Wayne County, Tennessee

History

Wayne County was created in 1817 from parts of Hickman and Humphreys counties. Waynesboro, its county seat, was established in 1821. The city of Clifton emerged as a key river port in the mid-19th century.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 736 square miles (1,910 km²), of which 734 square miles (1,900 km²) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) (0.2%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Tennessee by area. The county lies primarily along the southwestern Highland Rim. The Tennessee River flows along Wayne County's northwestern border with Decatur County. The Buffalo River, a tributary of the Duck River, flows through the northern part of Wayne County. The Green River, a tributary of the Buffalo, flows through Waynesboro.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

State protected areas

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 17,021 people, 5,822 households, and 4,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 6,701 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.3% White, 5.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. 1.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,936 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 24.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.90% 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 21.40% under the age of 18, 9.10% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 24.20% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 121.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,576, and the median income for a family was $30,973. Males had a median income of $27,879 versus $19,034 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,472. About 12.90% of families and 16.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 19.60% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Wayne County, Tennessee are:

Politics

Wayne County is one of the most staunchly Republican leaning counties in Tennessee as well as the country when it comes to presidential elections. In the 20th century, the county was an enclave of the Republican Party in Middle Tennessee, one of few outside of Eastern Tennessee in a state that was up until recently Democratic. No Democratic presidential candidate has carried the county since Samuel J. Tilden in the controversial 1876 election.

On rare occasions, the county has voted for Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate and state governor. Al Gore carried Wayne County in his run for the U.S. Senate in 1984 and his 1990 reelection bid, though he never carried in either 1992 or 1996 as Bill Clinton's vice presidential running mate or his campaign for the presidency in 2000, in which he also lost his home state. Aside from Gore, Jim Sasser carried the county in his last successful reelection bid for the Senate in 1988, Ned McWherter carried it in his 1990 reelection bid for governor, and Phil Bredesen carried it in his 2006 gubernatorial reelection bid.

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