Weakley County, Tennessee

Weakley County is a county located in the northwest of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,902.^[2] Its county seat is Dresden.^[3] Its largest city is Martin, the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin. 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.

Weakley County
County
Weakley County Courthouse in Dresden
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°17′N 88°43′W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	October 21, 1823
Named for	Robert Weakley[1]
Seat	Dresden
Largest city	Martin
Area
• Total	582 sq mi (1,510 km2)
• Land	580 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Water	1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,902
• Density	57/sq mi (22/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th
Website	www.weakleycountytn.gov

History

Weakley County was created in October 1823 from some of the land that the Chickasaw people ceded to the United States in the Treaty of 1818. 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.^[4]

During the 19th century, the county was the state's largest corn producer. By the latter half of the 20th century, soybeans became the county's leading crop.^[1]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 582 square miles (1,510 km²), of which 580 square miles (1,500 km²) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) (0.2%) is water.^[5] 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.

Adjacent counties

• Hickman County, Kentucky (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
• Harts Mill Wetland Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Obion River Wildlife Management Area (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1830	4,797		—
1840	9,870		105.8%
1850	14,608		48.0%
1860	18,216		24.7%
1870	20,755		13.9%
1880	24,538		18.2%
1890	28,955		18.0%
1900	32,546		12.4%
1910	31,929		−1.9%
1920	31,053		−2.7%
1930	29,262		−5.8%
1940	29,498		0.8%
1950	27,962		−5.2%
1960	24,227		−13.4%
1970	28,827		19.0%
1980	32,896		14.1%
1990	31,972		−2.8%
2000	34,895		9.1%
2010	35,021		0.4%
2020	32,902		−6.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2014[10]

Age pyramid for Weakley County^[11]

2020 census

Weakley County racial composition^[12]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	27,813	84.53%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,593	7.88%
Native American	52	0.16%
Asian	192	0.58%
Pacific Islander	3	0.01%
Other/Mixed	1,344	4.08%
Hispanic or Latino	905	2.75%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 32,902 people, 13,640 households, and 8,677 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 34,895 people, 13,599 households, and 9,124 families residing in the county. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23 people/km²). There were 14,928 housing units at an average density of 26 units per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.27% White, 6.95% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.15% of the population were Hispanic 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 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 for the county was $15,408. About 11.10% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, 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.^[14]
• The Weakley County Press - located in Martin
• The Pacer - Student newspaper of the University of Tennessee at Martin

Education

Weakley County Schools

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

School Name	Team Mascot	School Colors	School Website
Dresden Elementary School	Lions	Black, Gold	http://www.des.weakleyschools.com/
Dresden Middle School	Lions	Black/Gold	http://www.dms.weakleyschools.com/
Dresden High School	Lions	Black/Gold	http://www.dhs.weakleyschools.com/
Gleason School	Bulldogs	Orange/Black	http://www.gls.weakleyschools.com/cms/One.aspx
Greenfield School	Yellowjackets	Black/Orange	http://www.grs.weakleyschools.com/
Martin Elementary School	Chargers	Blue/White	http://www.mes.weakleyschools.com/
Martin Middle School	Chargers	Blue/White	http://www.mms.weakleyschools.com/
Martin Primary School	N/A	Blue/Yellow	http://www.mps.weakleyschools.com/
Sharon School	Eagles	Purple/Yellow	http://www.ss.weakleyschools.com/
Westview High School	Chargers	Royal Blue/Yellow Gold	http://www.whs.weakleyschools.com/

Communities

Sharon

Cities

• Greenfield
• Martin
• McKenzie (mostly in Carroll County and a small portion in Henry County)

Towns

• Dresden (county seat)
• Gleason
• Sharon

Unincorporated communities

• Austin Springs
• Boydsville
• Dukedom (partial)
• Gardner
• Latham
• Palmersville

Politics

United States presidential election results for Weakley County, Tennessee^[15]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	10,396	75.69%	3,020	21.99%	319	2.32%
2016	9,008	73.93%	2,772	22.75%	404	3.32%
2012	8,605	69.75%	3,548	28.76%	184	1.49%
2008	8,855	64.68%	4,596	33.57%	239	1.75%
2004	7,817	57.92%	5,588	41.40%	91	0.67%
2000	6,106	51.55%	5,570	47.03%	168	1.42%
1996	4,622	41.21%	5,657	50.44%	936	8.35%
1992	4,800	40.44%	5,691	47.95%	1,378	11.61%
1988	5,701	57.07%	4,239	42.44%	49	0.49%
1984	6,480	57.41%	4,752	42.10%	55	0.49%
1980	5,668	48.15%	5,910	50.21%	193	1.64%
1976	2,875	29.65%	6,605	68.12%	216	2.23%
1972	5,836	71.48%	2,027	24.83%	302	3.70%
1968	2,858	30.50%	1,988	21.21%	4,525	48.29%
1964	2,684	34.21%	5,161	65.79%	0	0.00%
1960	3,543	43.69%	4,488	55.35%	78	0.96%
1956	2,720	36.22%	4,717	62.81%	73	0.97%
1952	3,043	41.83%	4,198	57.70%	34	0.47%
1948	1,310	27.06%	3,099	64.02%	432	8.92%
1944	1,595	31.65%	3,434	68.15%	10	0.20%
1940	1,139	24.51%	3,474	74.74%	35	0.75%
1936	928	22.03%	3,254	77.26%	30	0.71%
1932	783	17.11%	3,777	82.52%	17	0.37%
1928	1,358	35.25%	2,495	64.75%	0	0.00%
1924	1,154	26.67%	3,149	72.78%	24	0.55%
1920	2,741	38.25%	4,395	61.33%	30	0.42%
1916	1,768	32.84%	3,609	67.04%	6	0.11%
1912	1,265	28.38%	2,810	63.03%	383	8.59%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Weakley County, Tennessee

References

1. Virginia Clark Vaughan, "Weakley County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: April 24, 2013.
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Weakley County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "About Dresden". City of Dresden. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
8. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
11. Based on 2000 census data
12. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
14. Dresden Enterprise official site. Retrieved: April 24, 2013.
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.

External links

• Official site
• Weakley County Chamber of Commerce
• Weakley County Schools
• Weakley County TNGenWeb

36.29°N 88.72°W / 36.29; -88.72