Tipton County, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tipton County
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Tipton County courthouse in Covington, Tennessee
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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 | Oct. 29, 1823 |
| Named for | Jacob Tipton, 18th-century soldier |
| Seat | Covington |
| Largest city | Covington |
| Area | |
| • Total | 473 sq mi (1,230 km2) |
| • Land | 458 sq mi (1,190 km2) |
| • Water | 15 sq mi (40 km2) 3.2%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 60,970  |
| • Density | 133/sq mi (51/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
Tipton County is a county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covington. Tipton County is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Indian cultures
From about 10,000 BCE, Paleo-Indians and later Archaic-Indians lived as communities of hunter-gatherers in the area that covers the modern day southern United States. From approximately 800 CE to 1600 CE, the Mississippi Delta was populated by tribes of the Mississippian culture, a mound-building Native American people who had developed in the late Woodland Indian period. While there were chiefdoms and centers along the Mississippi and its tributaries, their major center was at Cahokia, in present-day Illinois east of St. Louis, Missouri.
The Tipton Phase people were a local expression of the Mississippian culture. They still inhabited the region of modern-day Tipton County during the time of first contact with Europeans, at the arrival of the Spanish Hernando de Soto Expedition. By the end of the Mississippian period, the land was claimed and populated by the Chickasaw tribe. The exact origins of the Chickasaw are uncertain.
Around 1800, Europeans began settling the Chickasaw-inhabited lands east of the Mississippi River. Chickasaw land in what became known as West Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky was ceded in the Jackson Purchase. Both states grew considerably as a result of this purchase. In 1818, both sides agreed to the transfer by signing the Treaty of Tuscaloosa. The Chickasaw were to be paid annuities for 15 years, but the United States was often late with payment, or forced the people to take the value in goods. These were often delayed or were of poor quality.
1811 and 1812 earthquakes
Due to topographic changes caused by the New Madrid earthquakes in 1811 and 1812, part of what is now Tipton County was cut off from the state of Tennessee by a change in the course of the Mississippi River. The earthquake changed the course of the river near the settlement of Reverie, Tennessee. The old riverbed is west of Reverie. The river now runs east of Reverie, putting Reverie on the Arkansas side, while most of the area of Tipton County is located east of the river, on the Tennessee side.
Establishment
Tipton County attracted European-American settlers who established cotton plantations on its fertile soils and either brought or purchased enslaved African Americans as field labor and house servants. This area was part of the cotton culture associated with the Mississippi Delta, that extended down to the Yazoo River in Mississippi. With the increase in population, the county was established on October 29, 1823 from parts of Shelby County, which borders Tipton County in the south. The land was former Chickasaw Indian territory. The county was named for Jacob Tipton (1765–1791), father of Armistead Blevins, who supervised the organization of Shelby County. Tipton was killed by Native Americans in 1791 in a conflict over the Northwest Territory. Jacob Tipton was the son of John Tipton, a rival of John Sevier during Tennessee's State of Franklin period.
19th century
Early Mississippi River steamboat commerce flourished in Tipton County. In 1830, the community of Randolph, one of the earliest settlements in Tipton County, was the most important shipping point in Tennessee and an early rival of Memphis for commercial supremacy. But its fortunes declined in later years. Riverboat traffic gradually yielded to freight being shipped by railroad. The first rail service in Tipton County was established in December 1855, when the Memphis and Ohio Railroad completed the route from Memphis to Nashville, running through what is now Mason.
Two Civil War forts, Fort Randolph and Fort Wright, were built near the settlement because of its strategic location on the second Chickasaw Bluff of the Mississippi River.
Following the Civil War, investment in infrastructure was renewed, and the Memphis and Paducah Railroad completed the tracks to Covington in July 1873. A telegraph line between Memphis and Covington was opened in 1882. In 1894, Covington was connected to electricity. Forced water mains have provided residents of Covington with water since 1898. In 1922, street paving began in the county seat. Since 1929, residents of Covington have had access to natural gas.
In the South Main Historic District in Covington, about 50 residences from the late 19th century and the early 20th century are still intact. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 473 square miles (1,230 km2), of which 458 square miles (1,190 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (3.2%) is water.
The major north-south route, U.S. Highway 51, bisects Tipton County and passes through Covington. The western boundary of Tipton County is the Mississippi River, separating Tennessee and Arkansas. As the river's course was altered in several places by the 1812 New Madrid earthquake, the official boundary still follows the old alignment of the river. As a result, a few of Tipton County's communities — including Reverie and Corona — became stranded on the Arkansas mainland side of the river, rather than the Tennessee side.
Tipton County is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk.
Adjacent counties
- Lauderdale County (north)
- Haywood County (east)
- Fayette County (southeast)
- Shelby County (south)
- Crittenden County, Arkansas (southwest)
- Mississippi County, Arkansas (northwest)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1830 | 5,317 | — | |
| 1840 | 6,800 | 27.9% | |
| 1850 | 8,887 | 30.7% | |
| 1860 | 10,705 | 20.5% | |
| 1870 | 14,884 | 39.0% | |
| 1880 | 21,033 | 41.3% | |
| 1890 | 24,271 | 15.4% | |
| 1900 | 29,273 | 20.6% | |
| 1910 | 29,459 | 0.6% | |
| 1920 | 30,258 | 2.7% | |
| 1930 | 27,498 | −9.1% | |
| 1940 | 28,036 | 2.0% | |
| 1950 | 29,782 | 6.2% | |
| 1960 | 28,564 | −4.1% | |
| 1970 | 28,001 | −2.0% | |
| 1980 | 32,930 | 17.6% | |
| 1990 | 37,568 | 14.1% | |
| 2000 | 51,271 | 36.5% | |
| 2010 | 61,081 | 19.1% | |
| 2020 | 60,970 | −0.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014 |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 44,925 | 73.68% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 10,760 | 17.65% |
| Native American | 180 | 0.3% |
| Asian | 393 | 0.64% |
| Pacific Islander | 39 | 0.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 2,987 | 4.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,686 | 2.77% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 60,970 people, 21,452 households, and 16,419 families residing in the county.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 61,081 people, 21,617 households, and 16,562 families residing in the county. The population density was 133.36 persons per square mile and the housing unit density was 47.20 units per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 77.77% White, 18.74% Black or African American, 0.60% Asian, 0.41% Native American, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origins were 2.08% of the population.
Parks and recreation
Tipton County Museum
The Tipton County Museum is located in Covington. The museum houses various history exhibits featuring artifacts from Tipton County's rich heritage and a nature center depicting the unique ecosystem of West Tennessee. Taxidermies of local species and mastodon bone fragments give insight into the natural history. Adjacent to the museum, a 20-acre (8.1 ha) park with a .5-mile (800 m) walking trail can be found. Natural woodland and man-made wetlands are the sites for a few smaller local species, such as turtles and birds. The Veterans Memorial in front of the museum commemorates the soldiers from the county who lost their lives in wars.
County parks
The county's parks include:
- Atoka Community Park houses four softball fields. It was built in 1992.
- Court Square Park is a city park with fountains and brick dedication walls.
- Frazier Park is a 10-acre (4.0 ha) park with a .5-mile (800 m) fitness trail, playgrounds and ballfields.
- Munford City Park hosts independence festivities every year.
- Patriot Park opened in 2004; its centerpiece is an A-4 Skyhawk attack bomber.
- Poplar Park offers a covered picnic area, ball fields and a playground.
- Shelton Park is a 1-acre (0.40 ha) landscaped garden park with gazebo and picnic tables.
- Valentine Regional Park is a family park with picnic pavilion and playgrounds.
Communities
Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Tipton (Tennessee) para niños
