White Bluff is a town in Dickson 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 t ...

, United States. The population was 3,862 at the 2020 census and 3,206 at the 2010 census. The community name derives from the White Bluff Iron Forge.

History

A fort was constructed at White Bluff in 1806, and an iron forge shortly afterward. The current town, which grew out of a Civil War-era

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to the ...

encampment, was platted in 1867, and within a few years had grown to include several mercantile businesses and a planing mill.
Goodspeed's History of Dickson County, Tennessee
' (1886), transcribed by Susan Knight Gore for TNGenWeb.org. Retrieved: 1 March 2013.

Geography

White Bluff is located in eastern Dickson County at (36.107971, -87.220300). 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 ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. White Bluff is located on

U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States. ...

at its junction with State Route 47. US 70 leads east to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

and west to Dickson. TN 47 leads southwest to

Burns Burns may refer to: * Burn, an injury (plural) People: * Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters Business: * Burns London, a British guitar maker Places: ;In the United States * Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...

before continuing to Dickson, and northwest to

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, the Dickson County seat. White Bluff is east of

Montgomery Bell State Park Montgomery Bell State Park is a Tennessee state park in Burns, Tennessee, United States. The park covers and its official elevation is . However, due to the dissected wooded terrain typical of the Nashville Basin, actual elevations range from ...

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 off ...

, there were 3,862 people, 1,306 households, and 832 families residing in the town.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 2,142 people, 881 households and 604 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 RosenberPop ...

was 536.9 per square mile (207.3/km²). There were 947 housing units at an average density of 237.4 per square mile (91.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.13%

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 ...

, 0.65%

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 enslav ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.09% 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 0.56% 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 form ...

or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population. There were 881 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96. 24.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $34,107 and the median family income was $39,219. Males had a median income of $31,509 versus $25,260 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 $16,229. About 6.1% of families and 8.1% 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 3.9% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

There have been several public and private schools in the area. The first public school was destroyed by fire in 1879. White Bluff now has White Bluff Elementary School and Williams James School. The original William James was built in 1923 on land donated by

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

William James, a

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

officer from whom it gets its team sports name, the Colonels, and who is entombed within the current building. (The 1923 building was demolished after the 1971–1972 school year.) It was a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper second ...

(for many years all twelve grades were on the site) until 1972 when it became a

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

(grades 7–9). In the 1999–2000 school year, the school was changed to a

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

(grades 6–8) as part of a district-wide realignment, hence its current name, William James Middle School.

Area attractions

* Interstate Packaging Arboretum *

Notable people

* Anson A. Mount IV, star of film and television. Anson's father, Anson Mount III, also grew up in White Bluff, and became the sports editor for ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine. *

Larry Fleet Larry Fleet is an American country music singer. Signed to Big Loud in 2019, he has released three albums and three singles. Biography Larry Fleet was born and raised in White Bluff, Tennessee. His great grandfather and great-uncle had a blue ...

, singer-songwriter

Radio

WYCZ WYCZ is a 1,000-watt class B AM radio station licensed to serve the community of White Bluff, Tennessee on a frequency of 1030 kHz. The station reduces power to 250 watts during nighttime operations. Its programming is simulcast on the FM b ...

1030 AM

References

External links

Town of White Bluff official website

Blufwatch
- White Bluff information and history {{authority control Towns in Dickson County, Tennessee Towns in Tennessee Cities in Nashville metropolitan area