Gibson County, Tennessee

For the county in Indiana, see Gibson County, Indiana.
Gibson County, Tennessee
Map of Tennessee highlighting Gibson County
Location in the state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded 1823
Named for John H. Gibson
Seat Trenton
Largest city Humboldt
Area
 • Total 604 sq mi (1,564 km2)
 • Land 603 sq mi (1,562 km2)
 • Water 0.9 sq mi (2 km2), 0.2%
Population
 • (2010) 49,683
 • Density 82/sq mi (32/km²)
Congressional district 8th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Gibson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 49,683.[1] Its county seat is Trenton.[2] The county was formed in 1823 and named for John H. Gibson, a soldier of the Natchez Expedition and the Creek War.[3]

History

Gibson County
Sheriff's Department
Agency overview
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* County (US) of Gibson in the state of Tennessee, United States
Size 604 sq mi
Legal jurisdiction As per operations jurisdiction.
General nature
Operational structure
Agency executive Paul Thomas, Sheriff
Facilities
Stations 1
Jails 1
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

Gibson County is located in what was known as "Indian Land": territory that was legally occupied by Chickasaw Native American people. The Chickasaw Cession, proclaimed on January 7, 1819, eliminated those rights and opened the region for settlement and exploitation by white settlers and speculators.[4]

Soon after the Chickasaw Cession, the first log cabin in what was to become Gibson County had been built by Thomas Fite about eight miles (13 km) east of present-day Trenton. From 1819 the area was part of Carroll County but, as settlement progressed, citizens petitioned for the formation of a new county. The county was established by private act on October 21, 1823 and was named in honor of Colonel John H. Gibson[5] who had died earlier that year. Gibson was a native of Bedford County, Tennessee who was commissioned Lieutenant in the Tennessee Militia; he took part in the War of 1812, the campaign to Natchez of 1813, and fought in the Creek Wars of 1813.[6]

In its early years, Gibson County grew rapidly, chiefly because the land had less dense forest growth than some adjacent areas and was therefore more easily prepared to farm cotton and corn. By the end of 1824, the county had 273,143 acres (1,105.37 km2) of taxable land. The county's first cotton gin was built in 1826.[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 604 square miles (1,560 km2), of which 603 square miles (1,560 km2) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2) (0.2%) is water.[8]

Adjacent counties

State protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18305,801—
184013,689136.0%
185019,54842.8%
186021,77711.4%
187025,66617.9%
188032,68527.3%
189033,8593.6%
190039,40816.4%
191041,6305.6%
192043,3884.2%
193046,5287.2%
194044,835−3.6%
195048,1327.4%
196044,699−7.1%
197047,8717.1%
198049,4673.3%
199046,315−6.4%
200048,1524.0%
201049,6833.2%
Est. 201449,472[9]−0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010-2014[1]
Age pyramid Gibson County[14]

As of the census[15] of 2000, there were 48,152 people, 19,518 households, and 13,584 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile (31/km²). There were 21,059 housing units at an average density of 35 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 78.66% White, 19.72% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,518 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were married couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,105, and the median income for a family was $39,318. Males had a median income of $30,360 versus $21,351 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,320. About 9.40% of families and 12.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.00% of those under age 18 and 15.30% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airports

There are two airports located in Gibson County:

Education

Gibson County has five special school districts: Bradford, Gibson County, Humboldt, Milan and Trenton. Each district has its own school board and director of schools. There are six high schools in the county.

High schools

School Location Mascot Colors
Bradford High School Bradford Red Devils          
Gibson County High School Dyer Pioneers               
Humboldt High School Humboldt Vikings          
Milan High School Milan Bulldogs          
Peabody High School Trenton Golden Tide          
South Gibson County High School Medina Hornets               

Media

Radio stations

Newspapers

Events

The Gibson County Fair is held each August in Trenton. The fair is billed as the "oldest continuously running fair in the South."[18] The fair was first held in 1856 and has been held annually since 1869.[18]

The West Tennessee Strawberry Festival had been held annually during the first full week of May in Humboldt since 1934. The festival has drawn up to 100,000 people from across the area.[19] Popular festival events include Thursday's traditional Jr. Parade, which is one of the world's largest non-motorized parades,[20] Friday's Grand Floats Parade, the Horse Show, Governor's Luncheon, Carnival, Prayer Breakfast, Car Show, 5K and 10K Runs, and Festival Beauty Reviews.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Notable natives

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ↑ Fred Culp, "Gibson County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 28 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "TNGenWeb: Text of the Chickasaw Cession". Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  5. ↑ "Tennessee State Archives: Formation of Gibson County". Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  6. ↑ "TNroots: Gibson County Genealogy: John H. Gibson". Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  7. ↑ "TNGenWeb: Goodspeed's History of Tennessee". Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  8. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  12. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  14. ↑ Based on 2000 census data
  15. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  16. ↑ "FAA information: Humboldt City Airport". Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  17. ↑ "FAA information: Gibson County Airport". Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  18. 1 2 History of the Gibson County Fair, The Gibson County Fair Association, accessed September 28, 2008
  19. ↑ History, West Tennessee Strawberry Festival website, 2013. Retrieved: 28 June 2013.
  20. ↑ Parks and Recreation, Humboldt Chamber of Commerce website. Retrieved: 28 June 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gibson County, Tennessee.
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Coordinates: 36°00′N 88°56′W / 36.00°N 88.93°W / 36.00; -88.93

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