kids encyclopedia robot

Chester County, Tennessee facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Chester County
Chester County Courthouse in Henderson, 2003
Chester County Courthouse in Henderson, 2003
Map of Tennessee highlighting Chester County
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Tennessee
Founded 1882
Named for Robert Chester
Seat Henderson
Largest city Henderson
Area
 • Total 286 sq mi (740 km2)
 • Land 286 sq mi (740 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)  0.08%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 17,341 Increase
 • Density 60/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 7th

Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,131. Its county seat is Henderson. The county was created in 1879 and organized in 1882. Chester County is included in the Jackson, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Chester County was the last county formed in Tennessee, created by the General Assembly in 1875 from adjacent parts of neighboring Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy, and Madison counties. This land was used to create a county named Wisdom County, but "Wisdom County" was never organized, and in March 1879 the Assembly repealed this and created Chester County out of the same land. Lawsuits by opponents of the creation of the new county delayed actual organization until 1882. Chester County was named for Colonel Robert I. Chester, a quartermaster in the War of 1812, an early postmaster in Jackson, and a federal marshal.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 286 square miles (740 km2), of which 286 square miles (740 km2) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) (0.08%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

State protected areas

  • Chickasaw State Park
  • Chickasaw State Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 9,069
1900 9,869 8.8%
1910 9,090 −7.9%
1920 9,669 6.4%
1930 10,603 9.7%
1940 11,124 4.9%
1950 11,149 0.2%
1960 9,569 −14.2%
1970 9,927 3.7%
1980 12,727 28.2%
1990 12,819 0.7%
2000 15,540 21.2%
2010 17,131 10.2%
2020 17,341 1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2014
USA Chester County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid
Age pyramid Chester County

2020 census

Chester County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 14,471 83.45%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,494 8.62%
Native American 52 0.3%
Asian 70 0.4%
Other/Mixed 726 4.19%
Hispanic or Latino 528 3.04%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,341 people, 6,060 households, and 4,471 families residing in the county.

Communities

City

Town

Unincorporated communities

In popular culture

  • Country musician Eddy Arnold, a native of Henderson, titled his 1969 autobiography It's A Long Way From Chester County.
  • The 1973 movie Walking Tall was filmed in Henderson and elsewhere in Chester County, including important scenes filmed in the county courthouse; many local residents served as extras or played bit parts.

Education

There are six schools in the Chester County School District. Chester County High School serves the whole county and holds grades 9–12. Chester County Junior High School holds grades 6 through 8 for the entire county. Chester County Middle School serves the whole county's students in grades 4 and 5. East Chester County Elementary School, West Chester County Elementary School, and Jacks Creek Elementary School all hold kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Henderson is the home of Freed-Hardeman University.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Chester (Tennessee) para niños

kids search engine
Chester County, Tennessee Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.