Cheatham County, Tennessee

History

Cheatham County was created by the Tennessee General Assembly act in 1856, from lands formerly of Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery, and Robertson counties. Cheatham County was named for Edward Saunders Cheatham, a state legislator.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 307 sqmi, of which 302 sqmi is land and 4.6 sqmi (1.5%) is water.

The county is bisected from northwest to southeast by the Cumberland River, with Ashland City on its northern bank. The southern portion of the county is bisected from southeast to northwest by the Harpeth River, which meanders through generally hilly country, and along whose course are located the communities of Kingston Springs, largely to the north of I-40, and Pegram, along U.S. Route 70 (US 70). The western border of the central portion of the county is defined by the course of the Harpeth. The hills east of the Harpeth and south of the Cumberland are partly set aside by the state as the Cheatham State Wildlife Management Area. North of Ashland City the hills subside into more level highlands, where the community of Pleasant View is located just south of I-24, which generally delineates the county's northern border.

Adjacent counties

• Robertson County (northeast)
• Davidson County (east)
• Williamson County (south)
• Dickson County (west)
• Montgomery County (northwest)

State protected areas

• Cheatham Wildlife Management Area
• Cheatham Lake Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Harpeth River State Park

Major highways

• [[Image:I-24.svg|25px]] Interstate 24
• [[Image:I-40.svg|25px]] Interstate 40
• [[Image:US 70.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 70
• [[Image:US 41A.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 41A
• [[Image:Tennessee 12.svg|20px]] State Route 12
• [[Image:Tennessee 49.svg|20px]] State Route 49
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 249.svg|20x20px]] State Route 249
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 251.svg|20x20px]] State Route 251
• [[File:Secondary Tennessee 455.svg|20x20px]] State Route 455

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 41,072 and 11,022 families, with a median age of 42.0 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.6% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.9% from some other race, and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.5% of the population.

There were 15,706 households in the county, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.3% were married-couple households, 16.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 16,785 housing units, of which 6.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.6% were owner-occupied and 17.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 35,912 people, 12,878 households, and 10,160 families in the county. The population density was 119 /mi2. There were 13,508 housing units at an average density of 45 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.86% White, 1.48% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.22%. were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2005 The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% non-Hispanic whites, 2.1% African-Americans and 1.7% Latinos. In 2000 Of the 12,878 households 39.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.90% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.10% were non-families. 16.90% of households were one person and 5.30% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.08.

The age distribution was 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.

The median household income was $45,836 and the median family income was $49,143. Males had a median income of $34,476 versus $25,191 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,882. About 5.30% of families and 7.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.60% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Pleasant View

Towns

• Ashland City (county seat)
• Kingston Springs
• Pegram

Unincorporated communities

• Bell Town
• Chapmansboro
• Cheap Hill
• Craggie Hope
• Shacklett

Government and politics

County Government

The county mayor serves as the chief executive officer of Cheatham County and is elected at-large. The position oversees county administration and finances. The current mayor is Republican Kerry McCarver.

The Board of County Commissioners is the county's legislative body. It is composed of twelve members elected from six districts, with two commissioners representing each district. The commission is responsible for adopting the county budget, setting the property tax rate, and overseeing county departments and services. It meets regularly at 6:00 p.m. on the third Monday of each month.

State elected offices

Both members that represent Cheatham County in the Tennessee General Assembly are held by Republicans.

Political history

Cheatham County was historically a "Solid South" Democratic stronghold, like much of Middle Tennessee, consistently supporting Democratic presidential candidates through much of the 20th century and even supporting segregationist George Wallace in 1968. Republican candidates began gaining traction near the final quarter of the century, with Richard Nixon carrying the county in 1972 for the first time in recent memory. After 1972, Democrats carried the county through the later 1970s and into the 1990s, although it supported Republicans Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George H. W. Bush in 1988.

In 2000, Cheatham County began solidifying as a Republican stronghold, when George W. Bush carried it over native Tennessean Al Gore. Since then, the county has voted reliably Republican in every presidential election, with Donald Trump surpassing 70% of the vote in 2016, and Democrats have not approached one-third of the county's vote share since. The last time Cheatham County voted for a Democratic candidate in a statewide race was for Phil Bredesen in 2006, and the last time it voted for a Democratic candidate on a presidential level, was for Bill Clinton in 1996.

Notable people

• Gene Allison, R&B singer
• Mark Green, politician, physician, and retired U.S. Army major, former Republican U.S. representative for Tennessee's 7th congressional district
• Hickok45, firearm content YouTuber
• Horace McCoy, writer
• Caleb Plant, professional boxer
• Ryan Stack, former professional basketball player
• Pat Summitt, women's college basketball head coach
• Upchurch, rapper, singer-songwriter, and comedian
• Clive Westlake, British songwriter

Notes

References

References

1. James B. Hallums, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=235 Cheatham County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: June 23, 2013.
2. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
3. "Census – Geography Profile: Cheatham County, Tennessee". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. Miller, D. Shane. (2019-02-12). "Geoarchaeology and Bayesian Statistical Modeling of Radiocarbon Dates from 40CH171, a Multicomponent Shell-Bearing Site in Cheatham County, Tennessee". University Press of Florida.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
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11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
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13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
15. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
16. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
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21. MADEO. "Jan. 14, 1963 {{!}} Newly Elected Governor George Wallace Calls For "Segregation Forever!"".
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
23. Sweetland, Phil. (14 March 2004). "Gene Allison, 69, Soul Singer Who Fused Sacred to Secular".
24. (February 2, 2013). "Tennessee State Senator Mark Green Launches new website". Clarksvilleonline.com.
25. [http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/s22.html Green's listing] at Tennessee State Senate page
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27. Liukkonen, Petri. "Horace McCoy". [[Kuusankoski]] Public Library.
28. (2015-01-22). "Caleb Plant – Next Fight, Fighter Bio, Stats & News".
29. Fisher, Kelly. "Cheatham County deputies won't face charges in officer-involved shootings, including one that killed Caleb Plant's mother".
30. "Episode 3 – Tennessee Hoop Talk – Former NBA, College & Cheatham County Legend, Ryan Stack, Talks About His Successful Basketball Career – Tennessee Hoop Talk".
31. Centonze, Tony. "Inaugural Cheatham County Sports Hall of Fame class honored, nominations accepted for new inductees".
32. Organ, Mike. "Legendary Lady Pat Summitt: Pride of Cheatham County".
33. Kellman, Andy. "Upchurch {{!}} Biography & History". [[AllMusic]].
34. "Clive Westlake {{!}} Music Department, Soundtrack".