Davidson County, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Davidson County
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Consolidated city-county
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| Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County | ||
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Davidson County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
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 Tennessee's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Tennessee |
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| Founded | October 6, 1783 | |
| Named for | William Lee Davidson | |
| Seat | Nashville | |
| Largest city | Nashville | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 526 sq mi (1,360 km2) | |
| • Land | 504 sq mi (1,310 km2) | |
| • Water | 22 sq mi (60 km2) 4.2% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 715,884  |
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| • Density | 1,420.40/sq mi (548.42/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) | |
| Congressional district | 5th | |
Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the second most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville, the state capital and largest city.
Since 1963, the city of Nashville and Davidson County have had a consolidated government called the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County", commonly referred to as "Metro Nashville" or "Metro".
Davidson County has the largest population in the 13-county Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area, the state's most populous metropolitan area. Nashville has always been the region's center of commerce, industry, transportation, and culture, but it did not become the capital of Tennessee until 1827 and did not gain permanent capital status until 1843.
Contents
History
Davidson County is the oldest county in the 41-county region of Middle Tennessee. It dates to 1783, when the North Carolina legislature created the county and named it in honor of William Lee Davidson, a North Carolina general who was killed opposing General Cornwallis and the British Army's crossing of the Catawba River on February 1, 1781. The county seat, Nashville, is the oldest permanent European (white) settlement in Middle Tennessee, founded by James Robertson and John Donelson during the winter of 1779-80. The first white settlers established the Cumberland Compact in order to establish a basic rule of law and to protect their land titles. Through much of the early 1780s, the settlers also faced a hostile response from Native American tribes who resented their encroaching on their territory and competing for resources. As the county's many known archaeological sites attest, Native American cultures had occupied areas of Davidson County for thousands of years. The first whites to enter the area were fur traders. Long hunters came next, having learned about the large salt lick, known as French Lick, where they hunted game and traded with Native Americans.
In 1765, Timothy Demonbreun, a hunter, trapper, and former Governor of Illinois under the French, and his wife lived in a small cave (now known as Demonbreun's Cave) on the south side of the Cumberland River near present-day downtown Nashville. The first white child to be born in Middle Tennessee was born there.
During the June 8, 1861, referendum, the closely divided population of Davidson County voted narrowly in favor of secession: 5,635 in favor, 5,572 against. Middle Tennessee was occupied by Union troops from 1862, which caused widespread social disruption in the state.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 526 square miles (1,360 km2), of which 504 square miles (1,310 km2) is land and 22 square miles (57 km2) (4.2%) is water.
The Cumberland River flows from east to west through the middle of the county. Two dams within the county are Old Hickory Lock and Dam and J. Percy Priest Dam, operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Important tributaries of the Cumberland in Davidson County include Whites Creek, Manskers Creek, Stones River, Mill Creek, and the Harpeth River.
Adjacent counties
- Robertson County, Tennessee – north
- Sumner County, Tennessee – northeast
- Wilson County, Tennessee – east
- Rutherford County, Tennessee – southeast
- Williamson County, Tennessee – south
- Cheatham County, Tennessee – west
National protected area
- Natchez Trace Parkway (part)
State protected areas
- Bicentennial Mall State Park
- Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area (part)
- Harpeth River State Park (part)
- Hill Forest State Natural Area
- Long Hunter State Park (part)
- Mount View Glade State Natural Area
- Percy Priest Wildlife Management Area (part)
- Radnor Lake State Natural Area
Major highways
I-24
I-40
I-65
I-440
US 31
US 31A
US 31E
US 31W
US 41
US 41A
US 70
US 70S
US 431
SR 155 / Briley Parkway
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 3,459 | — | |
| 1800 | 9,965 | 188.1% | |
| 1810 | 15,608 | 56.6% | |
| 1820 | 20,154 | 29.1% | |
| 1830 | 28,122 | 39.5% | |
| 1840 | 30,509 | 8.5% | |
| 1850 | 38,882 | 27.4% | |
| 1860 | 47,055 | 21.0% | |
| 1870 | 62,897 | 33.7% | |
| 1880 | 79,026 | 25.6% | |
| 1890 | 108,174 | 36.9% | |
| 1900 | 122,815 | 13.5% | |
| 1910 | 149,478 | 21.7% | |
| 1920 | 167,815 | 12.3% | |
| 1930 | 222,854 | 32.8% | |
| 1940 | 257,267 | 15.4% | |
| 1950 | 321,758 | 25.1% | |
| 1960 | 399,743 | 24.2% | |
| 1970 | 448,003 | 12.1% | |
| 1980 | 477,811 | 6.7% | |
| 1990 | 510,784 | 6.9% | |
| 2000 | 569,891 | 11.6% | |
| 2010 | 626,681 | 10.0% | |
| 2020 | 715,884 | 14.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 386,835 | 54.04% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 171,489 | 23.95% |
| Native American | 1,309 | 0.18% |
| Asian | 27,660 | 3.86% |
| Pacific Islander | 303 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 30,169 | 4.21% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 98,119 | 13.71% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 715,884 people, 289,427 households, and 152,833 families residing in the county.
Communities
All of Davidson County is encompassed under the consolidated Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. However, several municipalities that were incorporated before consolidation retain some autonomy as independent municipalities. These are:
- Belle Meade
- Berry Hill
- Forest Hills
- Goodlettsville (partly in Sumner County)
- Oak Hill
- Ridgetop (primarily in Robertson County)
For U.S. Census purposes, the portions of Davidson County that lie outside the boundaries of the six independently incorporated municipalities are collectively treated as the Nashville-Davidson balance.
Unincorporated communities
In addition, several other communities in the county that lack the official status of incorporated municipalities (either because they were never incorporated or because they relinquished their municipal charters when consolidation occurred) maintain their independent identities to varying degrees. These include:
Notable people
- See List of people from Nashville, Tennessee for notable people that were residents of both Nashville and Davidson County.
- Kizziah J. Bills, Black American suffragist, a correspondent and columnist for Black press in Chicago, and a civil rights activist. She was raised in Davidson County.
- Newman Haynes Clanton, Democrat, western cattle rustler and outlaw
- Jermain Wesley Loguen, abolitionist leader
- Benjamin "Pap" Singleton, abolitionist leader
Images for kids
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Map of Tennessee Districts in 1817: Tennessee, Davidson, and Sumner
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Davidson (Tennessee) para niños
