Nashville is a city in and the county seat of Berrien County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,947 at the 2020 census. It is called the "City of Dogwoods", as the tree grows in large numbers around the area.

History

thumb|left|Nashville Square, circa 1905

Nashville was founded about 1840. In 1856, Nashville was designated seat of the newly formed Berrien County. It was incorporated as a town in 1892 and as a city in 1900. While some say the city is named after Francis Nash (1742–1777), an officer in the American Revolutionary War, many historical articles in the local newspaper claim otherwise. The Berrien Press published an article in its November 22, 2006 edition under the title of Will the Naming of Nashville Controversy Ever Be Truly Settled? The 2006 article pointed to The Griffin Papers, written in the 1930s, and several articles from The Nashville Herald - December 24, 1909, October 14, 1910, January 19, 1933, June 13, 1935, June 29, 1944, October 12, 1950, November 27, 1952, and March 5, 1953. Every one of these articles, and the 1956 Berrien County Centennial plates all lay claim to Nashville being named after Simon W. Nash, a local citizen of the 1850s and 1860s.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.13%, is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Nashville has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Nashville had a population of 4,947. The median age was 37.6 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,943 households in Nashville, of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.6% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|3,470

|70.14%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|1,047

|21.16%

|-

|Native American

|11

|0.22%

|-

|Asian

|22

|0.44%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|201

|4.06%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|196

|3.96%

|}

Education

Berrien County students in kindergarten to grade twelve are in the Berrien County School District, which consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and a charter school. The district has 172 full-time teachers and over 3,037 students.

  • Berrien Primary School
  • Berrien Elementary School
  • Berrien Middle School
  • Berrien High School
  • Berrien Academy

The city of Nashville is served by a public library, the Carrie Dorsey Perry Memorial Library, a part of the Coastal Plain Regional Library System network.

References

  • City of Nashville official website