Somerville, Tennessee Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Somerville, Tennessee
Town
Fayette County Courthouse in Somerville
Location of Somerville in Fayette County, Tennessee.
Somerville, Tennessee Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Fayette
Area
• Total	13.70 sq mi (35.49 km²)
• Land	13.57 sq mi (35.14 km²)
• Water	0.14 sq mi (0.36 km²)
Elevation	397 ft (121 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	3,415
• Density	251.71/sq mi (97.19/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38068
Area code(s)	901
FIPS code	47-69620
GNIS feature ID	1303713

Somerville is a town located in Fayette County, Tennessee, in the United States. It is part of the larger Memphis metropolitan area. In 2020, about 3,415 people lived there. Somerville is also the county seat of Fayette County, which means it's where the main government offices for the county are located.

History of Somerville
Where is Somerville Located?
Population Changes in Somerville
Education in Somerville
Famous People from Somerville
Images for kids
See also

History of Somerville

The town of Somerville was named after Lieutenant Robert Somerville. He was a brave soldier who died in 1814 during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. This battle happened in central Alabama. Lieutenant Somerville was serving under General Andrew Jackson at the time. The town of Somerville officially became a town in 1836.

Where is Somerville Located?

Somerville is found a little bit northeast of the middle of Fayette County. It sits at coordinates 35.237623 degrees North and -89.358400 degrees West.

U.S. Route 64 goes right through the town's center. This road is called Fayette Street in Somerville. If you go northeast on this road, you'll reach Whiteville in about 13 miles. If you go west, you'll get to Oakland in about 9 miles. Downtown Memphis is about 41 miles to the west.

Tennessee State Route 76 also crosses U.S. Route 64 in the middle of town. North of U.S. Route 64, it's called Main Street. It leads about 26 miles to Brownsville. To the south, it's called South Street and goes about 13 miles to Moscow.

The town covers a total area of about 11.4 square miles (29.5 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 11.2 square miles (29.0 square kilometers). A small part, about 0.2 square miles (0.5 square kilometers), is water. The Loosahatchie River flows past the northern edge of the town. This river flows west and eventually joins the Mississippi River.

Population Changes in Somerville

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	1,526	—
1870	954	−37.5%
1880	834	−12.6%
1890	892	7.0%
1900	777	−12.9%
1910	1,387	78.5%
1920	1,106	−20.3%
1930	1,333	20.5%
1940	1,570	17.8%
1950	1,760	12.1%
1960	1,820	3.4%
1970	1,816	−0.2%
1980	2,264	24.7%
1990	2,047	−9.6%
2000	2,519	23.1%
2010	3,094	22.8%
2020	3,415	10.4%
Sources:

The population of Somerville has changed over many years. In 2020, the town had 3,415 people living there. These people lived in 1,187 households, and 734 of these were families.

Education in Somerville

Students in Somerville attend schools that are part of the Fayette County School District.

Famous People from Somerville

Many interesting people have connections to Somerville:

Chester R. Allen (1905–1972): A Major General in the Marine Corps.
Elizabeth Bolden (1890–2006): She was known for being the world's oldest living person in 2006.
William Herbert Brewster, Sr. (1897–1987): An important Baptist minister and composer who helped shape gospel music.
Pearl Dickson (1903–1977): A singer and songwriter known for Memphis and country blues music.
Sara Beaumont Kennedy (1859–1920): A newspaper editor and writer from Memphis.
Herb Parsons (1908–1959): Many people thought he was the best exhibition shooter ever.
Ingram Stainback (1883–1961): He was born in Somerville and later became the governor of Hawaii.
William L. Wainwright (1947–2012): A politician from North Carolina.
Elvis Presley (1935–1977): The famous singer's father and he once owned a farm here.