McKenzie is a city at the tripoint of Carroll,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, and Weakley counties in

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 ...

, United States. The population was 5,310 at the 2010 census.

History

The city of McKenzie was originally surveyed and platted in 1865 on land that belonged to James McKenzie. This land was at the crossroads of the main lines for the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad and the Louisville & Memphis Railroad, and a station, originally called "McKenzie Station" was erected at the crossing. The town was incorporated by the state of Tennessee on January 22, 1869. On October 15, 1887, the President of the United States,

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

, visited the town and stayed overnight at the McKenzie Hotel, next door to the depot.

Geography

McKenzie is located in northern Carroll County at (36.133189, -88.517189). A small part of the city extends north into Henry County, and a smaller part extends west into Weakley County. U.S. Route 79 passes through the city southeast of the center, leading northeast to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and southwest to

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 ...

Tennessee State Route 22 State Route 22 (SR 22) is a south-to-north State highway#United States), state highway in the West Tennessee, western part of Tennessee, United States. It begins at the Mississippi state line in McNairy County, Tennessee, McNairy County, where ...

runs through the east side of the city as a bypass, leading northwest to

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

and southeast to

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, McKenzie has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,529 people, 2,116 households, and 1,278 families residing in the city.

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 5,295 people, 2,131 households, and 1,412 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,382 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.80%

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 ...

, 14.24%

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 ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.34% 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 ...

, 0.79% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races.

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 were 2.15% of the population. There were 2,131 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% 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, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,319, and the median income for a family was $34,322. Males had a median income of $26,038 versus $19,090 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 city was $18,723. About 10.4% of families and 13.4% 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 19.1% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bethel University

Since 1872, Bethel University's campus has been located on the north side of town. This Cumberland Presbyterian affiliated university offers Bachelors and master's degrees in multiple fields. The school is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

, and operates.

satellite campus A satellite campus, branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or country, ...

es in Jackson, TN, and Paris, TN.

Tennessee College of Applied Technology

Formerly the formerly named the McKenzie State Area Vocational School, the Tennessee College of Applied Technology is one of 46 institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents system and offers courses in Industrial Electricity/Electronics, Machine Shop, Refrigeration, Office Occupations Instructor, Welding, Masonry, Industrial Maintenance, and HVAC.

McKenzie Special School District

* McKenzie Elementary School (grades PreK-4) * McKenzie Middle School (grades 5–8) * McKenzie High School (grades 9–12)

Cultural Institutions

* Park Theater - A 1940s theater that shows local plays and movies * McKenzie Memorial Library - City library with 14,902 books in circulation * Gordon Browning Museum and Genealogical Library - Museum named in honor of former Tennessee Governor Gordon Browning * Webb School Alumni Museum - local museum focused on the all-Black Webb School, which served

West Tennessee West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers, delineated by state law. Its geography consists ...

from 1927 to 1966

Media

Radio

* WRQR-FM 105.5 "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning" * WTPR-AM 710 "The Greatest Hits of All Time" * WTPR-FM 101.7 "The Greatest Hits of All Time" * WTJF AM 1390 FM 105.3 & 94.3 "The Mike Slater Show" 6 am-9 am * WHDM 1440-AM 98.9-FM * WAJJ 89.3 FM WAJJ Christian Radio

Newspapers

* ''The McKenzie Banner''

References

External links

*
McKenzie Special School District

Park Theater
{{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Carroll County, Tennessee Cities in Henry County, Tennessee Cities in Weakley County, Tennessee