Smyrna, Tennessee Facts for Kids

Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Smyrna's population was 53,070 at the 2020 census. In 2007, U.S. News & World Report listed Smyrna as one of the best places in the United States to retire. Smyrna is part of the Nashville metropolitan statistical area.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Parks and recreation
Economy
Education
- Public schools
- Private schools
Notable people
See also

History

Sam Davis House

The town of Smyrna has its European-American roots in the early 19th century and began as an agrarian community. It was important during the Civil War because its railroad station lies between Nashville and Chattanooga. One of the major events of the war for the town involved the Confederate States hero Sam Davis, who, after being charged with spying, gave up his life instead of giving any information to the Union Army. He was captured November 20, 1863, and was hanged by Union forces on November 27 of that year. The Sam Davis Plantation, located on 160 acres (0.65 km²) of well-maintained farmland, is the town's most important historical site.

Smyrna was originally incorporated in 1869 but its charter was rescinded by the state several years later. In 1915, the town re-incorporated and adopted a commission-mayor form of government.

In 1941 during World War II, Sewart Air Force Base was established here and served as a B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 advanced training facility. During the 1950s and 1960s, the military personnel and dependents totaled more than 10,000 persons stationed at the base. The base was scheduled for closing in 1971. Most of the property was divided among the State of Tennessee, Rutherford County, and the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. On its portion, the state opened and operates a Tennessee Army National Guard base and the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center. Much of the additional land was developed as the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority in 1990.

During the 1970s, many new industries moved to the area. The city began a period of growth stimulated by production of such companies as Better Built Aluminum, Cumberland Swan (currently known as Vi-Jon, Inc.), and Square D building plants. In the early 1980s, planning began to build a Nissan Motors manufacturing plant and, in 1983, the first vehicle was produced. The Nissan plant now employs around 8,400 workers, has a production capacity of 640,000 vehicles annually, and covers an area of 5,200,000 sq ft (480,000 m²). In 2012, Smyrna began manufacturing Nissan's electric car, the Nissan Leaf.

On March 14, 2000, the mayor and board of commissioners adopted a new charter. The city now operates under the city manager form of government, whereby the commissioners hire a city manager for daily operations.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.0 square miles (60 km²), of which 22.8 square miles (59 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.61%) is water.

Portions of the Percy Priest Lake reservoir lies within the town limits. The two main waterways are Stones River and Stewarts Creek.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	215	—
1920	463	—
1930	531	14.7%
1940	493	−7.2%
1950	1,544	213.2%
1960	3,612	133.9%
1970	5,698	57.8%
1980	8,839	55.1%
1990	13,647	54.4%
2000	25,569	87.4%
2010	39,974	56.3%
2020	53,070	32.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Smyrna racial composition
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	29,728	56.02%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	8,554	16.12%
Native American	80	0.15%
Asian	3,062	5.77%
Pacific Islander	55	0.1%
Other/Mixed	2,603	4.9%
Hispanic or Latino	8,988	16.94%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 53,070 people, 18,059 households, and 12,282 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 39,974 people, 14,807 households, and 10,509 families living in the city. The population density was 1,753.25 persons per square mile, and the housing unit density was 649.43 units per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 75.00% White, 11.21% Black or African American, 4.35% Asian, 0.59% Native American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 6.02% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origins constituted 10.72% of the population.

Of the 14,807 households, 37.23% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 50.46% were married couples living together, 5.54% had a male householder with no wife present, 14.98% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.03% were non-families. 23.03% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.94% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.15.

Of the 39,974 people living in the city, 27.89% were under the age of 18, 63.50% were between the ages of 18 and 64, and 8.60% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.0 years. 51.32% of all persons were female and 48.68% were male.

The median household income in the city was $51,505, and the median family income was $61,286. Males had a median income of $43,633 versus $37,029 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,448. About 9.4% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 and over.

Parks and recreation

Smyrna has 10 parks, a public golf course, 7 miles of greenway trails and an outdoor water park. A public fitness center located in Town Center includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Economy

The Nissan Smyrna Assembly Plant is the largest automotive assembly plant in the US, making 640,000 cars per year. It began in 1983, and has made more than 10 million cars since then. Manufacturing of batteries for the Leaf began at the site in 2012. Nissan's goal is that the plant in Smyrna will eventually produce 150,000 electric cars, and 200,000 electric car batteries per year. In addition to serving as the U.S. production site for the Leaf, the plant assembles five other models.

The top employers in the city are:

Nissan (automobile manufacturing): 8,400
Asurion (communications): 1,165
Vi-Jon (personal care products): 737
Stonecrest Medical Center (hospital): 550
Taylor Farms (produce): 550
Square D/Schneider Electric (electrical products): 474

Prior to their dissolution, RegionsAir (formerly Corporate Airlines) and Capitol Air were headquartered in Smyrna.

Education

Smyrna is served by the Rutherford County Schools school district.

Public schools

Cedar Grove Elementary (Timberwolves)
David Youree Elementary School (Eagles)
John Colemon Elementary School
Smyrna Elementary School
Smyrna Primary School (Huskies)
Stewartsboro Elementary School (Stallions)
Stewarts Creek Elementary School (Cardinals)
Rock Springs Middle School (Knights)
Rocky Fork Elementary School (Thunder)
Rocky Fork Middle School (Storms)
Rutherford County Virtual School (Trailblazers)
Smyrna Middle School (Panthers)
Stewarts Creek Middle School (Falcons)
Smyrna High School (Bulldogs)
Stewarts Creek High School (Redhawks)
Smyrna West Alternative School
Thurman Francis Arts Academy (Rams)

Private schools

Community Christian Day School
Lancaster Christian Academy

Notable people

William Barksdale Confederate general and Mississippi politician. Born in Smyrna in 1821, died at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Sam Davis, Confederate spy. Born 1842. The Sam Davis home is located in Smyrna.
Johnny Gooch, Major League Baseball player, coach and scout; born in Smyrna in 1897.
Sonny Gray, Major League pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds; born in 1989.
Ben H. Guill, former U.S. Representative from Texas; born in Smyrna in 1909.
Jalen Ramsey, NFL cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams; born in Nashville in 1994, lived in Smyrna
Townes Van Zandt (1944–1997), musician.
Patricia McKissack Prolific African American children's writer. Born in Smyrna on August 9, 1944.

Smyrna, Tennessee facts for kids

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