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Decatur, Tennessee
Meigs-County-Bank-tn3.jpg
Location of Decatur in Meigs County, Tennessee.
Location of Decatur in Meigs County, Tennessee.
Country United States
State Tennessee
County Meigs
Founded 1836
Incorporated 1838
Named for Stephen Decatur
Area
 • Total 3.80 sq mi (9.83 km2)
 • Land 3.80 sq mi (9.83 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
778 ft (237 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,563
 • Density 411.75/sq mi (158.99/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
37322
Area code(s) 423
FIPS code 47-19880
GNIS feature ID 1306311

Decatur (/dɪˈktər/ dih-KAY-tər) is a town in Meigs County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,563 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meigs County.

History

Decatur was founded in May 1836 as a county seat for Meigs County, which had been formed that same year. The initial 50 acres (0.20 km2) for the town were donated by James Lillard and Leonard Brooks. Decatur is named after Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., an early 19th-century American naval officer renowned for his exploits in the First Barbary War, the Second Barbary War, and the War of 1812.

Geography

Decatur is located at 35°31′8″N 84°47′36″W / 35.51889°N 84.79333°W / 35.51889; -84.79333 (35.518871, -84.793201). The town is situated at the western base of No Pone Ridge, an elongate ridge characteristic of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province. Just west of Decatur, the Tennessee River flows around a blunt peninsula known as Armstrong Bend. This section of the river is part of Chickamauga Lake.

Decatur is situated around the junction of Tennessee State Route 30, which connects the town to Athens to the east and Dayton to the west, and Tennessee State Route 58, which connects Decatur to Kingston to the north and Chattanooga to the south. Interstate 75 passes approximately 15 miles (24 km) east of Decatur.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 99
1880 175 76.8%
1890 313 78.9%
1910 165
1920 142 −13.9%
1930 158 11.3%
1940 205 29.7%
1950 235 14.6%
1960 681 189.8%
1970 698 2.5%
1980 1,069 53.2%
1990 1,361 27.3%
2000 1,395 2.5%
2010 1,598 14.6%
2020 1,563 −2.2%
Sources:

2020 census

Decatur racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 1,429 91.43%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 30 1.92%
Native American 11 0.7%
Asian 4 0.26%
Other/Mixed 69 4.41%
Hispanic or Latino 20 1.28%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,563 people, 586 households, and 416 families residing in the town.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Decatur (Tennessee) para niños

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