Weakley County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the northwest of 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 sove ...

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 ...

. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,021. 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 ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

. Its largest city is

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

, the home of the

University of Tennessee at Martin The University of Tennessee at Martin (UT Martin or UTM) is a public university in Martin, Tennessee. It is one of the five campuses of the University of Tennessee system. UTM is the only public university in West Tennessee outside of Memphi ...

. The county was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on October 21, 1823, and is named for U.S. Congressman Robert Weakley (1764–1845). Weakley County comprises the Martin, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Weakley County was created in October 1823 from some of the land that the

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classif ...

people ceded to the United States in the

Treaty of 1818 The Convention respecting fisheries, boundary and the restoration of slaves, also known as the London Convention, Anglo-American Convention of 1818, Convention of 1818, or simply the Treaty of 1818, is an international treaty signed in 1818 betw ...

. The county was named after Colonel Robert Weakley, a member of the House of Representatives, a speaker of the State Senate, and the man commissioned to treat (negotiate) with the Chickasaw. During the 19th century, the county was the state's largest corn producer. By the latter half of the 20th century,

soybeans The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu ...

became the county's leading crop.

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 (0.2%) is water. The North Fork of the Obion River flows through the northern half of the county, the Middle Fork flows across the central portion of the county, and the South Fork flows across the southern part of the county. The Obion is a tributary of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

Adjacent counties

Hickman County, Kentucky Hickman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,521, making it the third-least populous county in Kentucky. Its county seat is Clinton. The county was formed in 1821. It is the le ...

(northwest) * Graves County, Kentucky (north) * Henry County (east) * Carroll County (southeast) * Gibson County (southwest) * Obion County (west)

State protected areas

*Bean Switch Refuge *Big Cypress Tree State Natural Area *

Big Cypress Tree State Park Big Cypress Tree State Park is a state park in Weakley County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. The park is named after a large and old bald cypress tree that once stood on the park's grounds. The tree was approximately 1,35 ...

*Harts Mill Wetland Wildlife Management Area (part) *Obion River Wildlife Management Area (part)

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 32,902 people, 13,640 households, and 8,677 families residing in the county.

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 34,895 people, 13,599 households, and 9,124 families residing in the county. 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 60 people per square mile (23/km²). There were 14,928 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.27%

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 ...

, 6.95%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 0.52% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.15% of the population were

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. There were 13,599 households, out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% 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, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.90% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.89. The population was spread out, with 21.60% under the age of 18, 15.90% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,008, and the median income for a family was $38,658. Males had a median income of $28,597 versus $20,845 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 county was $15,408. About 11.10% of families and 16.00% 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 16.80% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Radio

* WWGY 99.3 "Today's Best Music with " Ace & TJ in the Morning" * WRQR-FM 105.5 "Today's Best Music with " Ace & TJ in the Morning" * WENK-AM 1240 "The Greatest Hits of All Time" * WTPR-AM 710 "The Greatest Hits of All Time" * WTPR-FM 101.7 "The Greatest Hits of All Time" * WCMT-AM 1410 100.5FM * WCMT-FM 101.3 * WUTM-FM 90.3 *(WCDZ FM 95.1 and 102.9FM) * WCMT-AM 1410 "your best friend"

Print

*'' Dresden Enterprise'' - located in Dresden, the county seat.Dresden Enterprise official site
Retrieved: 24 April 2013. *'' The Weakley County Press'' - located in Martin *''

The Pacer ''The Pacer'', founded in 1928, is the name of the student newspaper of the University of Tennessee at Martin. The Office of Student Publications at UT Martin publishes ''The Pacer'' every Tuesday morning throughout the semester except for holid ...

'' - Student newspaper of the University of Tennessee at Martin

Education

Weakley County Schools

School District website - http://www.weakleyschools.com/

Communities

Cities

Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

* McKenzie (mostly in Carroll County and a small portion in Henry County)

Towns

(county seat) * Gleason * Sharon

Unincorporated communities

* Austin Springs * Boydsville *

Dukedom Dukedom may refer to: * The title and office of a duke * Duchy, the territory ruled by a duke * Dukedom, Kentucky and Tennessee, United States * ''Dukedom'' (game), a land management game See also * Lists of dukedoms Lists of dukedoms include: ...

(partial) * Gardner * Latham * Palmersville

Politics

References

External links

Official siteWeakley County Chamber of CommerceWeakley County SchoolsWeakley County TNGenWeb
* {{authority control 1823 establishments in Tennessee Populated places established in 1823 West Tennessee