Warren County, Tennessee

Warren County, Tennessee
Warren County Courthouse in McMinnville
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1807
Seat	McMinnville
Largest city	McMinnville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	434 sq mi (1,124 km²) 433 sq mi (1,121 km²) 1 sq mi (4 km²), .32%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	38,276 88/sq mi (34/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.warrencountytn.gov

Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 38,276. Its county seat is McMinnville^[1].

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 434 square miles (1,120 km²), of which 433 square miles (1,120 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.32%) is water.

Cardwell Mountain is an imposing natural feature located five miles due east of McMinnville. It is an erosional remnant of the nearby Cumberland Plateau. Cardwell Mountain is noted for Cumberland Caverns, an exceptionally long cave which lies underneath the mountain.

Adjacent counties

• DeKalb County (north)
• White County (northeast)
• Van Buren County (east)
• Sequatchie County (southeast)
• Grundy County (south)
• Coffee County (southwest)
• Cannon County (northwest)

Major Roads

• US Route 70 S
• Tennessee State Route 8
• Tennessee State Route 30
• Tennessee State Route 55
• Tennessee State Route 56
• Tennessee State Route 108
• Tennessee State Route 136

Demographics

Age pyramid Warren County^[2]

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 38,276 people, 15,181 households, and 10,824 families residing in the county. The population density was 88 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 16,689 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.66% White, 3.16% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.56% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 4.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,181 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 29.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,920, and the median income for a family was $37,835. Males had a median income of $28,409 versus $20,863 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,759. About 13.00% of families and 16.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 17.20% of those age 65 or over.

History

Warren County was the site of several saltpeter mines. Saltpeter is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from several local caves. Henshaw Cave on Cardwell Mountain (now part of Cumberland Caverns) was a relatively small mining operation. Hubbards Cave, near Camp Woodlee, however, was a major operation. Solomon Saltpeter Cave on Ben Lomond Mountain was another relatively small mining operation. Most saltpeter mining occurred during the War of 1812 and the Civil War. (Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961, 568 pages.

Cities and towns

• Centertown
• McMinnville
• Morrison
• Viola

Unincorporated communities

• Bethany
• Campaign
• Daylight (Dismembered)
• Dibrell
• Eastside
• Fairview
• Harrison Ferry
• Hiawassee
• Irving College
• Jacksboro
• Lucky
• Newtown
• Rock Island
• Smartt
• Vervilla
• Wayside

Parks and natural features

Rock Island State Park is located on the northeastern border with White County. This park is the site of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Great Falls Dam, includes many hiking trails, and offers whitewater rafting.

Cumberland Caverns, located east of McMinnville under Cardwell Mountain, is Tennessee’s largest show cave. It is the second longest mapped cave in Tennessee with 27.6 miles (44.4 km) of passages, and displays some of the largest underground cave rooms in eastern North America.^[4] Cumberland Caverns is the 15th longest cave in the United States. (USA Long Cave List, October 19, 2010, by Bob Gulden.)

Hubbard's Cave, the largest gray bat hibernaculum in Tennessee, with over 100,000 bats, is located in the county. The cave is owned by the Nature Conservancy and it is securely gated to protect the bats which are an Endangered Species.

Historic sites

Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Warren County, Tennessee

Falcon Rest, an 1896 Victorian mansion in McMinnville, built by local manufacturer Clay Faulkner, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ Based on 2000 census data
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Cumberland Caverns" by Larry E. Matthews, Second Edition, 2005, ISBN 978-0-9663547-2-0
5. ^ Falcon Rest, McMinnville, TN

External links

• Warren County Government
• Warren County Chamber of Commerce
• Warren County Historical Markers
• Warren County at the Open Directory Project

Coordinates: 35°41′N 85°47′W / 35.68°N 85.78°W / 35.68; -85.78