Henderson County, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Henderson County Courthouse in Lexington | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
 Tennessee's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:35°39′N88°23′W / 35.65°N 88.39°W /35.65; -88.39 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named after | James Henderson |
| Seat | Lexington |
| Largest city | Lexington |
| Area | |
• Total | 526 sq mi (1,360 km2) |
| • Land | 520 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
| • Water | 5.8 sq mi (15 km2) 1.1% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 27,842 |
| • Density | 53/sq mi (20/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | hendersoncountytn |
Henderson County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofTennessee, with itscounty seat inLexington,[1] and with a population of 27,842 as of the2020 census.[2] The county was founded in 1821 and named after James Henderson, a soldier in theWar of 1812.[3]
Henderson County was established in 1821; it was named after Lt. Colonel James Henderson,[4] Jr. (1775–1814), of the Tennessee StateMilitia, who was killed in late December 1814below New Orleans during a clash with theBritish Army. Henderson is said to have served in earlier conflicts such as theCreek Indian war, which took place during the same overall time period as theWar of 1812.
After theBattle of New Orleans, Major GeneralWilliam Carroll’s Tennesseebrigade, which was the largest single force under GeneralAndrew Jackson’s command in Louisiana, established their outgoing camp upriver from New Orleans and named itCamp Henderson.
General Carroll's first term as theGovernor of Tennessee began the same year that Henderson County was established.
The county seat, Lexington, was laid out in 1822.[3] Like many Tennessee counties, Henderson was divided during theCivil War.Confederate sentiment was strongest in the western half of the county (where most of the county's plantations were located), whileUnion support was strongest in the hilly eastern half.[3] In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Henderson County voted to remain in the Union by a margin of 1,013 to 800,[5] being one of only eight counties inWest orMiddle Tennessee to vote against secession. Earlier on February 9, 1861, Henderson County voters had voted against holding a secession convention by a margin of 1,105 to 619.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 526 square miles (1,360 km2), of which 5.8 square miles (15 km2) (1.1%) are covered by water.[7]
The county straddles the Tennessee Valley Divide, with waters east of the divide flowing into theTennessee River, and waters west of the divide flowing into theMississippi River. Primary streams include theBeech River, which flows through the county's largest lake, Beech Lake, and theForked Deer River.[3]
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The climate in Henderson County is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. In summer, these regions are largely under the influence of moist, maritime airflow from the western side of the subtropical anticyclonic cells over low-latitude ocean waters. Temperatures are high and can lead to warm, oppressive nights. Summers are usually a bit drier than winters, with much of the rainfall coming from convectional thunderstorm activity; tropical cyclones may also enhance warm-season rainfall. The coldest month is usually quite mild, although freezes are not uncommon, and winter precipitation is derived primarily from frontal cyclones along the polar front.
TheKöppen climate classification subtype for this climate isCfa (humid subtropical climate).[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1830 | 8,748 | — | |
| 1840 | 11,875 | 35.7% | |
| 1850 | 13,164 | 10.9% | |
| 1860 | 14,491 | 10.1% | |
| 1870 | 14,217 | −1.9% | |
| 1880 | 17,430 | 22.6% | |
| 1890 | 16,336 | −6.3% | |
| 1900 | 18,117 | 10.9% | |
| 1910 | 17,030 | −6.0% | |
| 1920 | 18,436 | 8.3% | |
| 1930 | 17,655 | −4.2% | |
| 1940 | 19,220 | 8.9% | |
| 1950 | 17,173 | −10.7% | |
| 1960 | 16,115 | −6.2% | |
| 1970 | 17,291 | 7.3% | |
| 1980 | 21,390 | 23.7% | |
| 1990 | 21,844 | 2.1% | |
| 2000 | 25,522 | 16.8% | |
| 2010 | 27,769 | 8.8% | |
| 2020 | 27,842 | 0.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2014[2] | |||
| Race | Number | % |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 23,890 | 85.81% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,931 | 6.94% |
| Native American | 53 | 0.19% |
| Asian | 90 | 0.32% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% |
| Other/mixed | 1,157 | 4.16% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 719 | 2.58% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 27,842 people, 10,711 households, and 7,113 families residing in the county.
As of the 2000census,[17] 25,522 people, 10,306 households, and 7,451 families were residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 49 people per square mile (19 people/km2). The 11,446 housing units had an average density of 22 per square mile (8.5/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 90.45% White, 8.00% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. About 0.97% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 10,306 households, 32.3% had children under 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were not families. About 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the age distribution was 24.3% under 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,057, and for a family was $38,475. Males had a median income of $28,598 versus $21,791 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,019. About 9.20% of families and 12.40% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.60% of those under 18 and 14.50% of those 65 or over.
TheBeech River Regional Airport is a public-use airport located five nautical miles (5.8 mi; 9.3 km) northwest of the central business district of Parsons, a city in Decatur County. The airport is located in Darden, Tennessee.
Henderson County is overwhelmingly Republican, and even before the rapid trend of the upland South away from the Democratic Party, was aUnionist Republican enclave in historically DemocraticWest Tennessee. This is due to the shallow, humus-poor, and easily erodibleHighland Rim soils, which were much less suitable for plantation farming than the rest ofMiddle and West Tennessee.[18] Henderson County has not voted for a Democratic candidate sinceSamuel Tilden in the 1876 election, and the last time it did not vote Republican was in 1912, when the county supported Progressive candidateTheodore Roosevelt; Henderson County was the only county in the state outside ofEast Tennessee to vote for Roosevelt in that election.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 473 | 21.73% | 738 | 33.90% | 966 | 44.37% |
| 1916 | 1,387 | 57.72% | 979 | 40.74% | 37 | 1.54% |
| 1920 | 3,112 | 71.61% | 1,217 | 28.00% | 17 | 0.39% |
| 1924 | 1,616 | 60.37% | 1,009 | 37.69% | 52 | 1.94% |
| 1928 | 1,995 | 73.37% | 712 | 26.19% | 12 | 0.44% |
| 1932 | 1,058 | 52.14% | 958 | 47.22% | 13 | 0.64% |
| 1936 | 1,380 | 50.13% | 1,307 | 47.48% | 66 | 2.40% |
| 1940 | 2,653 | 62.84% | 1,560 | 36.95% | 9 | 0.21% |
| 1944 | 2,570 | 71.81% | 1,009 | 28.19% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 2,278 | 62.53% | 1,155 | 31.70% | 210 | 5.76% |
| 1952 | 3,317 | 67.45% | 1,601 | 32.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,294 | 66.91% | 1,613 | 32.76% | 16 | 0.33% |
| 1960 | 3,597 | 70.14% | 1,490 | 29.06% | 41 | 0.80% |
| 1964 | 3,133 | 61.58% | 1,955 | 38.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,591 | 51.99% | 1,230 | 17.81% | 2,086 | 30.20% |
| 1972 | 5,122 | 77.64% | 1,313 | 19.90% | 162 | 2.46% |
| 1976 | 4,152 | 54.73% | 3,366 | 44.37% | 68 | 0.90% |
| 1980 | 5,108 | 64.45% | 2,702 | 34.09% | 116 | 1.46% |
| 1984 | 5,362 | 68.56% | 2,426 | 31.02% | 33 | 0.42% |
| 1988 | 5,418 | 69.29% | 2,296 | 29.36% | 105 | 1.34% |
| 1992 | 4,719 | 52.29% | 3,502 | 38.81% | 803 | 8.90% |
| 1996 | 4,002 | 54.96% | 2,841 | 39.01% | 439 | 6.03% |
| 2000 | 5,153 | 61.35% | 3,166 | 37.69% | 80 | 0.95% |
| 2004 | 6,585 | 65.22% | 3,448 | 34.15% | 63 | 0.62% |
| 2008 | 7,669 | 70.79% | 3,021 | 27.88% | 144 | 1.33% |
| 2012 | 7,421 | 73.80% | 2,517 | 25.03% | 117 | 1.16% |
| 2016 | 8,138 | 79.65% | 1,800 | 17.62% | 279 | 2.73% |
| 2020 | 9,797 | 81.51% | 2,092 | 17.40% | 131 | 1.09% |
| 2024 | 10,083 | 83.70% | 1,902 | 15.79% | 62 | 0.51% |
Places adjacent to Henderson County, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofHenderson County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
35°39′N88°23′W / 35.65°N 88.39°W /35.65; -88.39
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