Shelbyville, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shelbyville
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Downtown Shelbyville
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| Nickname(s):
The Walking Horse Capital of the World and The Pencil City
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Location of Shelbyville in Bedford County, Tennessee.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Bedford |
| Platted | 1810 |
| Incorporated | 1819 |
| Named for | Isaac Shelby |
| Area | |
| • Total | 18.44 sq mi (47.76 km2) |
| • Land | 18.44 sq mi (47.76 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 755 ft (230 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 23,557 |
| • Density | 1,277.56/sq mi (493.27/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
37160-37162
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| Area code(s) | 931 |
| FIPS code | 47-67760 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1269993 |
Shelbyville is a city in and the county seat of Bedford County, Tennessee. The town was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819. Shelbyville had a population of 20,335 residents at the 2010 census. The town is a hub of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry and has been nicknamed "The Walking Horse Capital of the World".
Contents
Geography
Shelbyville is in Middle Tennessee on a Highland Rim limestone bluff upon the banks of Duck River, which flows around the southern and eastern sides of town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.2 km2), all land.
Climate
| Climate data for Shelbyville, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 78 (26) |
82 (28) |
85 (29) |
92 (33) |
96 (36) |
108 (42) |
107 (42) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
98 (37) |
87 (31) |
77 (25) |
108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 67.5 (19.7) |
71.2 (21.8) |
78.8 (26.0) |
84.1 (28.9) |
89.1 (31.7) |
94.0 (34.4) |
95.9 (35.5) |
95.7 (35.4) |
93.1 (33.9) |
85.7 (29.8) |
77.5 (25.3) |
69.0 (20.6) |
97.5 (36.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 49.4 (9.7) |
53.8 (12.1) |
62.5 (16.9) |
72.0 (22.2) |
79.5 (26.4) |
86.4 (30.2) |
89.4 (31.9) |
89.0 (31.7) |
83.9 (28.8) |
73.4 (23.0) |
61.6 (16.4) |
52.4 (11.3) |
71.1 (21.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 39.1 (3.9) |
42.7 (5.9) |
50.6 (10.3) |
59.5 (15.3) |
67.8 (19.9) |
75.4 (24.1) |
78.8 (26.0) |
77.8 (25.4) |
71.8 (22.1) |
60.6 (15.9) |
49.3 (9.6) |
42.0 (5.6) |
59.6 (15.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 28.9 (−1.7) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
38.7 (3.7) |
47.1 (8.4) |
56.2 (13.4) |
64.3 (17.9) |
68.3 (20.2) |
66.6 (19.2) |
59.7 (15.4) |
47.9 (8.8) |
37.1 (2.8) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
48.2 (9.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 9.7 (−12.4) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
21.3 (−5.9) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
40.4 (4.7) |
52.9 (11.6) |
59.4 (15.2) |
57.4 (14.1) |
44.6 (7.0) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
21.7 (−5.7) |
16.0 (−8.9) |
7.7 (−13.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−7 (−22) |
3 (−16) |
21 (−6) |
30 (−1) |
38 (3) |
49 (9) |
47 (8) |
32 (0) |
18 (−8) |
9 (−13) |
−9 (−23) |
−20 (−29) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.29 (134) |
5.63 (143) |
5.79 (147) |
4.99 (127) |
5.05 (128) |
5.03 (128) |
5.07 (129) |
4.24 (108) |
4.22 (107) |
3.65 (93) |
4.35 (110) |
6.05 (154) |
59.36 (1,508) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.1 (0.25) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.7 (1.8) |
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) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.1 (2.8) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.6 | 11.8 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 11.7 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 9.3 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 9.6 | 12.1 | 128.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.0 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 1,708 | — | |
| 1860 | 776 | −54.6% | |
| 1870 | 1,719 | 121.5% | |
| 1880 | 1,869 | 8.7% | |
| 1890 | 1,823 | −2.5% | |
| 1900 | 2,236 | 22.7% | |
| 1910 | 2,869 | 28.3% | |
| 1920 | 2,912 | 1.5% | |
| 1930 | 5,010 | 72.0% | |
| 1940 | 6,537 | 30.5% | |
| 1950 | 9,456 | 44.7% | |
| 1960 | 10,466 | 10.7% | |
| 1970 | 12,262 | 17.2% | |
| 1980 | 13,530 | 10.3% | |
| 1990 | 14,049 | 3.8% | |
| 2000 | 16,105 | 14.6% | |
| 2010 | 20,335 | 26.3% | |
| 2020 | 23,557 | 15.8% | |
| Sources: | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 13,156 | 55.85% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 2,942 | 12.49% |
| Native American | 65 | 0.28% |
| Asian | 173 | 0.73% |
| Pacific Islander | 10 | 0.04% |
| Other/Mixed | 1,045 | 4.44% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 6,166 | 26.17% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 23,557 people, 7,257 households, and 5,025 families residing in the city.
Economy
Shelbyville is known as "The Pencil City" because of its historical importance as a center of wood-cased pencil manufacturing. It is still a site for manufacture of writing instruments. In 1982, National Pen Corporation purchased its largest competitor, U.S. Pencil and Stationery Company. Sanford Corporation produced the Sharpie, the world's top-selling writing instrument, in the city. It was in Shelbyville in 1991 that the world's longest pencil was produced, a plastic-cased pencil 1,091 feet (333 m) long, weighing 27 pounds (12 kg).
One of last four pencil manufacturers in the United States, Musgrave Pencil Company, is located in Shelbyville.
Other major business operations in Shelbyville include manufacturers Calsonic Kansei, Newell Rubbermaid, Cebal America, and Jostens; it is also home to a Tyson Foods facility and a distribution center for Wal-Mart, as well as several nationwide trucking businesses.
Transportation
Shelbyville is at the intersection of U.S. Route 231 and U.S. Route 41A. It was the terminus of a branch line (from Wartrace), located along what is now known as Railroad Avenue, connecting with what was once known as the Saint Louis, Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad.
Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration
The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration takes place each year during the 11 days and nights prior to Labor Day. It is the largest show for the Tennessee Walking Horse, during which the breed's World Grand Champion and over 20 World Champions are named. The Celebration is a festival event where more than $650,000 in prizes and awards are given. The Celebration began in 1939, and the first winner was Strolling Jim.
Education
K-12 education
Bedford County School District operates primary and secondary schools. Shelbyville Central High School is the local public high school.
After the end of non-penal slavery in the United States the AME Church opened a school for African-American children. The public school system graduated its first black class in 1890. The schools for African-American children operated by the district were East Bedford School and Bedford County Training School for Negroes (a.k.a. John McAdams High School and also Harris High School for Negroes). Schools racially integrated after 1964.
Higher education
The Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Shelbyville is one of 46 institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents System, the seventh largest system of higher education in the nation. This system comprises six universities, fourteen community colleges, and twenty-six technology centers. More than 80 percent of all Tennessee students attending public institutions are enrolled in a Tennessee Board of Regents institution.
Shelbyville was the home of Turner College, a HBCU established in October 1885 with support from the Kentucky Annual Conference AME Church. Bishop Henry M. Turner was its founding leader, and eventually the school was renamed for him. A private school supported by local people, there was a high school, a normal school, an "industrial institute," and a Bible study institute included in the institution. Located in two brick buildings, between 1920 and 1924 the institution had 385 students. Apparently the fiscal support for the school didn't continue though, and in the late 1920s the "starving little school" was permanently closed.
Public media and news outlets
The Bedford County Post launched in August 2023 when the Shelbyville Times-Gazette closed its doors.
Shelbyville has two news media outlets, "Bedford County Post" www.bedfordcountypost.com & Shelbyville Times-Gazette.
Notable people
- Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper (born 1954). In Shelbyville, his family owns the historic River Side Farmhouse, built for his great-great-grandfather, Jacob Morton Shofner, in 1890, and the Gov. Prentice Cooper House in Shelbyville, built in 1904 for his grandfather, William Prentice Cooper, who served as the mayor of Shelbyville. His father, Prentice Cooper, who was born in the River Side Farmhouse, was the Governor of Tennessee from 1939 to 1945.
- Robert Galbraith Allison (1897-1952), State of Tennessee budget department director.
- Sumner Archibald Cunningham (1843-1913), founding editor of the Confederate Veteran, buried in Shelbyville's Willow Mount Cemetery.
- Dickie Gardner, horse trainer
- Joe Jenkins, Major League Baseball player
- Harold A. Katz (1921-2012), Illinois state representative and lawyer
- Sondra Locke (1944–2018), actress/director
- Judy and Joe Martin, a married couple who trained horses together
- Joyce Paul (1937–2016), country music singer
- Ernest A. Pickup (1887-1970), printmaker
- Samuel Escue Tillman (1847–1942), U.S. Army officer and superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York
See also
In Spanish: Shelbyville (Tennessee) para niños
 | Aurelia Browder |
 | Nannie Helen Burroughs |
 | Michelle Alexander |
