Sparta is a city in and 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 ...

of White County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

, United States. The population was 5,001 in 2020.U.S. Census website
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed: 14 March 2016. The

Calfkiller River The Calfkiller River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 stream in the east-central portion of Middle Tennessee in the United States. It is a tributary of t ...

flows through the city. Seven sites in Sparta are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

Sparta was established in 1809 as a county seat for White County, which had been created in 1806. The city was named after the ancient Greek city-state

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

.Coral Williams,
Legends and Stories of White County, Tennessee
" Transcribed for web content by Dona Terry, 2002. Retrieved: 6 January 2008. Sparta nearly became the capital of the state of Tennessee, as, early in the history of Tennessee, the state legislature voted to choose a location for the permanent state capital. The final vote resulted in a near tie between Sparta and

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 ...

. Sparta lost to Nashville by one vote. Sparta grew quickly due to its location along the stage road between

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

and Nashville. In the 1830s, brothers Barlow and Madison Fisk built the Sparta Rock House, which served as an inn along the stage road. The Rock House, strategically situated in an area where the Cumberland Plateau gives way to the Calfkiller valley, was a common stopover for figures important to the early history of the state, including

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

and

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

. The building is now a state historic site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sparta is notable as a place where two renowned airmen lost their lives.

Hawthorne C. Gray Hawthorne Charles Gray (February 16, 1889 – November 4, 1927) was a captain in the United States Army Air Corps. On May 4, 1927, he succeeded in setting a new altitude record in a silk, rubberized, and aluminum-coated balloon launched from Scot ...

, an aviation record holder, died in a balloon-basket mishap over Sparta in 1927, and Lansing Colton Holden Jr., a World War I flying ace, crashed his plane near Sparta in 1938. Teenagers Erin Foster and Jeremy Bechtel went missing in Sparta in 2000, and were not discovered until February 2022 when scuba diver

Jeremy Sides Jeremy Beau Sides, aka "Nug" from the YouTube channel Exploring with Nug, is an American scuba diver and civilian crime investigator who investigates missing person cases and missing items. In 2021, he found the bodies of Erin Foster and Jeremy ...

found Foster's vehicle in the

.Peiser, Jaclyn. "Two teens went missing 21 years ago. A scuba-diving YouTuber solved the cold case." ''Washington Post'', 10 Dec. 2021, p. NA. ''Gale General OneFile'', link.gale.com/apps/doc/A686196232/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e66d95f2. Accessed 21 July 2022.

Geography

Sparta is located at (35.932335, -85.469837), approximately fifteen miles south of

Cookeville 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 smalle ...

. The city is situated on the

Highland Rim The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions. Geologically, the Central Basin is a dome. The Highland Rim is a cuesta surro ...

, near the western base of the

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms " Al ...

. The

traverses Sparta north-to-south en route to its confluence with the

Caney Fork The Caney Fork River is a river that flows through central Tennessee in the United States, draining a substantial portion of the southwestern Cumberland Plateau and southeastern Highland Rim regions. It is a major tributary of the Cumberland River ...

several miles to the south. Sparta is traditionally concentrated around its courthouse square along U.S. Route 70 (signed locally as Bockman Way), which connects Sparta with Crossville to the east and Smithville to the west. State Route 111, which traverses the western part of Sparta, connects the city with

to the north and Spencer to the south. A modern commercial area has developed around the intersection of US 70 and SR 111. State Route 84 winds its away up the Calfkiller Valley, connecting Sparta with

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

atop the Plateau to the northeast.

U.S. Route 70S U.S. Route 70S (US 70S) is an alternative to U.S. Route 70 between the western part of Nashville and Sparta in Tennessee. It runs concurrent with US 70 for several blocks in downtown Nashville. The highway follows Murfreesboro Pike from Nashville t ...

connects Sparta with McMinnville to the southwest. The

Upper Cumberland Regional Airport Upper Cumberland Regional Airport is a public use airport located adjacent to Tennessee State Route 111 approximately 8.5 nautical miles (15.7 km) south of the central business district of Cookeville and 9 nautical miles (17 ...

is north of Sparta. 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Sparta's climate is humid subtropical (''Cfa'') under the

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

system, with mild winters and hot, humid summers. Under the

Trewartha Trewartha and Andrewartha are Cornish family names (and placename, Dexter). There are places called Trewartha in the parishes of Merther, St Agnes, St Neot and Veryan. According to the ''Handbook of Cornish Names'' by G. Pawley White, "Tre ...

system, it is a borderline humid subtropical (''Cf'') and oceanic (''Do'') climate, supported by the fact that subtropical plants like Southern Magnolia and the occasional

Needle Palm ''Rhapidophyllum hystrix'', the needle palm, is a palm, the sole member of the genus ''Rhapidophyllum''. It is native to coastal margins of the subtropical eastern Gulf and south Atlantic states of the United States. Endemic populations can be f ...

can reach their full potential here but struggle much further north.

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 5,001 people, 1,697 households, and 1,035 families residing in the city.

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 4,599 people, 1,952 households, and 1,270 families residing in the city. 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 725.2 people per square mile (280.1/km²). There were 2,192 housing units at an average density of 345.7 per square mile (133.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.82%

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 ...

, 5.28%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.13%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.67% 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 1.24% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population. Oldham-Theater-Sparta-tn1

There were 1,952 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% 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 ...

living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,775, and the median income for a family was $33,060. Males had a median income of $26,970 versus $20,295 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 city was $15,340. About 16.2% of families and 21.3% 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 ...

, including 30.3% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Foster V. Brown, U.S. Congressman *

David Culley David Wayne Culley (born September 17, 1955) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Culley has 45 years of coaching experience in both collegiate and ...

, NFL coach * John D. Defrees, newspaperman and politician *

George Gibbs Dibrell George Gibbs Dibrell (April 12, 1822 – May 9, 1888) was an American lawyer and a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives from the 3rd Congressional District of Tennessee. He also served as a general in the Confederate ...

, Civil War general (Confederate) and U.S. Congressman *

Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades ...

, bluegrass musician in the '' Foggy Mountain Boys'' *

John C. Floyd John Charles Floyd (April 14, 1858 – November 4, 1930) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Arkansas. Biography Born in Sparta, Tennessee, Floyd was the son of John Wesley and Eliza Jane Snodgrass Floyd. He moved to Benton ...

, U.S. Congressman * Erasmus Lee Gardenhire, politician and judge who served in the

Confederate States Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new nat ...

and

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consi ...

; lived his adult life in Sparta *

Kellie Harper Kellie Jolly Harper (born May 3, 1977) is an American basketball coach who is currently the head women's basketball coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols. Prior to coaching at Tennessee, she served as head coach of Missouri State, NC State, and West ...

, head coach of the

Tennessee Lady Vols The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colle ...

basketball team; grew up in Sparta *

Benny Martin Benny Edward Martin (May 8, 1928 – March 13, 2001), was an American bluegrass fiddler who invented the eight-string fiddle. Throughout his musical career he performed with artists such as the Bluegrass Boys, Don Reno, the Smoky Mountain Boys ...

, bluegrass musician who invented the eight string fiddle *

Ethan Roberts Ethan Michael Roberts (born July 4, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2022 for the Chicago Cubs. Amateur career Roberts attended White County H ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher * Tom Rogers, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Charles Edward Snodgrass Charles Edward Snodgrass (December 28, 1866 – August 3, 1936) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 4th congressional district of Tennessee. Biography Snodgrass was born on December 2 ...

, U.S. Congressman; uncle of Henry C. Snodgrass * Henry C. Snodgrass, U.S. Congressman *

Lefty Stewart Walter Cleveland "Lefty" Stewart (September 23, 1900 in Sparta, Tennessee – September 26, 1974 in Knoxville, Tennessee) was a professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of ten seasons in Major League Baseball between 1921 and 1935. He ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher *

James W. Throckmorton James Webb Throckmorton (February 1, 1825April 21, 1894) was an American politician who served as the 12th governor of Texas from 1866 to 1867 during the early days of Reconstruction. He was a United States Congressman from Texas from 1875 to ...

, 12th Governor of Texas and U.S. Congressman *

Earl Webb William Earl Webb (September 17, 1897 – May 23, 1965) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball, playing from 1925 to 1933. He played for five teams, including the Boston Red Sox for three years. He batted left-handed, and threw rig ...

, Major League Baseball outfielder

References

External links

City of Sparta - Official Website

Sparta - White County Chamber of Commerce

White County High School

White County Sheriff's Office

Sparta Expositor Official Site

White County Elections Office
{{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in White County, Tennessee County seats in Tennessee Populated places established in 1809 1809 establishments in Tennessee