Gibson County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located 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 so ...

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. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,429. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Trenton. The county was formed in 1823 and named for John H. Gibson, a soldier of the Natchez Expedition and the Creek War.Fred Culp,
Gibson County
" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: June 28, 2013.

History

Gibson County is located in what was known as "Indian Land": territory that was legally occupied by

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

Native American people. The Chickasaw Cession, proclaimed on January 7, 1819, eliminated those rights and opened the region to settlement and exploitation by white settlers and speculators. Soon after the Chickasaw Cession, the first log cabin in what was to become Gibson County had been built by Thomas Fite about east of present-day Trenton. From 1819 the area was part of Carroll County but, as settlement progressed, citizens petitioned for the formation of a new county. The county was established by private act on October 21, 1823, and was named in honor of Colonel John H. Gibson who had died earlier that year. Gibson was a native of Bedford County, Tennessee who was commissioned Lieutenant in the Tennessee Militia; he took part in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, the campaign to Natchez of 1813, and fought in the Creek Wars of 1813. In its early years, Gibson County grew rapidly, chiefly because the land had less dense forest growth than some adjacent areas and was therefore more easily prepared to farm

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

and

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

. By the end of 1824, the county had of taxable land. The county's first

cotton gin A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); ...

was built in 1826.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Weakley County (northeast) * Carroll County (east) * Madison County (south) *

Crockett County Crockett County is the name of two counties in the United States, both named for frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia ...

(southwest) * Dyer County (west) * Obion County (northwest)

State protected areas

*Horns Bluff Refuge (part) *Maness Swamp Refuge *Obion River Wildlife Management Area (part) *Tigrett Wildlife Management Area (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 50,429 people, 19,320 households, and 12,987 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 48,152 people, 19,518 households, and 13,584 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 21,059 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 78.66%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 19.72%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.20% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.50% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 19,518 households, out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.20% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 27.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 89.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $31,105, and the median income for a family was $39,318. Males had a median income of $30,360 versus $21,351 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,320. About 9.40% of families and 12.80% 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 17.00% of those under age 18 and 15.30% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Airports

There are two airports located in Gibson County: * Humboldt Municipal Airport (M53), which is owned by City of Humboldt. * Gibson County Airport (TGC), located midway between Trenton and Milan and owned by City of Milan and Gibson Co.

Court System

Trenton is the county seat. However, since just after the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Gibson County's court system has been geographically divided, with both Trenton and Humboldt serving as venues for the county's civil and criminal cases.

Education

Gibson County has five special school districts: Bradford, Gibson County, Humboldt, Milan and Trenton. Each district has its own school board and director of schools. There are six high schools in the county.

High schools

Media

Radio stations

*Victory 93.7 - The Victory 93.7 FM—WTKB ATWOOD-MILAN *WJPJ AM 1190 & 99.9 "La Poderosa 99.9 FM & 1190 AM" *WTJK 105.3 "K 105.3" (Classic Hits)

Newspapers

*Tennessee Magnet Publications (free monthly), based in Huntingdon, but circulates in Gibson and Dyer counties *''The Tri-City Reporter'', Dyer *''The Gazette'', Trenton *''The Chronicle'', Humboldt *''The Mirror-Exchange'', Milan

Events

The Gibson County Fair is held each August in Trenton. The fair is billed as the "oldest continuously running fair in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

."History of the Gibson County Fair
, The Gibson County Fair Association, accessed September 28, 2008 The fair was first held in 1856 and has been held annually since 1869. Beginning early in 1981, John W. Melton, administrator of the Gibson County General Hospital developed the idea of a “teapot festival;” to draw attention on the rare collection of Porcelain Veilleuses. The festival has grown into a week long event beginning with a ceremonial Lighting of the Teapots and culminates in the Annual Grand Parade. The Teapot Festival begins with the lighting of the teapots ceremony at City Hall. Music and fireworks show highlight the first evening of the festival. Other highlights include a parade and the chocolate extravaganza. Tennis and softball tournaments, along with other athletic competitions, are featured each day during the festival. An arts & crafts show, antique car exhibition, fireworks, display and street dance highlight the final day of the event. The teapots may be viewed all year round, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. The West Tennessee Strawberry Festival had been held annually during the first full week of May in Humboldt since 1934. The festival has drawn up to 100,000 people from across the area. Popular festival events include Thursday's traditional Jr. Parade, which is one of the world's largest non-motorized parades,
, Humboldt Chamber of Commerce website. Retrieved: June 28, 2013. Friday's Grand Floats Parade, the Horse Show, Governor's Luncheon, Carnival, Prayer Breakfast, Car Show, Berry Idol singing contest, 5K and 10K Runs, Shortcake in the Park, multiple concerts, beauty reviews and more.

Communities

Cities

* Dyer * Humboldt (partly in Madison County) *

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

* Trenton (county seat) * Yorkville

Towns

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

* Gibson * Kenton (partly in Obion County) * Rutherford

Unincorporated communities

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

* Eaton * Frog Jump * Graball * Hopewell * Idlewild * Skullbone

Politics

Gibson County has voted for the Republican in the last six presidential elections. The last Democrat to carry this county was

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

Notable natives

* Doug Atkins, Hall of Fame NFL football player *

Wallace Wade William Wallace Wade (June 15, 1892 – October 6, 1986) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of Alabama fr ...

, football coach * Avery Williamson, NFL linebacker

References

;Specific ;General * https://www.wbbjtv.com/2016/10/21/former-gibson-co-sheriff-chuck-arnold-pleads-guilty-avoids-prison-time/

External links

{{Coord, 36.00, -88.93, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990 1823 establishments in Tennessee Populated places established in 1823 West Tennessee