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Smithville, Tennessee
City
Smithville Watertower
Smithville Watertower
Location of Smithville in DeKalb County, Tennessee.
Location of Smithville in DeKalb County, Tennessee.
Country United States
State Tennessee
County DeKalb
Founded 1838
Incorporated 1843
Named for Samuel Granville Smith, local politician
Government
 • Type Mayor-Aldermanic
Area
 • Total 5.85 sq mi (15.16 km2)
 • Land 5.85 sq mi (15.16 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
1,037 ft (316 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 5,004
 • Density 854.80/sq mi (330.05/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
37166
Area code(s) 615
FIPS code 47-69320
GNIS feature ID 1313778

Smithville is a city in DeKalb County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,004 at the 2020 census, up from 3,994 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of DeKalb County. Smithville is home to the Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree, which it has hosted annually since 1972.

Geography

Smithville is located in central DeKalb County at 35°57′26″N 85°49′15″W / 35.95722°N 85.82083°W / 35.95722; -85.82083 (35.957191, -85.820756). U.S. Route 70 passes through the town as Broad Street, leading east 21 miles (34 km) to Sparta and northwest 36 miles (58 km) to Lebanon. Tennessee State Route 56 (Congress Boulevard) crosses US 70 a few blocks southeast of the center of town and leads north 13 miles (21 km) to Interstate 40 at Silver Point and 19 miles (31 km) south to McMinnville. Cookeville is 28 miles (45 km) to the northeast, and Nashville is 65 miles (105 km) to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km2), all land.

Climate

Climate data for Smithville 2 SE, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 76
(24)		 78
(26)		 85
(29)		 90
(32)		 92
(33)		 105
(41)		 104
(40)		 102
(39)		 99
(37)		 95
(35)		 85
(29)		 76
(24)		 105
(41)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 47.2
(8.4)		 51.8
(11.0)		 60.3
(15.7)		 70.2
(21.2)		 77.9
(25.5)		 84.8
(29.3)		 87.7
(30.9)		 87.2
(30.7)		 81.8
(27.7)		 71.8
(22.1)		 60.0
(15.6)		 50.9
(10.5)		 69.3
(20.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 36.4
(2.4)		 39.8
(4.3)		 47.4
(8.6)		 56.2
(13.4)		 65.2
(18.4)		 73.0
(22.8)		 76.6
(24.8)		 75.4
(24.1)		 69.0
(20.6)		 57.5
(14.2)		 46.7
(8.2)		 39.7
(4.3)		 56.9
(13.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 25.5
(−3.6)		 27.9
(−2.3)		 34.5
(1.4)		 42.3
(5.7)		 52.5
(11.4)		 61.3
(16.3)		 65.5
(18.6)		 63.6
(17.6)		 56.3
(13.5)		 43.3
(6.3)		 33.3
(0.7)		 28.4
(−2.0)		 44.5
(6.9)
Record low °F (°C) −24
(−31)		 −17
(−27)		 0
(−18)		 18
(−8)		 27
(−3)		 38
(3)		 46
(8)		 44
(7)		 29
(−2)		 21
(−6)		 9
(−13)		 −7
(−22)		 −24
(−31)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.92
(125)		 5.07
(129)		 5.73
(146)		 4.99
(127)		 4.87
(124)		 5.14
(131)		 5.18
(132)		 3.92
(100)		 4.03
(102)		 3.28
(83)		 4.15
(105)		 5.69
(145)		 56.97
(1,447)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 1.1
(2.8)		 1.1
(2.8)		 0.3
(0.76)		 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)		 3.1
(7.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 13.6 12.9 13.4 11.7 12.7 11.9 12.0 9.6 8.8 9.6 10.2 13.7 140.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.9 0.9 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.6 2.7
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 572 —
1920 687 —
1930 886 29.0%
1940 919 3.7%
1950 1,558 69.5%
1960 2,348 50.7%
1970 2,997 27.6%
1980 3,839 28.1%
1990 3,791 −1.3%
2000 3,994 5.4%
2010 4,530 13.4%
2020 5,004 10.5%
Sources:

2020 census

Smithville racial composition
Race Number Percentage
White (non-Hispanic) 3,994 79.82%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 101 2.02%
Native American 11 0.22%
Asian 37 0.74%
Pacific Islander 5 0.1%
Other/Mixed 206 4.12%
Hispanic or Latino 650 12.99%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,004 people, 1,631 households, and 1,090 families residing in the city.

In popular culture

Smithville is referred to by a local-boy Marine talking to a girl and pointing to labels on a map during a dance hall scene, 17 minutes into the 1949 World War II John Wayne film, Sands of Iwo Jima, where it is mentioned, apart from everybody in his family being related to much of Tennessee, as being famous for "corn tobacco" and "more fertilizer than any other place in the world".

Fiddler's Jamboree

Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree & Crafts Festival
Genre Bluegrass music, old-time music
Years active 1972-present
Attendance 100,000+

Joe L. Evins helped start the world-famous Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree & Crafts Festival. The first Jamboree was held in July 1972 on a stage built on the steps of the DeKalb County Courthouse, and has been held there annually on the weekend nearest to July 4. The first Jamboree attracted 714 musicians from 16 states, and was attended by an estimated audience of 8,000. Present day audiences are estimated to be well over 100,000 from all over the U.S., and many from abroad.

Notable people

  • Bob Allen — Major League Baseball pitcher
  • John Anderson — country music singer
  • James Edgar Evins — Tennessee state senator, mayor of Smithville for 16 years
  • Joe L. Evins — U.S. representative
  • Alan Jackson — country music singer; former resident
  • Greg Tubbs — Major League Baseball Player, Cincinnati Reds, 1993
  • Lonnie Mack — pioneering blues-rock guitar soloist lived close by for many years and died here
  • Aaron Tippin — country music singer
  • Dottie West —American country music singer and songwriter

Gallery

  • Dekalb county tennessee courthouse

    Dekalb County Courthouse in Smithville, Tennessee

  • Smithville tn city hall

    Smithville City Hall

See also

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

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