Smith County | |
|---|---|
 Smith County Courthouse in Carthage | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
 Tennessee's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°15′N85°58′W / 36.25°N 85.96°W /36.25; -85.96 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | 1799 |
| Named after | Daniel Smith[1] |
| Seat | Carthage |
| Largest town | Carthage |
| Area | |
• Total | 325 sq mi (840 km2) |
| • Land | 314 sq mi (810 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (28 km2) 3.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 19,904 |
| • Density | 61/sq mi (24/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 6th |
Smith County is acounty in theU.S. state ofTennessee. As of the2020 census, the population was 19,904.[2] Smith County is located in the region of the state known as Middle Tennessee. Itscounty seat isCarthage.[3] The county was organized in 1799 and is named forDaniel Smith, aRevolutionary War veteran who made the first map of Tennessee and served as aUnited States senator.
Smith County is part of theNashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TNMetropolitan Statistical Area.
Smith County was established in 1799 from a portion ofSumner County, and was named for Daniel Smith, a U.S. Senator and former Secretary of theSouthwest Territory.[1] The location of the county seat was hotly contested between Bledsoesborough (near modern Dixon Springs) and William Walton's ferry and tavern at the confluence of the Caney Fork and theCumberland River. In 1804, voters chose Walton's site, and a town, named Carthage, was platted the following year.[1]
Smith County was the site of a largesaltpeter mine. Piper Cave, located near Monoville, contains the poorly preserved remnants of dozens of saltpeter leaching vats. Most saltpeter mining in Middle Tennessee took place during theWar of 1812 and theCivil War, though the exact dates of this operation are unclear.[4]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 325 square miles (840 km2), of which 314 square miles (810 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (3.4%) is water.[5] The county is located in a transition area between the ruggedHighland Rim to the east and the flatterNashville Basin to the west. TheCaney Fork has itsconfluence with theCumberland River in Carthage; these are the primary waterways flowing through the county.Cordell Hull Dam on the Cumberland is located near Carthage.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 4,294 | — | |
| 1810 | 11,649 | 171.3% | |
| 1820 | 17,580 | 50.9% | |
| 1830 | 19,906 | 13.2% | |
| 1840 | 21,179 | 6.4% | |
| 1850 | 18,412 | −13.1% | |
| 1860 | 16,357 | −11.2% | |
| 1870 | 15,994 | −2.2% | |
| 1880 | 17,799 | 11.3% | |
| 1890 | 18,404 | 3.4% | |
| 1900 | 19,026 | 3.4% | |
| 1910 | 18,548 | −2.5% | |
| 1920 | 17,134 | −7.6% | |
| 1930 | 15,473 | −9.7% | |
| 1940 | 16,148 | 4.4% | |
| 1950 | 14,098 | −12.7% | |
| 1960 | 12,059 | −14.5% | |
| 1970 | 12,059 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 14,935 | 23.8% | |
| 1990 | 14,143 | −5.3% | |
| 2000 | 17,712 | 25.2% | |
| 2010 | 19,166 | 8.2% | |
| 2020 | 19,904 | 3.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2014[10] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 18,054 | 90.71% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 356 | 1.79% |
| Native American | 61 | 0.31% |
| Asian | 84 | 0.42% |
| Other/Mixed | 831 | 4.18% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 518 | 2.6% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 19,904 people, 7,603 households, and 5,409 families residing in the county.
As of thecensus[13] of 2000, there were 17,712 people, 6,878 households, and 5,069 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 56 people per square mile (22 people/km2). There were 7,665 housing units at an average density of 24 units per square mile (9.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.42%White, 2.53%Black orAfrican American, 0.37%Native American, 0.17%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.59% fromother races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,878 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% weremarried couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.30% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% 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 25.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $41,645. Males had a median income of $30,853 versus $22,133 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,473. About 10.30% of families and 12.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.70% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over.
The Smith County School System operates nine schools:[14]
The county formerly operated Pleasant Shade Elementary School, which closed in 2007, and Cox Davidson Elementary, which closed sometime in the 1950s.[15] New Middleton Elementary was formerly PreK–8, while Gordonsville Elementary was formerly PreK–6. A realignment beginning with the 2017–2018 school year resulted in the current grade alignment of those schools.[16]
Prior to 2008, Smith County was a Democratic Party stronghold at the presidential level. The county failed to back a Democratic candidate only twice betweenthe Civil War and 2004, when voting forGeorge Wallace in 1968 and againstGeorge McGovern in 1972. However, while the county was Carthage residentAl Gore's fourth strongest statewide in his 2000 presidential bid, he failed to win an increasingly Republican Tennessee. Democrat John Kerry won the county in 2004, but by a much narrower four point margin. Since then, Smith County has swung hard towards the Republican Party similar to the rest of the state outside of Memphis and Nashville.Hillary Clinton failed to win even a quarter of the county's votes in 2016, a far cry from the 71 percent and 62 percent her husbandBill won in the county with Gore also on the ticket.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 915 | 30.89% | 1,863 | 62.90% | 184 | 6.21% |
| 1916 | 941 | 29.98% | 2,196 | 69.96% | 2 | 0.06% |
| 1920 | 1,981 | 38.61% | 3,150 | 61.39% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 700 | 28.82% | 1,701 | 70.03% | 28 | 1.15% |
| 1928 | 1,150 | 43.94% | 1,446 | 55.25% | 21 | 0.80% |
| 1932 | 595 | 22.30% | 2,057 | 77.10% | 16 | 0.60% |
| 1936 | 626 | 22.96% | 2,092 | 76.74% | 8 | 0.29% |
| 1940 | 648 | 22.30% | 2,244 | 77.22% | 14 | 0.48% |
| 1944 | 887 | 29.51% | 2,107 | 70.09% | 12 | 0.40% |
| 1948 | 773 | 27.33% | 1,764 | 62.38% | 291 | 10.29% |
| 1952 | 1,412 | 34.80% | 2,622 | 64.61% | 24 | 0.59% |
| 1956 | 1,267 | 29.96% | 2,949 | 69.73% | 13 | 0.31% |
| 1960 | 1,601 | 39.43% | 2,411 | 59.38% | 48 | 1.18% |
| 1964 | 1,084 | 26.98% | 2,934 | 73.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,089 | 24.96% | 1,443 | 33.07% | 1,831 | 41.97% |
| 1972 | 1,812 | 56.84% | 1,260 | 39.52% | 116 | 3.64% |
| 1976 | 1,332 | 25.93% | 3,753 | 73.07% | 51 | 0.99% |
| 1980 | 1,755 | 31.73% | 3,674 | 66.43% | 102 | 1.84% |
| 1984 | 2,393 | 42.05% | 3,258 | 57.25% | 40 | 0.70% |
| 1988 | 2,138 | 45.63% | 2,522 | 53.82% | 26 | 0.55% |
| 1992 | 1,482 | 21.04% | 5,061 | 71.85% | 501 | 7.11% |
| 1996 | 1,857 | 30.66% | 3,812 | 62.94% | 388 | 6.41% |
| 2000 | 2,384 | 32.44% | 4,884 | 66.47% | 80 | 1.09% |
| 2004 | 3,739 | 47.76% | 4,044 | 51.66% | 45 | 0.57% |
| 2008 | 4,563 | 58.95% | 2,992 | 38.65% | 186 | 2.40% |
| 2012 | 4,495 | 63.41% | 2,470 | 34.84% | 124 | 1.75% |
| 2016 | 5,494 | 73.88% | 1,689 | 22.71% | 253 | 3.40% |
| 2020 | 7,136 | 78.84% | 1,802 | 19.91% | 113 | 1.25% |
| 2024 | 7,655 | 81.99% | 1,595 | 17.08% | 86 | 0.92% |
Places adjacent to Smith County, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofSmith County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Principal city |  | |
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| Counties | ||
36°15′N85°58′W / 36.25°N 85.96°W /36.25; -85.96
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