Coffee County, Tennessee

Coffee County is a county located in the central part of the state of Tennessee, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 57,889. Its county seat is Manchester. Coffee County is part of the Tullahoma-Manchester, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is also part of Middle Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of the state.

History

Coffee County was formed in 1836 from parts of Bedford, Warren, and Franklin counties. It was named for John Coffee, a prominent planter, land speculator, and militia officer.Carroll Van West,
Coffee County
" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: 25 June 2013. Similar to other counties in this area of the state, planters here cultivated mostly tobacco and hemp, produced by the labor of Black slaves.

In the period after the Reconstruction era ended (1877) and into the early 20th century, whites in Coffee County committed eight lynchings of Blacks. This was the fifth-highest total of any county in the state, but three other counties also had eight lynchings each.

Century Farms

Coffee County has twelve Century Farms, the classification for farms that have been operating for more than 100 years. The oldest Century Farm is Shamrock Acres, founded in 1818. Other Century Farms include:

* Beckman Farm
* Brown Dairy Farm
* Carden Ranch
* Crouch-Ramsey Farm
* Freeze Farm
* The Homestead Farm
* Jacobs Farm
* Long Farm
* Shamrock Acres
* Sunrise View Farm
* Thomas Farm, site of the Farrar Distillery

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Cannon County (north)
*Warren County (northeast)
* Grundy County (east)
* Franklin County (south)
* Moore County (southwest)
* Bedford County (west)
* Rutherford County (northwest)

Major highways

*Interstate 24
*U.S. Route 41
*U.S. Route 41A

State protected areas

*Arnold Engineering Development Complex Wildlife Management Area (jointly managed by TWRA and USAF)
*Bark Camp Barrens Wildlife Management Area
*Hickory Flats Wildlife Management Area
*Maple Hill Wildlife Management Area
*May Prairie State Natural Area
*Normandy Wildlife Management Area (part)
* Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park
*Short Springs State Natural Area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 57,889 people, 21,646 households, and 14,777 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 48,014 people, 18,885 households, and 13,597 families residing in the county. The population density was 112 people per square mile (43/km²). There were 20,746 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile (19/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.43% White, 3.59% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. 2.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 18,885 households, out of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,898, and the median income for a family was $40,228. Males had a median income of $32,732 versus $21,014 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,137. About 10.90% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.80% of those under age 18 and 15.20% of those age 65 or over.

Events

The Bonnaroo Music Festival has been held annually in the county since 2002.

Notable people

* Henry Choate, worked in Coffee County at the time of his murder in 1927
*Dustin Lynch, country singer.
*Bryan Morris, baseball player.
* DJ Qualls, film actor.
* Betty Sain, horse trainer and breeder.
* J. Stanley Rogers, Tennessee House of Representatives majority leader.
*Ally Walker, actress.

Points of interest

*Arnold Engineering Development Complex
*George Dickel Tennessee whiskey distillery
* Old Stone Fort — part of Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, just west of Manchester
*Short Springs State Natural AreaShort Springs State Natural Area
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation website. Retrieved: 25 June 2013.
* Farrar Distillery – on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Communities

Cities

* Manchester (county seat)
* Tullahoma

Census-designated places

* Hillsboro
* Lakewood Park
* New Union

Unincorporated communities

* Beechgrove
* Belmont
* Blanton's Chapel
* Farrar Hill
* Fredonia
* Fudgearound
* Noah
* Pocahontas
* Shady Grove
* Summitville

Politics

Coffee County is a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1996.

See also

*National Register of Historic Places listings in Coffee County, Tennessee
* The Saturday Independent

References

External links

Official site

Industrial Board of Coffee County

Coffee County Schools

Coffee County, TNGenWeb
– genealogy resources
Bonnaroo Music Festival site
*

{{authority control

1836 establishments in Tennessee
Populated places established in 1836
Tullahoma, Tennessee micropolitan area
Middle Tennessee
Counties of Appalachia