Fentress County, Tennessee

Fentress County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,489. Its county seat is Jamestown.

History

thumb|right|250px|Pumping water by hand in 1942 from the sole water supply in this section of Wilder, Tennessee in Fentress County

Fentress County was formed on November 28, 1823, from portions of Morgan, Overton and White counties. (1763–1843), who served as speaker of the state house, chairman of Montgomery County Court, and commissioner to select seats for Haywood, Carroll, Gibson and Weakley counties in West Tennessee.

In the runup to the American Civil War, when Tennessee Governor Harris asked the State Legislature for a vote of secession, the two representatives from Fentress County (Reese T. Hildreth and R. H. Bledsoe) voted for secession. Nevertheless, in Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession referendum on June 8, 1861, Fentress County voted by a margin of 651 to 128 to remain in the Union. However, earlier on February 9, 1861, Fentress County voters had voted to hold a secession convention by a very narrow margin of 334 to 325, becoming the only county that voted for the convention in February but to remain in the Union in June.

Alvin York (1887–1964), a hero at the Meuse-Argonne Offensive during World War I, was born and lived in Fentress County. He established the Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute in Jamestown in 1924. York's house and farm are part of Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park in Pall Mall.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water.

Fentress County includes part of Dale Hollow Reservoir and is drained by forks of the Obey and Cumberland Rivers.

The county is the easternmost county in the United States to observe Central Time. Morgan and Scott counties, which border Fentress county on the east, are in the Eastern Time Zone.

Adjacent counties

thumb|right|250px|Valley of the Three Forks near Pall Mall, with the Cumberland Plateau dominating the horizon

Pickett County (north)
Scott County (east)
Morgan County (southeast)
Cumberland County (south)
Overton County (west)
Putnam County (southwest)

National protected area

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (part)

State protected areas

Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (part)
Colditz Cove State Natural Area
Pickett State Forest (part)
Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area
Scott State Forest (part)
Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park
Skinner Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Twin Arches State Natural Area (part)

Demographics

2020 census

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"

|+Fentress County racial composition

!scope="col"| Race

!scope="col"| Number

!scope="col"| Percentage

!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)

| 17,541

| 94.87%

!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

| 25

| 0.14%

!scope="row"| Native American

| 26

| 0.14%

!scope="row"| Asian

| 33

| 0.18%

!scope="row"| Other/Mixed

| 548

| 2.96%

!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino

| 316

| 1.71%

As of the 2020 census, there were 18,489 people, 7,673 households, and 4,929 families residing in the county, and the median age was 47.6 years.

20.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 7,673 households in the county, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.7% were married-couple households, 18.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. there were 17,959 people, 7,326 households, and 4,818 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 8,927 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In the county's 7,326 households, 23.1% had children under the age of 18, 57.30% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.20% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 26.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,238, and the median income for a family was $28,856. Males had a median income of $23,606 versus $18,729 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,999. 19.50% of families and 23.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.80% of those under age 18 and 20.50% of those over age 64.

Communities

Cities

Allardt
Jamestown

Census-designated places

Clarkrange
Grimsley

Unincorporated communities

Armathwaite
Banner Springs
Forbus
Pall Mall
Sharp Place
Wilder
Zenith

Politics

Like much of East Tennessee, Fentress County is powerfully Republican, and has generally been favorable to that party ever since the Civil War. Since then, only two Democrats, Southerners Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 have carried Fentress County. Since 2000, the county has shifted further and further to the right.

References

External links

Fentress County Chamber of Commerce
Fentress County Schools
Fentress County, TNGenWeb – genealogy resources
Fentress County Landforms