Ripley, Tennessee

Ripley is a city in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ripley had a population of 7,800. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County.

Geography

Ripley is located at (35.743115, −89.533872).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.31%) is water.

Ripley is located on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk.

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, Ripley had a population of 7,800.

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Ripley, Tennessees – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|4,015

|3,630

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,758

|51.19%

|42.98%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |35.36%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|3,649

|4,512

|style='background: #ffffe6; |4,575

|46.52%

|53.43%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |58.65%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|12

|13

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19

|0.15%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.24%

|Asian alone (NH)

|21

|33

|style='background: #ffffe6; |34

|0.27%

|0.39%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.44%

|Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Some Other Race alone (NH)

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.18%

|0.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.10%

|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)

|49

|115

|style='background: #ffffe6; |224

|0.62%

|1.36%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.87%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|84

|134

|style='background: #ffffe6; |182

|1.07%

|1.59%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.33%

|Total

|7,844

|8,445

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,800

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

The median age was 36.3 years, 27.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 76.4 males age 18 and over.

There were 3,172 households and 2,097 families; 33.8% of households had children under the age of 18, 26.6% were married-couple households, 19.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, 47.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present, 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 2,797 || 35.9%

| Black or African American || 4,591 || 58.9%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 19 || 0.2%

| Asian || 34 || 0.4%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 5 || 0.1%

| Some other race || 104 || 1.3%

| Two or more races || 250 || 3.2%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 182 || 2.3%

2000 census

As of the census

Public K-12 schools:

Ripley Middle School
Ripley Primary School
Ripley Elementary School
Ripley High School

Other institutions:

Abundant Life Christian School
First Apostolic Academy
Gateway Christian School

Tertiary:

Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology - Ripley
University of Tennessee-Martin, Ripley Campus

Religion

Whitefield Assembly of God
Maranatha Baptist Church
Victory Baptist Church
Asbury United Methodist Church
Ave Maria Catholic Church
Calvary Hill Baptist Church
Curve Baptist Church
First Apostolic Church
First Assembly of God
First Baptist Church
First United Methodist Church
Grace Baptist Church
Holly Grove Baptist Church
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Mary's Chapel Baptist Church
New Beginnings Christian Center
Walnut Grove Baptist Church
Whitefield Assembly of God
Immanuel Episcopal Church
Macedonia Baptist Church
Ripley Church of God
Ripley Church of Christ
Spiller Hill Church of God In Christ
Gospel Rock Holiness Church
Olive Branch Baptist Church
Spirit of Deliverance Ministries
Lightfoot Methodist Church
Abundant Life Assembly of God
Central Community Church
Elam Baptist Church

Recreation and fitness

Ripley Parks and Recreation

Ripley Park, also known as Ripley Pool and Waterslide, is located at 200 Mary Robert. Its facilities include: a pool with water slide, playground equipment, seven pavilions that require reservations, grills, four athletic field complex, four state of the art tennis courts, 1.1 mile walking trail, large grassy areas parking, restrooms, and the park office.

W.G.L. Rice Park is located south of downtown Ripley, Tennessee. The park has a baseball/softball field, soccer field, tennis court, basketball court, two playgrounds, and a partial walking trail. Rice Park is the oldest city park in Ripley. The land for the park was donated in the early 1900s through a gift by the Rice Family and is noted for its historic Labor Day Celebration.

Downtown revitalization

As one of the six cities selected in Tennessee for downtown revitalization, extensive work is being done around the town square and adjacent areas. Work began in the fall of 2008 and the courthouse square was completed in May 2010.