Chester County, Tennessee

Chester County, Tennessee
Chester County Courthouse in Henderson, 2003
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1879
Seat	Henderson
Largest city	Henderson
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	289 sq mi (748 km²) 289 sq mi (747 km²) 0 sq mi (1 km²), .08%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	17,131 54/sq mi (21/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 17,131. Its county seat is Henderson.^[1]

It is defined as part of the Jackson, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 289 square miles (748.5 km²), of which 0.08% is water.

Chickasaw State Park and part of Chickasaw State Forest are located in Chester County.

Adjacent Counties

• Henderson County (northeast)
• Hardin County (southeast)
• McNairy County (south)
• Hardeman County (southwest)
• Madison County (northwest)

History

Chester County was the last county formed in Tennessee, created by the General Assembly in 1875 from adjacent parts of neighboring Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy, and Madison Counties. This land was used to create a county named Wisdom County, but "Wisdom County" was never organized, and in March 1879 the Assembly repealed this and created Chester County out of the same land. Lawsuits by opponents of the creation of the new county delayed actual organization until 1882. Chester County was named for Colonel Robert I. Chester, a quartermaster in the War of 1812, an early postmaster in Jackson, and a federal marshal.

Demographics

Age pyramid Chester County^[2]

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 15,540 people, 5,660 households, and 4,199 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 6,178 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.13% White, 10.03% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. 0.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,660 households out of which 33.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 11.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 14.40% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,349, and the median income for a family was $41,127. Males had a median income of $31,378 versus $21,615 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,756. About 11.10% of families and 14.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.50% of those under age 18 and 15.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There are six school in the Chester County School District. Chester County High School serves the whole county and holds grades 9-12. Chester County Junior High School holds grades 7 and 8 for the entire county. Chester County Middle School serves the whole county's 4-6 graders. East Chester County Elementary School, West Chester County Elementary School, and Jacks Creek Elementary School all hold kindergarten to 3rd grade.^[4]

Cities and towns

• Deanburg (unincorporated)
• Enville
• Henderson
• Jacks Creek (unincorporated)
• Milledgeville
• Silerton

Chester County in popular culture

• Country musician Eddy Arnold, a native of Henderson, titled his 1969 autobiography It's A Long Way From Chester County.
• The 1973 movie Walking Tall was filmed in Henderson and elsewhere in Chester County, including important scenes filmed in the county courthouse; many local residents served as extras or played bit parts.

See also

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

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. ^ School Tree. "Schools in Chester County, Tennessee". http://tennessee.schooltree.org/Chester-County-Schools.html. Retrieved 2008-05-29. 

External links

• Chester County at the Open Directory Project
• Chester County Independent weekly newspaper

Coordinates: 35°26′N 88°37′W / 35.43°N 88.61°W / 35.43; -88.61