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Dickson, Tennessee facts for kids

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Dickson, Tennessee
Downtown business district of Dickson
Downtown business district of Dickson
Location of Dickson in Dickson County, Tennessee.
Location of Dickson in Dickson County, Tennessee.
Country United States
State Tennessee
County Dickson
Area
 • Total 20.41 sq mi (52.85 km2)
 • Land 20.32 sq mi (52.64 km2)
 • Water 0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation
804 ft (245 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 16,058
 • Density 790.10/sq mi (305.06/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
37055-37056
Area code(s) 615
FIPS code 47-20620
GNIS feature ID 1303436

Dickson is a city in Tennessee, a state in the United States. It's located in Dickson County. This city is also part of the larger Nashville metropolitan area, which means it's close to the big city of Nashville. In 2020, about 16,058 people lived in Dickson.

History of Dickson, Tennessee

Dickson was named after William Dickson. He was a congressman, a person who helps make laws for the country. Dickson County is also named after him.

How Dickson Started

The city began as a stop on a railroad line. This line connected Nashville to the Tennessee River. During the American Civil War, soldiers built this supply line. The area was then called "Mile 42 post."

What Was Dickson Called Before?

There is some debate about the city's first name. Some people say it was called Sneedsville. This name might have honored a railroad engineer named Sneed. He helped build the tracks for General Ulysses S. Grant.

Other people think the name was Smeedsville. A historian found a court paper from 1867. It referred to the land as "Smeedsville, Dickson County, Tennessee." It's hard to tell if the old handwriting shows an "n" or an "m."

Geography and Location

Dickson is in the southern part of Dickson County. It is next to the town of Burns on its eastern side.

How to Get Around Dickson

U.S. Route 70 runs through the northern part of Dickson. This road is called Henslee Drive there. You can take it east about 40 miles to Nashville. Or you can go west about 62 miles to Huntingdon.

Interstate 40 is a major highway that passes about 5 miles south of Dickson's center. You can get on I-40 from Exit 172, which is Tennessee State Route 46. From this exit, Nashville is about 37 miles east. Jackson is about 92 miles west.

Land and Water in Dickson

The city of Dickson covers about 20.41 square miles. Most of this area is land, about 20.32 square miles. A small part, about 0.08 square miles, is water.

The center of Dickson sits on a special line called the Tennessee Valley Divide. This means water on one side flows in one direction, and water on the other side flows in a different direction.

Climate in Dickson

Climate data for Dickson, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1900–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 80
(27)
82
(28)
93
(34)
95
(35)
98
(37)
109
(43)
110
(43)
110
(43)
108
(42)
95
(35)
88
(31)
78
(26)
110
(43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 47.5
(8.6)
52.3
(11.3)
61.1
(16.2)
70.9
(21.6)
77.4
(25.2)
84.1
(28.9)
86.9
(30.5)
86.9
(30.5)
81.3
(27.4)
71.0
(21.7)
59.5
(15.3)
50.4
(10.2)
69.1
(20.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 37.5
(3.1)
41.4
(5.2)
49.4
(9.7)
58.6
(14.8)
66.1
(18.9)
73.5
(23.1)
76.9
(24.9)
76.1
(24.5)
69.9
(21.1)
59.0
(15.0)
48.0
(8.9)
40.5
(4.7)
58.1
(14.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 27.5
(−2.5)
30.4
(−0.9)
37.7
(3.2)
46.2
(7.9)
54.9
(12.7)
62.9
(17.2)
66.8
(19.3)
65.4
(18.6)
58.5
(14.7)
46.9
(8.3)
36.5
(2.5)
30.6
(−0.8)
47.0
(8.3)
Record low °F (°C) −23
(−31)
−14
(−26)
−1
(−18)
16
(−9)
29
(−2)
38
(3)
48
(9)
42
(6)
32
(0)
20
(−7)
−3
(−19)
−13
(−25)
−23
(−31)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.33
(110)
4.90
(124)
5.44
(138)
4.93
(125)
5.79
(147)
4.02
(102)
4.62
(117)
3.45
(88)
3.45
(88)
4.04
(103)
3.97
(101)
5.13
(130)
54.07
(1,373)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.8
(2.0)
0.6
(1.5)
0.5
(1.3)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.6
(1.5)
2.5
(6.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.3 9.9 10.4 10.2 10.2 9.6 9.3 8.0 6.7 7.9 8.9 10.5 111.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 1.5
Source: NOAA

People of Dickson

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 938
1900 1,363 45.3%
1910 1,850 35.7%
1920 2,263 22.3%
1930 2,902 28.2%
1940 3,504 20.7%
1950 3,348 −4.5%
1960 5,028 50.2%
1970 5,665 12.7%
1980 7,040 24.3%
1990 8,791 24.9%
2000 12,244 39.3%
2010 14,538 18.7%
2020 16,058 10.5%
Sources:

The population of Dickson has grown a lot over the years. In 1890, fewer than 1,000 people lived there. By 2020, the population was over 16,000!

Who Lives in Dickson? (2020 Census)

Dickson racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 12,464 77.62%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,224 7.62%
Native American 57 0.35%
Asian 170 1.06%
Other/Mixed 866 5.39%
Hispanic or Latino 1,277 7.95%

In 2020, there were 16,058 people living in Dickson. These people lived in 5,842 households. About 3,690 of these households were families.

Media and Local News

Dickson has its own local TV and radio stations. These help keep the community informed and entertained.

Television Station

  • WDHC-LD Channel 6 (This station is part of The Family Channel).

Radio Stations

AM Radio

  • WDKN 1260 AM: This station plays Country, Gospel, and Talk shows.

FM Radio

  • WLTD-LP 103.9 FM: This station broadcasts 3ABN Radio, which plays religious programs.
  • WNRZ 91.5 FM: This station is part of the Bott Radio Network.

Famous People from Dickson

Many interesting people have come from Dickson, Tennessee. Here are a few:

  • Frank G. Clement: He was a Governor of Tennessee. A governor is the leader of a state.
  • Francis Craig: A talented songwriter and bandleader.
  • Trevor Daniel: An American Football punter. He plays for the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League.
  • Walter S. Davis: An important educator.
  • John Mitchell: A professional baseball player.
  • Craig Morgan: A well-known country music singer.
  • Anson Mount: An actor who has appeared in movies and TV shows.
  • Sunita Mani: An Indian-American actress.
  • Anthony Wayne Van Leer: An entrepreneur, which means he started and ran businesses.

Images for kids

See also

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

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