Gainesboro is a town in
Jackson 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 920 at 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 ...
of
Jackson County.
Gainesboro is part of the
Cookeville, Tennessee
Cookeville is the county seat and largest city of Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was reported to be 34,842. It is recognized as one of the country's micropolitan areas, or smaller ...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The Gainesboro vicinity was a popular destination for
long hunters as early as the 1770s, as natural salt licks drew rich game to the area. In the 1790s,
Avery's Trace Avery's Trace was the principal road used by settlers travelling from the Knoxville area in East Tennessee to the Nashville area from 1788 to the mid-1830s.
In an effort to encourage settlers to move west into the new territory of Tennessee, in ...
passed nearby, with travellers along the road lodging at
Fort Blount
Fort Blount was a frontier fort and federal outpost located along the Cumberland River in Jackson County, Tennessee, United States. Situated at the point where Avery's Trace crossed the river, the fort provided an important stopover for migrants ...
about 10 miles to the west. Gainesboro was named after
General Edmund Pendleton Gaines (1777–1849). It has been the seat of Jackson County since 1820.
[The Federal Writers' Project, ''The WPA Guide to Tennessee'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 1986), 445.] The 1970 John Frankenheimer Movie "I Walk The Line" starring Gregory Peck and featuring Johnny Cash's song "I Walk The Line" was also filmed in Gainesboro.
Geography
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 the ...
, Gainesboro is located approximately 15 miles northwest of Cookeville and has a total area of , of which are land and (14.29%) is water.
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 920 people, 347 households, and 152 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 incl ...
of 2000, there were 879 people, 373 households, and 208 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 562.5 people per square mile (217.6/km
2). There were 430 housing units at an average density of 275.2 per square mile (106.4/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.29%
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 on ...
, 1.98%
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 ...
, 0.11%
Native American, 0.46%
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 ...
, 0.34% 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 0.80% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or
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 0.57% of the population.
![Gainesboro-Town-Square-Main-tn2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Gainesboro-Town-Square-Main-tn2.jpg)
There were 373 households, of which 16.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.2% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.61.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 13.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females, there were 68.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $19,861, and the median income for a family was $30,250. Males had a median income of $24,091 versus $21,932 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 $17,798. About 20.3% of families and 27.8% 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 49.0% of those under age 18 and 25.7% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
Charlotte Burks, Tennessee State Senator.
*
Mounce Gore Butler
Mounce Gore Butler (May 11, 1849 – February 13, 1917) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 4th congressional district of Tennessee.
Biography
Butler was born on May 11, 1849 in Gaine ...
- member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
.
*
Alvan Cullem Gillem
Alvan Cullem Gillem (July 29, 1830 – December 2, 1875) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although Southern-born, he remained loyal to the Federal government and fought in several battles in the Western Theater befor ...
-
Union army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
general.
*
John J. Gore - United States District Court judge
* Jamie Dailey - Bluegrass musician of the music group
Dailey & Vincent
Dailey & Vincent is an American bluegrass music group composed of Jamie Dailey (guitar, bass, vocals), Darrin Vincent (mandolin, guitar, bass, vocals), Aaron McCune (guitar, bass vocals), Wesley Smith (vocals), Patrick McAvinue (fiddle), Shaun R ...
and member of the
Grand Ole Opry
The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
.
References
External links
Official County WebsiteMunicipal Technical Advisory Service entry for Gainesboro– information on local government, elections, and link to charter
{{authority control
Towns in Jackson County, Tennessee
Towns in Tennessee
County seats in Tennessee
Cookeville, Tennessee micropolitan area