Camden, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Camden, Tennessee
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Downtown Camden
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Location of Camden in Benton County, Tennessee.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Benton |
| Founded | 1836 |
| Incorporated | 1838 |
| Named for | Camden, South Carolina |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.68 sq mi (14.70 km2) |
| • Land | 5.68 sq mi (14.70 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 449 ft (137 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 3,582 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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3,632 |
| • Density | 639.77/sq mi (247.02/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
38320
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| Area code(s) | 731 |
| FIPS code | 47-10560 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1305616 |
Camden is a city in Benton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,582 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Benton County.
Contents
History
Native Americans were living in the Camden area as early as the Archaic period (8000-1000 BC). A significant archaeological site has been excavated at nearby Eva (the actual site is now submerged under Kentucky Lake), uncovering evidence of semi-permanent habitation dating back 7000 years.
The first European settlers arrived in the Benton County area around 1818, shortly after (and probably before) the county was purchased from the Chickasaw. Camden has its roots as a stopover along the stage coach route between Nashville and Memphis. Initially known as "Tranquility", the community had attained the name "Camden" by the 1830s, a name influenced by the Revolutionary War-era Battle of Camden. When Benton County was created in 1835, Camden was chosen as the county seat. The City of Camden was officially incorporated in 1838.
It was near Camden where country music stars Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins lost their lives in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.
Geography
Camden is situated along Cypress Creek, near the creek's modern confluence with the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River (the original lower 10 miles (16 km) of the creek were entirely engulfed by the lake with the completion of Kentucky Dam in 1944). The area is characterized by low hills to the north and west and wetlands to the east, the latter of which are largely protected by the Camden Wildlife Management Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.7 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 176 | — | |
| 1860 | 159 | −9.7% | |
| 1870 | 148 | −6.9% | |
| 1880 | 200 | 35.1% | |
| 1890 | 330 | 65.0% | |
| 1900 | 399 | 20.9% | |
| 1910 | 692 | 73.4% | |
| 1920 | 800 | 15.6% | |
| 1930 | 955 | 19.4% | |
| 1940 | 992 | 3.9% | |
| 1950 | 2,029 | 104.5% | |
| 1960 | 2,774 | 36.7% | |
| 1970 | 3,052 | 10.0% | |
| 1980 | 3,279 | 7.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,643 | 11.1% | |
| 2000 | 3,828 | 5.1% | |
| 2010 | 3,582 | −6.4% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 3,632 | 1.4% | |
| Sources: | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,168 | 86.23% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 158 | 4.3% |
| Native American | 10 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 49 | 1.33% |
| Other/Mixed | 149 | 4.06% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 140 | 3.81% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,674 people, 1,516 households, and 759 families residing in the city.
Parks and recreation
- Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, 8 miles (13 km) east
- Natchez Trace State Park, 17 miles (27 km) southwest
- Birdsong Resort, Marina, and Campground, 9 miles (14 km) southeast
- Birdsong Trail Ride
- Duck River Unit Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, 13 miles (21 km) southeast
- Patsy Cline Memorial
- Camden Speedway
- Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm
- Bargain Highway, where parts of U.S. Route 641 and U.S. Route 70 are transformed into a 30 mi (48 km) yard sale during the Labor Day weekend
Economy
Agriculture is important to the economy of Camden and Benton County. Sorghum was once a key crop; the last sorghum processing facility closed in 2001.
Jones Plastic and Engineering operates a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) facility in Camden.
Camden is a bedroom community for employees of the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the DuPont titanium dioxide production plant in nearby New Johnsonville.
Education
Camden is served by the Benton County School System. Schools include:
- Camden Elementary
- Camden Junior High School
- Camden Central High School
Infrastructure
Transportation
- U.S. Route 70 connects Camden to Nashville to the east and Memphis to the west. It has a business route (US 70 Business) that runs through the center of town while the mainline bypasses Camden to the south.
- Tennessee State Route 191 connects Camden to Eva and to Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park to the northeast and Interstate 40 to the southeast.
- U.S. Route 641, which intersects US 70 Business in the western half of Camden and US 70 south of Camden, connects the area with Paris and Kentucky to the north and with I-40 and Parsons to the south.
- Tennessee State Route 69A begins in Camden at the intersection of US 70 Business and TN 191 and runs north to Big Sandy.
Notable people
- Willie "Butch" Borchert, member of Tennessee General Assembly
- Nyman Furr, musician known as "The Tennessee Fiddler"
- Tanner Hudson, NFL Tight End for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Frank P. Lashlee, member of Tennessee General Assembly
- Col. Littleton, fashion designer
- Charles F. Pendleton, awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War
See also
In Spanish: Camden (Tennessee) para niños
