Bledsoe County, Tennessee

Bledsoe County
Bledsoe County, Tennessee
	Bledsoe County Courthouse in Pikeville
	; Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
	; Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	1807
Named for	Anthony Bledsoe
Seat	Pikeville
Largest city	Pikeville
Area
• Total	407 sq mi (1,054 km2)
• Land	406 sq mi (1,052 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (1 km2), 0.08%
Population
• (2010)	12,876
• Density	32/sq mi (12/km²)
Congressional district	4th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Bledsoe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,876.^[2] Its county seat is Pikeville.^[3]

History[edit]

Bledsoe County was formed in 1807 from land that was formerly Indian Land as well as land carved from Roane County. The county was named for Anthony Bledsoe (1739–1788), a soldier in the Revolutionary War and was an early settler of Sumner County. He was killed in an Indian attack at Bledsoe's Station.^[4]

Like many East Tennessee counties, Bledsoe County opposed secession on the eve of the Civil War. In Tennessee's Ordinance of Secession on June 8, 1861, the county's residents voted against secession by a margin of 500 to 197.^[5] General James G. Spears, a resident of Bledsoe, served as a vice president at the pro-Union East Tennessee Convention in May and June 1861, and fought for the Union Army in the war.^[6]

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 407 square miles (1,050 km²), of which 406 square miles (1,050 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (0.08%) is water.^[7]

Adjacent counties[edit]

Northern Bledsoe County, with the Cumberland Plateau on the horizon

Cumberland County (north)
Rhea County (east/EST Border)
Hamilton County (southeast/EST Border)
Sequatchie County (southwest)
Van Buren County (west)

State protected areas[edit]

Bledsoe State Forest (part)
Fall Creek Falls State Natural Area (part)
Fall Creek Falls State Park (part)

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	4,005		—
1830	4,648		16.1%
1840	5,676		22.1%
1850	5,959		5.0%
1860	4,459		−25.2%
1870	4,870		9.2%
1880	5,617		15.3%
1890	6,134		9.2%
1900	6,626		8.0%
1910	6,329		−4.5%
1920	7,218		14.0%
1930	7,128		−1.2%
1940	8,358		17.3%
1950	8,561		2.4%
1960	7,811		−8.8%
1970	7,643		−2.2%
1980	9,478		24.0%
1990	9,669		2.0%
2000	12,367		27.9%
2010	12,876		4.1%
Est. 2016	14,675	^[8]	14.0%
U.S. Decennial Census^[9] 1790-1960^[10] 1900-1990^[11] 1990-2000^[12] 2010-2014^[2]

Age pyramid Bledsoe County^[13]

As of the census^[14] of 2000, there were 12,367 people, 4,430 households, and 3,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 5,142 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.44% White, 3.70% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,430 households out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.20% were non-families. 22.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.10% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 31.30% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 121.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,982, and the median income for a family was $34,593. Males had a median income of $26,648 versus $20,639 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,889. About 14.90% of families and 18.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 23.20% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation[edit]

Bledsoe County is home to a portion of Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park.

Communities[edit]

City[edit]

Old Bellview School in northwestern Bledsoe County

Pikeville (county seat)

Unincorporated Communities[edit]

References[edit]

^ Elizabeth Robnett, "Bledsoe County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 31 March 2013.
^ ^a ^b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
^ Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 508-513
^ Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.
^ Oliver Perry Temple, Mary Boyce Temple (ed.), "General James G. Spears," Notable Men of Tennessee (Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 186-190.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-14.

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 35°36′N 85°13′W / 35.60°N 85.21°W / 35.60; -85.21

[tehc-1] Elizabeth Robnett, "Bledsoe County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 31 March 2013.

[QF-2] "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 29, 2013.

[GR6-3] "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.

[4] Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 508-513

[5] Oliver Perry Temple, East Tennessee and the Civil War (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 199.

[6] Oliver Perry Temple, Mary Boyce Temple (ed.), "General James G. Spears," Notable Men of Tennessee (Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 186-190.

[GR1-7] "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

[USCensusEst2016-8] "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.

[9] "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

[10] "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

[11] Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

[12] "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

[13] Based on 2000 census data

[GR8-14] "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-14.

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v t e Municipalities and communities of Bledsoe County, Tennessee, United States
County seat: Pikeville
City	Pikeville
Unincorporated communities	Cold Spring Dill Lees Station Lusk Melvine Mount Crest New Harmony Pailo Summer City

v t e State of Tennessee
Nashville (capital)
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Grand Divisions	East Tennessee Middle Tennessee West Tennessee
Regions	Blue Ridge Mountains Cumberland Mountains Cumberland Plateau Highland Rim Mississippi Plain Nashville Basin Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians Tennessee Valley Tri-Cities
Largest cities	Bartlett Bristol Chattanooga Clarksville Cleveland Franklin Hendersonville Jackson Johnson City Kingsport Knoxville Memphis Murfreesboro Nashville
Counties	Anderson Bedford Benton Bledsoe Blount Bradley Campbell Cannon Carroll Carter Cheatham Chester Claiborne Clay Cocke Coffee Crockett Cumberland Davidson Decatur DeKalb Dickson Dyer Fayette Fentress Franklin Gibson Giles Grainger Greene Grundy Hamblen Hamilton Hancock Hardeman Hardin Hawkins Haywood Henderson Henry Hickman Houston Humphreys Jackson Jefferson Johnson Knox Lake Lauderdale Lawrence Lewis Lincoln Loudon Macon Madison Marion Marshall Maury McMinn McNairy Meigs Monroe Montgomery Moore Morgan Obion Overton Perry Pickett Polk Putnam Rhea Roane Robertson Rutherford Scott Sequatchie Sevier Shelby Smith Stewart Sullivan Sumner Tipton Trousdale Unicoi Union Van Buren Warren Washington Wayne Weakley White Williamson Wilson