Obion County, Tennessee

Obion County, Tennessee
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1823[1]
Seat	Union City
Largest city	Union City
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	555 sq mi (1,438 km²) 545 sq mi (1,411 km²) 10 sq mi (27 km²), 1.88%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	32,450 60/sq mi (23/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	obioncountytn.com

Obion County is a county located in the State of Tennessee. It was formed in 1823 from Native American lands, and platted on March 16, 1825; it is thought to have been named after the Obion River.^[1] As of the 2000 United States Census, the population of Obion County was 32,450, a 2.3% increase since 1990. The county seat is Union City^[2].

Obion County is part of the Union City, TN–KY Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county, located in the "rolling hills of northwest Tennessee",^[1] has a total area of 555 square miles (1,440 km²), of which 545 square miles (1,410 km²) is land and 10 square miles (26 km²) (1.88%) is water.

Parks and recreation

• Reelfoot Lake State Park

Adjacent counties

• Fulton County, Kentucky (north)
• Weakley County (east)
• Gibson County (southeast)
• Dyer County (southwest)
• Lake County (west)

National protected area

• Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

Age pyramid for Obion County^[3]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 32,450 people, 13,182 households, and 9,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 14,489 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.16% White, 9.85% Black or African American, 0.19% Asian, 0.14% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,182 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,764, and the median income for a family was $40,533. Males had a median income of $32,963 versus $20,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,409. About 10.10% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 15.10% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Hornbeak
• Obion
• Rives
• Samburg
• South Fulton
• Troy
• Union City
• Woodland Mills
• Kenton

Representation

The county is part of District 77 of the Tennessee House of Representatives, currently represented by Republican Andy Holt, and District 24 of the Tennessee Senate, currently represented by Democrat Roy Herron.^[5] At the federal level, it is part of the state's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Republican Stephen Fincher.

Schools

The Obion County School System includes the following:

School	Team Mascot	School Colors
Lake Road Elementary School	Generals	Blue/Orange
Hillcrest Elementary School	Cougars	Red/Navy Blue
Ridgemont Elementary School	Mustangs	Red/Yellow
Black Oak Elementary School	Eagles	Yellow/Blue
South Fulton Elementary School	Red Devils	Red/White
South Fulton Middle/High School	Red Devils	Red/White
Obion County Central High School	Rebels	Red/White/Blue

The Union City School System includes the following:

School	Team Mascot	School Colors
Union City Elementary School	Tornadoes	Purple/Gold
Union City Middle School	Tornadoes	Purple/Gold
Union City High School	Tornadoes	Purple/Gold

Media

• WENK-AM 1240 "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
• WWKF-FM 99.3 "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning"
• WQAK-FM 105.7 "The Quake" (alternative rock)

Other services

Obion County has a public library, with a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m²) building and a catalog of over 70,000 books, video and audio materials.^[6]

Residents of the county's unincorporated cities or towns have the option of paying $75 yearly if they want firefighting services from the city of South Fulton.^[7]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Obion County, Tennessee

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Obion County". Tennessee Historical Society. http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/imagegallery.php?EntryID=O006. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ Based on 2000 census data.
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ Senate District 24 from the website of the Tennessee General Assembly
6. ^ "About". Obion County Public Library. http://oclibrary.org/about/. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
7. ^ "Firefighters watch as home burns to the ground". WPSD-TV. September 30, 2010. http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/internal?st=print&id=104052668&path=/news/local. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 

External links

• Official website
• History of Obion County from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
• Obion County at the Open Directory Project
• Obion County Schools
• Union City Schools

Coordinates: 36°22′N 89°09′W / 36.36°N 89.15°W / 36.36; -89.15