Gainesboro () is a town in and the county seat of Jackson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 920 at the 2020 census.
Gainesboro is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Gainesboro vicinity was a popular destination for long hunters as early as the 1770s, as natural salt licks drew rich game to the area. In the 1790s, Avery's Trace passed nearby, with travellers along the road lodging at Fort Blount about 10 miles to the west. Gainesboro was named after U.S. Army Brevet Major General Edmund P. Gaines (1777–1849). It has been the seat of Jackson County since 1820. The 1970 John Frankenheimer Movie I Walk the Line starring Gregory Peck and featuring Johnny Cash's song I Walk the Line was filmed in Gainesboro.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Gainesboro is located approximately 15 miles northwest of Cookeville and has a total area of , of which are land and (14.29%) is water.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Gainesboro town, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!
|-
|White alone (NH)
|862
|949
|style='background: #ffffe6; |848
|98.07%
|98.65%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |92.17%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|0
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |8
|0.00%
|0.31%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.87%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|1
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.11%
|0.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|4
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.46%
|0.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|7
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31
|0.80%
|0.31%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.37%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|5
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31
|0.57%
|0.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.37%
|-
|Total
|879
|962
|style='background: #ffffe6; |920
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 920 people, 347 households, and 152 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the census