Sparta, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sparta, Tennessee
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Sparta's business district
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| Nickname(s):
Bluegrass USA
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Location of Sparta in White County, Tennessee.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | White |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.72 sq mi (17.41 km2) |
| • Land | 6.72 sq mi (17.41 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 922 ft (281 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 4,925 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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4,949 |
| • Density | 736.13/sq mi (284.23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
38583
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| Area code(s) | 931 Exchange: 836 |
| FIPS code | 47-70180 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1269179 |
Sparta is a city and the county seat of White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,925 in 2010, and 4,945 according to a 2018 census estimate.
The Calfkiller River flows through the city. Seven sites in Sparta are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
History
Sparta was established in 1809 as a county seat for White County, which had been created in 1806. The city was named after the ancient Greek city-state Sparta.
Sparta nearly became the capital of the state of Tennessee, as, early in the history of Tennessee, the state legislature voted to choose a location for the permanent state capital. The final vote resulted in a near tie between Sparta and Nashville. Sparta lost to Nashville by one vote.
Sparta grew quickly due to its location along the stage road between Knoxville and Nashville. In the 1830s, brothers Barlow and Madison Fisk built the Sparta Rock House, which served as an inn along the stage road. The Rock House, strategically situated in an area where the Cumberland Plateau gives way to the Calfkiller valley, was a common stopover for figures important to the early history of the state, including Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston. The building is now a state historic site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sparta is notable as a place where two renowned airmen lost their lives. Hawthorne C. Gray, an aviation record holder, died in a balloon-basket mishap over Sparta in 1927, and Lansing Holden, a World War I flying ace, crashed his plane near Sparta in 1938.
Geography
Sparta is located at 35°55′56″N 85°28′11″W / 35.93222°N 85.46972°W (35.932335, -85.469837), approximately fifteen miles south of Cookeville. The city is situated on the Highland Rim, near the western base of the Cumberland Plateau. The Calfkiller River traverses Sparta north-to-south en route to its confluence with the Caney Fork several miles to the south.
Sparta is traditionally concentrated around its courthouse square along U.S. Route 70 (signed locally as Bockman Way), which connects Sparta with Crossville to the east and Smithville to the west. State Route 111, which traverses the western part of Sparta, connects the city with Cookeville to the north and Spencer to the south. A modern commercial area has developed around the intersection of US-70 and TN-111. State Route 84 winds its away up the Calfkiller Valley, connecting Sparta with Monterey atop the Plateau to the northeast. U.S. Route 70S connects Sparta with McMinnville to the southwest.
The Upper Cumberland Regional Airport is 11 mi (18 km) north of Sparta.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 452 | — | |
| 1870 | 414 | −8.4% | |
| 1890 | 712 | — | |
| 1900 | 895 | 25.7% | |
| 1910 | 1,409 | 57.4% | |
| 1920 | 1,517 | 7.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,211 | 45.7% | |
| 1940 | 2,506 | 13.3% | |
| 1950 | 4,299 | 71.5% | |
| 1960 | 4,510 | 4.9% | |
| 1970 | 4,930 | 9.3% | |
| 1980 | 4,864 | −1.3% | |
| 1990 | 4,681 | −3.8% | |
| 2000 | 4,599 | −1.8% | |
| 2010 | 4,925 | 7.1% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 4,949 | 0.5% | |
| Sources: | |||
2020 census
| Race | Number | Percentage |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,244 | 84.91% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 234 | 4.68% |
| Native American | 18 | 0.36% |
| Asian | 56 | 1.12% |
| Other/Mixed | 241 | 4.82% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 205 | 4.1% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,998 people, 1,697 households, and 1,035 families residing in the city.
Notable people
- Foster V. Brown, U.S. Congressman
- David Culley, NFL coach
- John D. Defrees, newspaperman and politician
- George Gibbs Dibrell, Civil War general (Confederate) and U.S. Congressman
- Lester Flatt, bluegrass musician in the Foggy Mountain Boys
- John C. Floyd, U.S. Congressman
- Erasmus Lee Gardenhire, politician and judge who served in the Confederate States Congress and Tennessee House of Representatives; lived his adult life in Sparta
- Kellie Harper, head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team; grew up in Sparta
- Benny Martin, bluegrass musician who invented the eight string fiddle
- Tom Rogers, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Charles Edward Snodgrass, U.S. Congressman; uncle of Henry C. Snodgrass
- Henry C. Snodgrass, U.S. Congressman
- Lefty Stewart, Major League Baseball pitcher
- James W. Throckmorton, 12th Governor of Texas and U.S. Congressman
- Earl Webb, Major League Baseball outfielder
- Ethan Roberts, Major League Baseball pitcher
See also
In Spanish: Sparta (Tennessee) para niños
