Smith County, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Smith County
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Smith County Courthouse in Carthage
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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 |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | 1799 |
| Named for | Daniel Smith |
| Seat | Carthage |
| Largest town | Carthage |
| Area | |
| • Total | 325 sq mi (840 km2) |
| • Land | 314 sq mi (810 km2) |
| • Water | 11 sq mi (30 km2) 3.4%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 19,904  |
| • Density | 61/sq mi (24/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 6th |
Smith County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,904. Smith County is located in the region of the state known as Middle Tennessee. Its county seat is Carthage. The county was organized in 1799 and is named for Daniel Smith, a Revolutionary War veteran who made the first map of Tennessee and served as a United States senator.
Smith County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Smith County was established in 1799 from a portion of Sumner County, and was named for Daniel Smith, a U.S. Senator and former Secretary of the Southwest Territory. The location of the county seat was hotly contested between Bledsoesborough (near modern Dixon Springs) and William Walton's ferry and tavern at the confluence of the Caney Fork and the Cumberland River. In 1804, voters chose Walton's site, and a town, named Carthage, was platted the following year.
Smith County was the site of a large saltpeter mine. Piper Cave, located near Monoville, contains the poorly preserved remnants of dozens of saltpeter leaching vats. Most saltpeter mining in Middle Tennessee took place during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, though the exact dates of this operation are unclear.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 325 square miles (840 km2), of which 314 square miles (810 km2) is land and 11 square miles (28 km2) (3.4%) is water. The county is located in a transition area between the rugged Highland Rim to the east and the flatter Nashville Basin to the west. The Caney Fork has its confluence with the Cumberland River in Carthage; these are the primary waterways flowing through the county. Cordell Hull Dam on the Cumberland is located near Carthage.
Adjacent counties
- Macon County (north)
- Jackson County (northeast)
- Putnam County (east)
- DeKalb County (southeast)
- Wilson County (west)
- Trousdale County (northwest)
State protected areas
- Cordell Hull Wildlife Management Area (part)
Highways
I-40
US 70N
SR 25
SR 53
SR 80
SR 85
SR 141
SR 263
SR 264
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 4,294 | — | |
| 1810 | 11,649 | 171.3% | |
| 1820 | 17,580 | 50.9% | |
| 1830 | 19,906 | 13.2% | |
| 1840 | 21,179 | 6.4% | |
| 1850 | 18,412 | −13.1% | |
| 1860 | 16,357 | −11.2% | |
| 1870 | 15,994 | −2.2% | |
| 1880 | 17,799 | 11.3% | |
| 1890 | 18,404 | 3.4% | |
| 1900 | 19,026 | 3.4% | |
| 1910 | 18,548 | −2.5% | |
| 1920 | 17,134 | −7.6% | |
| 1930 | 15,473 | −9.7% | |
| 1940 | 16,148 | 4.4% | |
| 1950 | 14,098 | −12.7% | |
| 1960 | 12,059 | −14.5% | |
| 1970 | 12,059 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 14,935 | 23.8% | |
| 1990 | 14,143 | −5.3% | |
| 2000 | 17,712 | 25.2% | |
| 2010 | 19,166 | 8.2% | |
| 2020 | 19,904 | 3.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014 |
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2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 18,054 | 90.71% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 356 | 1.79% |
| Native American | 61 | 0.31% |
| Asian | 84 | 0.42% |
| Other/Mixed | 831 | 4.18% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 518 | 2.6% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,904 people, 7,603 households, and 5,409 families residing in the county.
Communities
Towns
- Carthage (county seat)
- Gordonsville
- South Carthage
Unincorporated communities
- Brush Creek
- Chestnut Mound
- Defeated
- Difficult
- Dixon Springs
- Elmwood
- Enigma
- Hickman
- Kempville
- Lancaster
- New Middleton
- Pleasant Shade
- Riddleton
- Rome
- Stonewall
- Sykes
Education
The Smith County School System operates nine schools:
- Carthage Elementary School, Carthage (PreK–4)
- Defeated Elementary School, Defeated (PreK–8)
- Forks River Elementary School, Elmwood (PreK–8)
- Gordonsville Elementary School, Gordonsville (3–6)
- Gordonsville High School, Gordonsville (7–12)
- New Middleton Elementary School, New Middleton (PreK–2)
- Union Heights Elementary School, Rome (PreK–8)
- Smith County Middle School, South Carthage (5–8)
- Smith County High School, Carthage (9–12)
The county formerly operated Pleasant Shade Elementary School, which closed in 2007, and Cox Davidson Elementary, which closed sometime in the 1950s. New Middleton Elementary was formerly PreK–8, while Gordonsville Elementary was formerly PreK–6. A realignment beginning with the 2017–2018 school year resulted in the current grade alignment of those schools.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Smith (Tennessee) para niños
