Centerville is a town in Hickman County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, United States. The population was 3,489 as of the 2020 Census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and the only incorporated town in Hickman County. It is best known for being the hometown of American comedian

Minnie Pearl Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon (October 25, 1912 – March 4, 1996), known professionally as her stage character Minnie Pearl, was an American comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years (1940–1991) and on the television ...

Geography

Centerville sits at the center of Hickman County in the valley of the Duck River, a west-flowing tributary of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it has been recorded as land.

Transportation

Tennessee State Route 100 State Route 100 (SR 100) is a west–east state highway in both West Tennessee and Middle Tennessee that connects Whiteville with Nashville. It is long. Route description Hardeman County SR 100 begins as a primary highway in West Tenn ...

is the main road running the length of the town. It leads northeast to Nashville, the state capital, and southwest to Linden.

Tennessee State Route 50 State Route 50 (SR 50) is a west–to–east highway in Middle Tennessee. The road begins near Only and ends in Altamont. The current length is . Route description Hickman County SR 50 begins as a 2-lane secondary highway in Hi ...

passes through the southern part of Centerville, leading northwest to

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

(via exit 148) near

Only Only may refer to: Music Albums * ''Only'' (album), by Tommy Emmanuel, 2000 * ''The Only'', an EP by Dua Lipa, 2017 Songs * "Only" (Anthrax song), 1993 * "Only" (Nine Inch Nails song), 2005 * "Only" (Nicki Minaj song), 2014 * "The Only", by ...

and southeast to Columbia. The town limits extend north from the town center along SR 100 to the formerly unincorporated community of Fairfield, where State Route 48 leads northwest to Interstate 40 at Exit 163. Centerville and Hickman County are served by Centerville Municipal Airport (

IATA code IATA codes are abbreviations that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) publishes to facilitate air travel. They are typically 1, 2, 3, or 4 character combinations (referred to as unigrams, digrams, trigrams, or tetragrams, respect ...

GHM), a city-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) north of downtown.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 3,532 people, 1,415 households, and 832 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 3,793 people, 1,563 households, and 997 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 348.4 people per square mile (134.5/km²). There were 1,688 housing units at an average density of 155.0 per square mile (59.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.51%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 4.77%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.03%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.24% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.08% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.90% of the population. There were 1,563 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $24,824, and the median income for a family was $35,448. Males had a median income of $29,693 versus $20,688 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $14,947. About 15.1% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 31.1% of those under age 18 and 21.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Centerville is governed by a mayor, vice mayor, and a board of 10 aldermen. It uses the council-manager government style of government. The mayor is elected to a four-year term. Each alderman represents one of five wards and is elected to a four-year term. Aldermen elections are staggered every two years, with one alderman from each ward being elected in each election. The vice mayor is selected from the board of aldermen. The current mayor is Gary Jacobs. The current vice mayor is Derek Newsom. The current Board of Aldermen consists of: ''* designates vice mayor. Term expiration dates in parenthesis.''

Notable people

Notable people who were born in Centerville or lived in the community include: * Dan Griner, baseball pitcher who played professionally from 1912 to 1918 *

Kevin Max Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studi ...

, solo musician and founding member of

DC Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian hip hop, Christian rap and Christian rock, rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by tobyMac, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max, Kevin Max Smith ...

, briefly ran a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

and recording studio in Centerville *

, An American comedian. born Sarah Ophelia Colley in Centerville. *

William K. Sebastian William King Sebastian (June 12, 1812May 20, 1865) was an American politician and lawyer from Helena, Arkansas. He represented Arkansas as a U.S. Senator, Democrat, from 1848 to 1861. Sebastian withdrew from the Senate at the start of the Civil W ...

, Centerville native who represented Arkansas in the United States Senate *

Mike Smithson Mike Smithson may refer to: * Mike Smithson (British journalist) (born 1946), British journalist, Liberal Democrat politician, and political betting expert *Mike Smithson (Australian journalist), Australian news reporter *Mike Smithson (baseball) ...

, major league baseball player * John Spence, America's first "Frogman" *

Dicky Wells William Wells (June 10, 1907 – November 12, 1985), known professionally as Dicky Wells (sometimes Dickie Wells), was an American jazz trombonist. Career Dickie Wells is believed to have been born on June 10, 1907 in Centerville, Tennessee, Uni ...

, jazz trombonist

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Centerville has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Centerville, Tennessee
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References

External links

Town of Centerville official websiteTown charter
{{authority control Towns in Hickman County, Tennessee Towns in Tennessee County seats in Tennessee