Somerville is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. The population was 3,415 at the 2020 census, up from 3,094 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County.

History

The town was named to honor Lieutenant Robert Somerville, who was killed in 1814 during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in central Alabama while serving under General Andrew Jackson. Somerville was incorporated in 1836.

Geography

Somerville is located slightly northeast of the center of Fayette County at (35.237623, -89.358400). U.S. Route 64 runs through the center of town as Fayette Street, leading northeast to Whiteville and west to Oakland. Downtown Memphis is to the west. Tennessee State Route 76 crosses US 64 at the center of town. North of US 64, it is the town's Main Street and leads to Brownsville. To the south it is South Street, leading to Moscow.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.58%) is water. The Loosahatchie River, a west-flowing tributary of the Mississippi, runs past the northern end of the town.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Somerville had a population of 3,415. The median age was 44.6 years. 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.6 males.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Somerville racial composition

!Race

!Num.

!Perc.

|-

|White (non-Hispanic)

|1,860

|54.47%

|-

|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)

|1,280

|37.48%

|-

|Native American

|7

|0.2%

|-

|Asian

|14

|0.41%

|-

|Other/Mixed

|131

|3.84%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino

|123

|3.6%

|}

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,463 households and 734 families in Somerville, and 25.8% of households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.8% were married-couple households, 19.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 42.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Notable people

  • Chester R. Allen (1905–1972), Major general in the Marine Corps and former Quartermaster General
  • Elizabeth Bolden (1890–2006), supercentenarian, world's oldest living person in 2006, died in Memphis
  • William Herbert Brewster, Sr. (1897–1987), influential African American Baptist minister, composer, dramatist, singer, poet and community leader; he is considered to be one of the fathers of gospel music
  • Pearl Dickson (1903–1977), Memphis and country blues singer and songwriter
  • Sara Beaumont Kennedy (1859–1920), Memphis newspaper editor, writer
  • Herb Parsons (1908–1959), considered by many to be the greatest exhibition shooter in history
  • Thomas Rivers (1819–1863), U.S. representative from Tennessee
  • Ingram Stainback (1883–1961), territorial governor of Hawaii; born in Somerville
  • William L. Wainwright (1947–2012), North Carolina politician
  • Elvis Presley (1935–1977), his father and he owned a farm here.

References

  • Town of Somerville official website

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