Wilson County, Tennessee
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Wilson County is a
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
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 ...
. It is in
Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...
. As of the 2020 census, the population was 147,737. Its
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 ...
is
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. The largest city is Mt. Juliet. Wilson County is part of the
Nashville-Davidson 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 the ...
Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
, TN
Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
.


History

Wilson County was created in 1799 from a portion of Sumner County, and named for Major David Wilson, a Revolutionary War veteran and statesman.Frank Burns,
Wilson County
" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: 24 April 2013.
The county remained predominantly agrarian throughout the 19th century. The arrival of the railroad after the Civil War boosted the county's timber sector, and several large factories were constructed in the county during the early 20th century. Wilson County was the site of an important saltpeter mine. Saltpeter, the main ingredient of gunpowder, was obtained by leaching the earth from Valley Cave. Valley Cave is near Statesville. The many saltpeter hoppers still inside the cave indicate that this was a large mining operation. These saltpeter vats may date from the War of 1812 mining era or the Civil War mining era, or perhaps both. Further research is needed to determine when this mine was active.


Geography

According to the
U.S. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.1%) is water. The
Cumberland River The Cumberland River is a major waterway of the Southern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 river drains almost of southern Kentucky and ...
flows along the county's northern border with Trousdale and Sumner counties. This section of the river is part of Old Hickory Lake. Several streams in the western part of the county are part of the
Stones River The Stones River (properly spelled Stone's River) is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region. It is named after explorer and longhunter Uriah Stone, who navigated the river in 1767. Geography and hydrography T ...
basin. Wilson County is home to a large concentration of
cedar glade A calcareous glade is a type of ecological community that is found in the central Eastern United States. Calcareous glades occur where bedrock such as limestone occurs near or at the surface, and have very shallow and little soil development. D ...
s, a unique ecosystem where the soil is too rocky or shallow for trees to grow. Many of these glades are found in Cedars of Lebanon State Park.


Adjacent counties

* Trousdale County (north) * Smith County (northeast) *
DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missour ...
(east) *
Cannon County Cannon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,506. Its county seat is Woodbury. Cannon County is part of the Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Sta ...
(southeast) * Rutherford County (south) * Davidson County (west) * Sumner County (northwest)


State protected areas

*Cedars of Lebanon State Forest *
Cedars of Lebanon State Park Cedars of Lebanon State Park is a state park in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. It consists of situated amidst the Cedars of Lebanon State Forest. The park and forest are approximately south of Lebanon, Tennessee ...
*Couchville Cedar Glade State Natural Area (part) *Gattinger's Cedar Glade and Barrens State Natural Area (part) *John and Hester Land Cedar Glades State Natural Area *Old Hickory Wildlife Management Area (part) *Percy Priest Wildlife Management Area (part) *Vesta Cedar Glade State Natural Area *Vine Cedar Glade State Natural Area


Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


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 147,737 people, 51,618 households, and 40,874 families residing in the county.


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 113,993 people, 42,563 households, and 32,177 families living in the county. The population density was 199.64 persons per square mile. The housing unit density was 74.54 units per square mile. The
racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the county was 89.30%
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 ...
, 6.40%
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 ...
, 1.12%
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 ...
, 0.35% Native American, 0.04%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, and 1.46% from
two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
. Those of
Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...
origins constituted 3.24% of the population. Of all of the households, 33.22% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 60.08% were married couples living together, 4.33% had a male householder with no wife present, 11.19% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.40% were non-families. 19.86% of households were one person and 7.29% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.03. The age distribution was 25.06% under the age of 18, 62.78% ages 18 to 64, and 12.17% age 65 and older. The median age was 39.3 years. 51.02% of the population were females and 48.98% were 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 $60,678, and the median family income was $70,092. Males had a median income of $49,293 versus $36,419 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,814. About 5.6% of families and 7.6% 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 9.1% of those under the age of 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 and older.


2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 88,809 people, 32,798 households, and 25,582 families living in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile (60/km2). There were 34,921 housing units at an average density of 61 per square mile (24/km2). The
racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the county was 91.50% White, 6.26% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 1.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 32,798 households 37.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.20% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.00% were non-families. 18.10% of households were one person and 6.10% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.03. The age distribution was 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males. The median household income was $50,140 and the median family income was $56,650. Males had a median income of $39,848 versus $26,794 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,739. About 4.60% of families and 6.70% 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 7.80% of those under age 18 and 11.50% of those age 65 or over.


Education

Wilson County Schools Wilson County Schools is a K–12 school district in Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The district enrolls nearly 20,000 students and over 1,100 teachers at ten elementary schools, three K-8 schools, four middle schools, and five high scho ...
oversees 22 public schools, including 2 adult education centers and a technical education center. The county has five high schools: Mount Juliet High School, Lebanon High School,
Wilson Central High School Wilson Central High School is part of the Wilson County School System, and is located in Lebanon, Tennessee. It serves: portions of Lebanon, all of Rural Hill, all of Gladeville, and portions of Mount Juliet south of Interstate 40 Inters ...
,
Green Hill High School Green Hill High School (GHHS) is a public high school in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. It is one of the largest public schools in Wilson County and is part of the Wilson County School District. Completed in the fall of 2020, Green Hill High School is ...
, and Watertown High School.
Lebanon Special School District Lebanon Special School District (LSSD) is a K-8 school district headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee. It serves most of Lebanon and some unincorporated areas. Wilson County Schools Wilson County Schools is a K–12 school district in Wilson Coun ...
(LSSD) serves most of Lebanon and some unincorporated areas for K-8, though some parts of Lebanon are with Wilson County schools for all years K-12. Wilson County Schools operates the high schools that serve the LSSD territory.
Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...
is located in Lebanon.


Communities


Cities

* Mt. Juliet (largest city) *
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
(county seat)


Town

*
Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...


Census-designated places

* Green Hill * Rural Hill


Other unincorporated communities

* Belinda City *
Cainsville Cainsville is a community straddling the boundary of Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Brant County, Ontario, Brant County in Ontario, Canada. Cainsville started off as a rural Black Canadians#Settlements, Black Canadian settlement called Bunne ...
* Cedar Grove * Cherry Valley *
Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...
* Doaks Crossroads *
Egan Egan may refer to: People * Egan (surname) * Egan (given name) Places in the United States * Egan, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Egan, Louisiana, an unincorporated community and census-designated place * Egan, South Dakota, a city * Eg ...
* Gladeville * Greenvale * LaGuardo * Leeville * Liberty Hill *
Martha Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to ...
* Norene * Statesville * Suggs Creek * Tater Peeler * Taylorsville * Tuckers Crossroads *
Vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...


Former community

* Big Spring


Education

It has two school districts,
Lebanon Special School District Lebanon Special School District (LSSD) is a K-8 school district headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee. It serves most of Lebanon and some unincorporated areas. Wilson County Schools Wilson County Schools is a K–12 school district in Wilson Coun ...
and Wilson County School District. The latter has all high school zoning in the entire county, while the former has grades K-8 and special education services.


Notable people

*
Jordan Anderson Jordan Anderson or Jourdon Anderson (December 1825 – April 15, 1907) was an African-American and former slave noted for an 1865 letter he dictated, known as "Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master". It was addressed to his former mast ...
(1825–1907) – author of ''Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master'' (1865) * Casey Atwood (b. 1980) –
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
driver *
Adrian Belew Robert Steven "Adrian" Belew (born December 23, 1949) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. A multi-instrumentalist primarily known as a guitarist and singer, he is noted for his unusual and impressionistic approach to ...
(b. 1949) – musical artist *
Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...
(1936-2020) – musical artist *
Dan Evins Danny Wood Evins (October 11, 1935 – January 14, 2012) was an American entrepreneur and Entrepreneur, co-founder of Cracker Barrel, a Southern-themed restaurant chain. Early life Evins was born in Smithville, Tennessee, on October 11, 1935. As a ...
(1935–2012) – businessman and founder of the
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., doing business as simply Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company was founded by Dan Evins in 1969. Its first store was in Lebanon, ...
*
Bobby Hamilton Charles Robert Hamilton Sr. (May 29, 1957 – January 7, 2007) was an American stock car racing driver. A driver and owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit and the winner of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, Hamilt ...
(1957–2007) – NASCAR driver *
Erika Jo Erika Jo Vastola (née Heriges, born November 2, 1986, in Angleton, Texas), known simply by the stage name Erika Jo, is an American country music recording artist who was declared winner of the 2005 season of the ''Nashville Star'' television pr ...
(b. 1986) – musical artist * Chloe Kohanski – musical artist *
Dixon Lanier Merritt Dixon Lanier Merritt (July 9, 1879–January 9, 1972) was an American poet and humorist. He was a newspaper editor for the ''Tennessean'', Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville's morning paper, and President of the American Press Humorists Associati ...
(1879–1972) – newspaper editor, historian, poet"Dixon Merritt, Editor, Dies"
''The Nashville Tennessean''. January 10, 1972. p. 21. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
*
John J. Pettus John Jones Pettus (October 9, 1813January 25, 1867) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 23rd Governor of Mississippi, from 1859 to 1863. Before being elected in his own right to full gubernatorial terms in 1859 and 1861, he ...
(1813–1867) – 20th and 23rd Governor of Mississippi * John S. Roane (1817–1867) – 4th Governor of Arkansas *
David P. Sartor David Sartor (rhymes with "Carter") is an American composer and conductor of symphonic, chamber, and choral music. He is on the music faculties of Belmont University and Cumberland University, and is the founder and music director of the Parth ...
(b. 1956) – classical composer *
Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on the '' Billboard'' country charts. The so ...
(b. 1973) – musical artist * Ross Winn (1871–1912) – writer


Politics

In the 2004 U.S. presidential election, 65 percent of voters supported the reelection of
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, 68 percent of voters favored
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...
. Since 2000 (as of 2020), Wilson County has shifted 31.4 points towards the Republican Party.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilson County, Tennessee


References


External links


Official site

Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce

Lebanon-Wilson County Chamber of Commerce

Wilson County Schools

Wilson County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Tennessee Central Economic Alliance for Wilson County

Wilson County at TNGenWeb
* {{coord, 36.16, -86.30, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990 Nashville metropolitan area 1799 establishments in Tennessee Populated places established in 1799 Second Amendment sanctuaries in Tennessee Middle Tennessee