Sparta is a city in and the county seat of White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,001 in 2020.

The Calfkiller River flows through the city. Seven sites in Sparta are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Sparta was established in 1809 as a county seat for White County, which had been created in 1806. The city was named after the ancient Greek city-state Sparta.

thumb|left|The Sparta Rock House

Sparta nearly became the capital of the state of Tennessee, as, early in the history of Tennessee, the state legislature voted to choose a location for the permanent state capital. The final vote resulted in a near tie between Sparta and Nashville. Sparta lost to Nashville by one vote. The building is now a state historic site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sparta is notable as a place where two renowned airmen lost their lives. Hawthorne C. Gray, an aviation record holder, died in a balloon-basket mishap over Sparta in 1927, and Lansing Colton Holden Jr., a World War I flying ace, crashed his plane near Sparta in 1938.

Teenagers Erin Foster and Jeremy Bechtel went missing in Sparta in 2000, and were not discovered until February 2022 when scuba diver Jeremy Sides found Foster's vehicle in the Calfkiller River.

Geography

Sparta is located at (35.932335, -85.469837), approximately fifteen miles south of Cookeville. The city is situated on the Highland Rim, near the western base of the Cumberland Plateau. The Calfkiller River traverses Sparta north-to-south en route to its confluence with the Caney Fork several miles to the south.

Sparta is traditionally concentrated around its courthouse square along U.S. Route 70 (signed locally as Bockman Way), which connects Sparta with Crossville to the east and Smithville to the west. State Route 111, which traverses the western part of Sparta, connects the city with Cookeville to the north and Spencer to the south. A modern commercial area has developed around the intersection of US 70 and SR 111. State Route 84 winds its away up the Calfkiller Valley, connecting Sparta with Monterey atop the Plateau to the northeast. U.S. Route 70S connects Sparta with McMinnville to the southwest.

The Upper Cumberland Regional Airport is north of Sparta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Sparta's climate is humid subtropical (Cfa) under the Köppen system, with mild winters and hot, humid summers. Under the Trewartha system, it is a borderline humid subtropical (Cf) and oceanic (Do) climate, supported by the fact that subtropical plants like southern magnolia and the occasional Needle Palm can reach their full potential here but struggle much further north.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Sparta had a population of 4,998. The median age was 43.9 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.4 males age 18 and over.

98.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,062 households in Sparta, of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.1% were married-couple households, 18.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 4,279 || 85.6%

|-

| Black or African American || 235 || 4.7%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 21 || 0.4%

|-

| Asian || 56 || 1.1%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 44 || 0.9%

|-

| Two or more races || 362 || 7.2%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 205 || 4.1%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

  • David Culley, NFL coach
  • John D. Defrees, newspaperman and politician
  • George Gibbs Dibrell, Civil War general (Confederate) and U.S. Congressman
  • Erin Foster and Jeremy Bechtel, Missing teenagers
  • Erasmus Lee Gardenhire, politician and judge who served in the Confederate States Congress and Tennessee House of Representatives; lived his adult life in Sparta
  • Kellie Harper, Head coach of University of Missouri women's basketball; former player and head coach of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball; grew up in Sparta
  • Benny Martin, bluegrass musician who invented the eight string fiddle
  • Ethan Roberts, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Tom Rogers, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Charles Edward Snodgrass, U.S. Congressman; uncle of Henry C. Snodgrass
  • Henry C. Snodgrass, U.S. Congressman
  • Lefty Stewart, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • James W. Throckmorton, 12th Governor of Texas and U.S. Congressman
  • Earl Webb, Major League Baseball outfielder

References

  • City of Sparta - Official Website
  • Sparta - White County Chamber of Commerce
  • White County High School
  • White County Sheriff's Office
  • Sparta Expositor Official Site
  • White County Elections Office