Lawrence County, Tennessee

Infobox U.S. County
county = Lawrence County
state = Tennessee


seallink =
founded = 1817
seat = Lawrenceburg
largest city = Lawrenceburg
area_total_sq_mi = 618
area_total_km2 = 1600
area_land_sq_mi = 617
area_land_km2 = 1598
area_water_sq_mi = 1
area_water_km2 = 2
area percentage = .12%
census yr = 2000
pop = 39926
density_sq_mi = 65
density_km2 = 25
time zone = Central
UTC offset = -6
DST offset= -5
footnotes =
web = |

Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 39,926. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 41,101 [http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-47.xls] . Its county seat is LawrenceburgGR|6.

History

Created by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly on October 21, 1817, Lawrence County was formed from lands previously included in Hickman and Giles Counties.

The county was named in honor of Captain James Lawrence (1781-1813) who, while commanding the USS "Chesapeake" in an 1813 engagement with the Royal Navy frigate HMS "Shannon", issued the famous command: "Don't give up the ship!". Lawrence died of wounds received during the engagement.

The earliest settlers of European ancestry were largely from the Carolinas. In the early years, most residents were farmers, supported by a few tradesmen, such as harnessmakers, blacksmiths, and carpenters.

Lawrenceburg was chosen as the county seat in 1819 because it was near the center of the county and Jackson's Military Road ran on the eastern edge of the town. In April, 1821, the road was rerouted through the center of the town. This road, which was a major thoroughfare from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee, played a significant role in the development of the county.

An early resident who served as one of the county's first commissioners and justices of the peace was David Crockett, who lived in the county for a few years and ran a water-powered grist mill, powder mill and distillery in the area of county where David Crockett State Park is now located.

In the early 1870s, a large number of German Catholics moved into the area, including many skilled tradesmen. After the arrival of the railroad in 1883 the county became a major producer of iron ore.

Between 1908 and 1915, there was an influx of residents from Alabama. Most of these newcomers were cotton growers or in the timber industry. The timber industry declined because forests were not replanted after trees were harvested, but cotton continued to be a major crop until the 1960s.

In 1944, Amish people migrated into the area and established a community in northern Lawrence County. The Old Order Amish community is still in existence. It is considered a tourist attraction.

Lawrence County is the home to actor Michael Jeter, Major League Baseball player David Weathers and former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 618 square miles (1,600 km²), of which, 617 square miles (1,598 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) of it (0.12%) is water.

Major highways

*
*
*Natchez Trace Parkway

National protected area

* Natchez Trace Parkway (part)

Rail

*Tennessee Southern Railroad

Adjacent counties

*Lewis County (north)
*Maury County (northeast)
*Giles County (east)
*Lauderdale County, Alabama (south)
*Wayne County (west)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 39,926 people, 15,480 households, and 11,362 families residing in the county. The population density was 65 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 16,821 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.83% White, 1.47% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 1.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,480 households out of which 33.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,498, and the median income for a family was $35,326. Males had a median income of $27,742 versus $20,928 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,848. About 10.70% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.20% of those under age 18 and 16.30% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

*Ethridge
*Iron City
*Lawrenceburg (county seat)
*Loretto
*St. Joseph
*Summertown

References

External links

*dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Tennessee/Counties/Lawrence/|Lawrence County
* Lawrence County Archives [http://home.lorettotel.net/~lcarchives/archives.htm]
* Lawrence County Government [http://www.co.lawrence.tn.us/Default.htm]