboro.[3] Jackson is part of theCookeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Jackson County was created by an act of theTennessee General Assembly on November 6, 1801.[4] It was the 18th county established in the state. It was formed from part ofSmith County plus Indian lands. The name honorsAndrew Jackson, who by 1801 had already served as a U.S.Congressman andSenator from Tennessee, aTennessee Supreme Court justice, and a colonel in the Tennesseemilitia.[5] He became more widely known as commander at theBattle of New Orleans and as the seventhPresident of the United States.[6]
In the 1790s, an Army outpost namedFort Blount was built 10 miles (16 km) west of Gainesboro on theCumberland River, in what is now western Jackson County. Fort Blount was an important stop for travelers onAvery's Trace. Williamsburg, a town developed around the fort, served as the Jackson County seat from 1807 to 1819.[7] The county's early records were all lost in a disastrous courthouse fire on August 14, 1872.[8]
The 1970 Movie "I Walk The Line" starring Gregory Peck was filmed in Gainesboro and Jackson County.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 320 square miles (830 km2), of which 308 square miles (800 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (3.5%) is water.[9]
Unlike most of Tennessee, small parts of far northern Jackson County drain intoJennings Creek outside of theSun Belt due to a past error surveying the northern border ofMiddle andEast Tennessee.[10] The Sun Belt is defined by the Kinder Institute as being south of36°30'N latitude, which was intended to be the northern border of Tennessee and is the actual northern border ofWest Tennessee.[11]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 5,401 | — | |
| 1820 | 7,593 | 40.6% | |
| 1830 | 9,698 | 27.7% | |
| 1840 | 12,872 | 32.7% | |
| 1850 | 15,673 | 21.8% | |
| 1860 | 11,725 | −25.2% | |
| 1870 | 12,583 | 7.3% | |
| 1880 | 12,008 | −4.6% | |
| 1890 | 13,325 | 11.0% | |
| 1900 | 15,039 | 12.9% | |
| 1910 | 15,036 | 0.0% | |
| 1920 | 14,955 | −0.5% | |
| 1930 | 13,589 | −9.1% | |
| 1940 | 15,082 | 11.0% | |
| 1950 | 12,348 | −18.1% | |
| 1960 | 9,233 | −25.2% | |
| 1970 | 8,141 | −11.8% | |
| 1980 | 9,398 | 15.4% | |
| 1990 | 9,297 | −1.1% | |
| 2000 | 10,984 | 18.1% | |
| 2010 | 11,638 | 6.0% | |
| 2020 | 11,617 | −0.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] 1790-1960[13] 1900-1990[14] 1990-2000[15] 2010-2014[16] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[18] | Pop 2010[19] | Pop 2020[20] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 10,763 | 11,267 | 10,778 | 97.99% | 96.81% | 92.78% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 16 | 29 | 31 | 0.15% | 0.25% | 0.27% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 37 | 52 | 35 | 0.34% | 0.45% | 0.30% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 7 | 10 | 17 | 0.06% | 0.09% | 0.15% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 0 | 5 | 28 | 0.00% | 0.04% | 0.24% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 71 | 110 | 483 | 0.65% | 0.95% | 4.16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 89 | 164 | 245 | 0.81% | 1.41% | 2.11% |
| Total | 10,984 | 11,638 | 11,617 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 11,617 people, 4,566 households, and 2,745 families residing in the county.
As of thecensus[21] of 2000, there were 10,984 people, 4,466 households, and 3,139 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 36 people per square mile (14 people/km2). There were 5,163 housing units at an average density of 17 units per square mile (6.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.63%White, 0.15%Black orAfrican American, 0.34%Native American, 0.06%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.12% fromother races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 4,466 households, out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.30% weremarried couples living together, 10.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,502, and the median income for a family was $32,088. Males had a median income of $24,759 versus $19,511 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $15,020. About 15.10% of families and 18.10% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 22.50% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 743 | 31.78% | 1,344 | 57.49% | 251 | 10.74% |
| 1916 | 740 | 32.95% | 1,506 | 67.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1920 | 1,187 | 51.97% | 1,097 | 48.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 354 | 24.62% | 1,074 | 74.69% | 10 | 0.70% |
| 1928 | 614 | 42.17% | 827 | 56.80% | 15 | 1.03% |
| 1932 | 256 | 12.89% | 1,726 | 86.91% | 4 | 0.20% |
| 1936 | 422 | 19.83% | 1,702 | 79.98% | 4 | 0.19% |
| 1940 | 605 | 22.74% | 2,046 | 76.92% | 9 | 0.34% |
| 1944 | 695 | 32.88% | 1,407 | 66.56% | 12 | 0.57% |
| 1948 | 536 | 24.51% | 1,502 | 68.68% | 149 | 6.81% |
| 1952 | 1,138 | 40.25% | 1,686 | 59.64% | 3 | 0.11% |
| 1956 | 881 | 33.13% | 1,743 | 65.55% | 35 | 1.32% |
| 1960 | 1,049 | 39.80% | 1,539 | 58.38% | 48 | 1.82% |
| 1964 | 551 | 19.39% | 2,291 | 80.61% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 673 | 24.90% | 1,122 | 41.51% | 908 | 33.59% |
| 1972 | 956 | 45.98% | 1,085 | 52.19% | 38 | 1.83% |
| 1976 | 591 | 16.56% | 2,959 | 82.91% | 19 | 0.53% |
| 1980 | 995 | 28.15% | 2,480 | 70.16% | 60 | 1.70% |
| 1984 | 1,544 | 34.42% | 2,894 | 64.51% | 48 | 1.07% |
| 1988 | 1,168 | 37.15% | 1,962 | 62.40% | 14 | 0.45% |
| 1992 | 708 | 16.63% | 3,208 | 75.34% | 342 | 8.03% |
| 1996 | 944 | 22.69% | 2,889 | 69.43% | 328 | 7.88% |
| 2000 | 1,384 | 29.11% | 3,304 | 69.50% | 66 | 1.39% |
| 2004 | 2,026 | 40.07% | 2,998 | 59.30% | 32 | 0.63% |
| 2008 | 2,185 | 48.54% | 2,224 | 49.41% | 92 | 2.04% |
| 2012 | 2,383 | 56.96% | 1,739 | 41.56% | 62 | 1.48% |
| 2016 | 3,236 | 72.46% | 1,129 | 25.28% | 101 | 2.26% |
| 2020 | 4,118 | 77.36% | 1,135 | 21.32% | 70 | 1.32% |
| 2024 | 4,586 | 80.80% | 1,040 | 18.32% | 50 | 0.88% |
As asecessionistMiddle Tennessee county, Jackson County was historically one of the most Democratic in the state. Only once up to 2008 did a Democrat lose the county – whenWarren G. Harding carried Jackson County by ninety votes in his record popular-vote landslide of 1920, due to large increases in voter turnout for theisolationist cause Harding espoused.[23] Along withLewis County it was one of two Tennessee counties to be carried by bothHubert Humphrey in 1968 andGeorge McGovern in 1972.
However, like most ofAppalachia and surrounding areas, Jackson County has since 2000 seen a very rapid shift towards the Republican Party due to opposition to the Democratic Party's liberal views on social issues.[24] WhereasAl Gore (who grew up in neighboringSmith County) won almost seventy percent of the vote in 2000,Barack Obama won by only thirty-nine votes in 2008,Mitt Romney became only the second Republican to carry the county in 2012 andDonald Trump four years later received over 70% of the vote - the first time that any Republican even surpassed 60% of the vote in Jackson County. Trump successively gained more and more in Jackson County in2020 and2024, even reaching 80% of the vote in the latter, although RepublicanSenatorMarsha Blackburn failed to reach 80% on the same ballot inthe concurrent U.S. Senate election.
Despite this drastic shift in the county overall at the federal level, Democrats continued to compete in the Gainesboro town limits in statewide elections as recently as2018, when former GovernorPhil Bredesen lost Gainesboro by just a 4.4% margin even as he lost to Blackburn statewide by double-digits.[25] RepublicanGovernorBill Lee also did more poorly in Gainesboro than statewide in both2018 and2022.[26] Furthermore,conservative Democrat[27]John Mark Windle represented Jackson County in thestate House until 2022, when he switched to being anindependent politician, Jackson County was drawn out of the 41st state House district and into the neighboring 40th district[28][29][30] and Windle narrowly lost re-election to RepublicanEd Butler in his redrawn district.[31]
Real estate development company RidgeRunner purchased property near Gainesboro in 2022 with plans to establish new communities for conservative Christian families.[32] The development has attracted media attention with proponents viewing it as a revitalization effort for a county that experienced population decline, bringing new residents and economic activity.[33] Critics argue the project promotes exclusionary ideals, with some labeling it an attempt to establish enclaves rooted inChristian nationalism, raising concerns among local residents about cultural and demographic changes in the county.[34]
Places adjacent to Jackson County, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofJackson County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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