Robertson County, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Robertson County Courthouse in Springfield | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
 Tennessee's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:36°32′N86°52′W / 36.53°N 86.87°W /36.53; -86.87 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | April 9, 1796; 229 years ago (1796-04-09) |
| Named after | James Robertson[1] |
| Seat | Springfield |
| Largest city | Springfield |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Billy Vogle (I) |
| Area | |
• Total | 476 sq mi (1,230 km2) |
| • Land | 476 sq mi (1,230 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.52 km2) 0.04% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 72,803 |
• Estimate (2025) | 79,532 |
| • Density | 153/sq mi (59.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 7th |
| Website | robertsoncountytn |
Robertson County is acounty located on the central northern border ofTennessee in theUnited States. As of the2020 United States census, the population was 72,803. Itsseat of government isSpringfield.[2] The county was named forJames Robertson, an explorer, founder ofNashville, and a state senator, who was often called the "Father ofMiddle Tennessee." Robertson County is a component of theNashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TNMetropolitan Statistical Area.
This was part of the Miro District (also spelled Mero), named after the Spanish GovernorEsteban Rodríguez Miró of what was then Louisiana on the west side of the Mississippi River. Miró had served with Spanish troops that assisted the Americans duringtheir war for independence.James Robertson, the explorer for whom this county was named, was trying to create an alliance with Miró that would allow free movement on the Mississippi River (which Spain controlled) to settlers on the Cumberland frontier. Before statehood, this territory was known as Tennessee County.
Thomas Kilgore, the first European settler in Robertson County, arrived in 1778 to establish a settlement in what is now present-dayCross Plains. Robertson County was organized in 1796, at the same time as Montgomery County, which had also been part of the Miro district. The county seat,Springfield, Tennessee, was laid out in 1798. Although initially, most settlers did not hold slaves, by the 1820s planters began to cultivate tobacco, a commodity crop that was labor-intensive and depended onenslaved African Americans. The planters bought slaves to work their plantations, as well as to care for the livestock they bred - thoroughbred horses and cattle.
By the time of theCivil War, African Americans comprised about one-quarter of the area's population, typical forMiddle Tennessee, where tobacco and hemp were commodity crops. During the Civil War, Tennessee was occupied by the Union from 1862, which led to a breakdown in social organization in Middle Tennessee.[3]
By 1910 the county's population was 25,466, including 6,492 black citizens, who continued to make up one-quarter of the total. Most of the residents were still involved in farm work, and tobacco was the primary commodity crop, but agricultural mechanization was reducing the need for laborers. White Democrats had tried to restrict black voting; other southern states had excluded blacks from the political process. Many African Americans left rural Robertson County and other parts of Tennessee in theGreat Migration to northern and midwestern cities for employment and social freedom. Combined with the later in-migration of whites to the county, by the early 21st century, African Americans comprised less than 10 percent of the county population. They live chiefly in its larger towns.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 476 square miles (1,230 km2), of which 476 square miles (1,230 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.04%) is water.[4]
Unlike most of Tennessee, a sizable part of northern Robertson County is outside of theSun Belt due to a past error surveying the northern border ofMiddle andEast Tennessee. Downtown Springfield in particular is north of the Sun Belt.[5] 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.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 4,280 | — | |
| 1810 | 7,270 | 69.9% | |
| 1820 | 9,938 | 36.7% | |
| 1830 | 13,372 | 34.6% | |
| 1840 | 13,801 | 3.2% | |
| 1850 | 16,145 | 17.0% | |
| 1860 | 15,265 | −5.5% | |
| 1870 | 16,166 | 5.9% | |
| 1880 | 18,861 | 16.7% | |
| 1890 | 20,078 | 6.5% | |
| 1900 | 25,029 | 24.7% | |
| 1910 | 25,466 | 1.7% | |
| 1920 | 25,621 | 0.6% | |
| 1930 | 28,191 | 10.0% | |
| 1940 | 29,046 | 3.0% | |
| 1950 | 27,024 | −7.0% | |
| 1960 | 27,335 | 1.2% | |
| 1970 | 29,102 | 6.5% | |
| 1980 | 37,021 | 27.2% | |
| 1990 | 41,494 | 12.1% | |
| 2000 | 54,433 | 31.2% | |
| 2010 | 66,238 | 21.7% | |
| 2020 | 72,803 | 9.9% | |
| 2025 (est.) | 79,532 | [7] | 9.2% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2014[12] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 57,049 | 78.36% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 5,091 | 6.99% |
| Native American | 139 | 0.19% |
| Asian | 447 | 0.61% |
| Pacific Islander | 21 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 3,178 | 4.37% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 6,878 | 9.45% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 72,803 people, 26,577 households, and 20,378 families residing in the county.
As of thecensus[15] of 2000, there were 54,433 people, 19,906 households, and 15,447 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 114 people per square mile (44 people/km2). There were 20,995 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile (17/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.13%White, 8.62%Black orAfrican American, 0.28%Native American, 0.31%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.83% fromother races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 2.66% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
In 2005 the racial makeup of the county was 85.4% non-Hispanic whites, 8.3% African Americans, and 5.3% Latinos.
There were 19,906 households, out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.90% weremarried couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% were non-families. 18.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.50% 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 3.06.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 31.40% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,174, and the median income for a family was $49,412. Males had a median income of $34,895 versus $24,086 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $19,054. About 6.40% of families and 9.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those aged 65 or over.
Interstate Highways
United States Numbered Highways
Tennessee State Routes
Tennessee State Route 11[a]
Tennessee State Route 25
Tennessee State Route 41[b]
Tennessee State Route 49
Tennessee State Route 52
Tennessee State Route 65[c]
/
Tennessee State Route 76[d]
Tennessee State Route 109
Tennessee State Route 112[e]
Tennessee State Route 161
Tennessee State Route 256
Tennessee State Route 257Interstate 65 runs along the eastern border of the county for about 20 miles (32 km), andInterstate 24 runs along the southwestern border of the county for about 10 miles (16 km). U.S. Routes41 and431 run through the county, intersecting and briefly forming aconcurrency in Springfield. US 31W forms the eastern border withSumner County and runs through White House and Cross Plains. Major state routes include25,49,52,76, and109. Secondary state routes in Robertson County include161,256, and257.[16]
The county mayor serves as the chief executive officer of Robertson County and is elected at-large. The office is responsible for overseeing county administration and finances and serves as a non-voting ex-officio member of the county commission, except in the case of a tie vote. The current county mayor isIndependent[17] Billy Vogle, who first took office in 2018.[18]
Legislative authority is vested in the Robertson County Board of County Commissioners, which is composed of 24 members elected from 12 districts, with two commissioners representing each district. The commission is charged with adopting the county budget, setting the property tax rate, and overseeing county departments and services.[19][20] Regular meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the third Monday of each month, except in January and February when they are scheduled for the fourth Monday.[21]
Both members that represent Robertson County in theTennessee General Assembly are held by Republicans.
| Position | Name | Party | First Election | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Senator | Kerry Roberts | Rep | 2014 | 23 | |
| State Representative | Sabi "Doc" Kumar | Rep | 2014 | 66 | |
Robertson County was historically a "Solid South"Democratic stronghold, like much ofMiddle Tennessee, consistently supporting Democratic presidential candidates through much of the 20th century and even supporting segregationistGeorge Wallace[22] in 1968.Republican candidates began gaining some traction in the latter half of the century, withRichard Nixon carrying the county in 1972 for the first time in recent memory.[f]
After 1972, Democrats continued to win Robertson County until the beginning of the 2000s. By 2004, Robertson County solidified as a Republican stronghold, whenGeorge W. Bush flipped the county and carried it by over 21 points.
Since then, the county has voted reliably Republican in every presidential election, withDonald Trump surpassing 70% of the vote in 2016, and Democrats have not approached one-third of the county’s vote share since. The last time Robertson County voted for a Democratic candidate in a statewide race was forPhil Bredesen in2006, and the last time it voted for a Democratic candidate on a presidential level, was in2000 when it voted forAl Gore, a Tennessee native.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 513 | 16.73% | 2,287 | 74.57% | 267 | 8.71% |
| 1916 | 733 | 25.08% | 2,106 | 72.05% | 84 | 2.87% |
| 1920 | 1,191 | 28.04% | 3,046 | 71.70% | 11 | 0.26% |
| 1924 | 229 | 11.94% | 1,645 | 85.77% | 44 | 2.29% |
| 1928 | 848 | 35.30% | 1,543 | 64.24% | 11 | 0.46% |
| 1932 | 252 | 8.31% | 2,752 | 90.71% | 30 | 0.99% |
| 1936 | 388 | 12.70% | 2,629 | 86.03% | 39 | 1.28% |
| 1940 | 490 | 13.01% | 3,258 | 86.49% | 19 | 0.50% |
| 1944 | 622 | 16.77% | 3,074 | 82.90% | 12 | 0.32% |
| 1948 | 376 | 9.53% | 3,044 | 77.14% | 526 | 13.33% |
| 1952 | 1,834 | 26.59% | 5,063 | 73.41% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,517 | 23.25% | 4,961 | 76.02% | 48 | 0.74% |
| 1960 | 1,776 | 30.15% | 4,053 | 68.80% | 62 | 1.05% |
| 1964 | 1,797 | 23.70% | 5,784 | 76.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,802 | 22.47% | 2,315 | 28.86% | 3,904 | 48.67% |
| 1972 | 4,175 | 56.43% | 2,985 | 40.34% | 239 | 3.23% |
| 1976 | 2,505 | 24.77% | 7,547 | 74.62% | 62 | 0.61% |
| 1980 | 3,560 | 32.00% | 7,381 | 66.34% | 185 | 1.66% |
| 1984 | 5,445 | 48.34% | 5,756 | 51.11% | 62 | 0.55% |
| 1988 | 5,714 | 48.95% | 5,884 | 50.41% | 74 | 0.63% |
| 1992 | 5,271 | 33.41% | 8,498 | 53.86% | 2,010 | 12.74% |
| 1996 | 6,685 | 41.19% | 8,465 | 52.16% | 1,079 | 6.65% |
| 2000 | 9,675 | 47.98% | 10,249 | 50.83% | 240 | 1.19% |
| 2004 | 15,331 | 60.54% | 9,865 | 38.96% | 127 | 0.50% |
| 2008 | 17,903 | 64.83% | 9,318 | 33.74% | 393 | 1.42% |
| 2012 | 17,643 | 67.11% | 8,290 | 31.53% | 356 | 1.35% |
| 2016 | 19,410 | 71.59% | 6,637 | 24.48% | 1,066 | 3.93% |
| 2020 | 24,536 | 72.77% | 8,692 | 25.78% | 489 | 1.45% |
| 2024 | 26,260 | 74.88% | 8,428 | 24.03% | 382 | 1.09% |
Places adjacent to Robertson County, Tennessee | |
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Municipalities and communities ofRobertson County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| Principal city |  | |
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| Other major cities | ||
| Counties | ||
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