Bledsoe County, Tennessee

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]

Bledsoe County
U.S. county
Bledsoe County Courthouse in Pikeville
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°36′N 85°13′W
Country United States
State Tennessee
Founded1807
Named forAnthony Bledsoe[1]
SeatPikeville
Largest cityPikeville
Area
 • Total407 sq mi (1,050 km2)
 • Land406 sq mi (1,050 km2)
 • Water0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)  0.08%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)
14,755
 • Density32/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district4th

History

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
Northern Bledsoe County, with the Cumberland Plateau on the horizon

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

State protected areas

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18204,005—
18304,64816.1%
18405,67622.1%
18505,9595.0%
18604,459−25.2%
18704,8709.2%
18805,61715.3%
18906,1349.2%
19006,6268.0%
19106,329−4.5%
19207,21814.0%
19307,128−1.2%
19408,35817.3%
19508,5612.4%
19607,811−8.8%
19707,643−2.2%
19809,47824.0%
19909,6692.0%
200012,36727.9%
201012,8764.1%
2018 (est.)14,755[8]14.6%
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

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

Prisons

Bledsoe County Correctional Complex (BCCX) covers about 2,500 acres between Pikeville and Spencer. The prison is a level 3 facility which houses about 2,539 offenders in three separate facilities: Site 1; Site 2 (formerly Southeast Tennessee State Regional Correctional Facility); and Unit 28 (houses female offenders.)[15]

Communities

City
Old Bellview School in northwestern Bledsoe County

Unincorporated communities

Politics

Bledsoe County has long been a Republican stronghold, although it was not historically as Republican as the counties to its northeast. The last Democrat to carry this county was Bill Clinton in 1992.

Presidential election results
Presidential Elections Results[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third Parties
2020 82.1% 4,725 16.9% 971 1.1% 62
2016 77.7% 3,622 19.2% 897 3.1% 145
2012 69.3% 3,022 29.1% 1,267 1.6% 70
2008 66.2% 3,166 31.7% 1,517 2.1% 101
2004 59.2% 2,849 40.1% 1,927 0.7% 33
2000 56.7% 2,380 41.9% 1,756 1.4% 60
1996 46.0% 1,626 45.9% 1,621 8.1% 285
1992 44.2% 1,776 46.9% 1,884 8.9% 358
1988 59.0% 1,858 40.5% 1,274 0.5% 15
1984 59.3% 1,950 40.1% 1,316 0.6% 20
1980 54.9% 1,970 44.2% 1,585 0.9% 31
1976 47.6% 1,620 51.7% 1,757 0.7% 24
1972 65.9% 1,952 30.4% 899 3.8% 111
1968 46.7% 1,477 30.2% 957 23.1% 732
1964 50.3% 1,431 49.7% 1,412
1960 58.7% 1,439 40.0% 981 1.3% 32
1956 56.6% 1,429 42.7% 1,079 0.7% 18
1952 50.9% 1,229 47.9% 1,158 1.2% 30
1948 49.1% 1,103 48.6% 1,092 2.4% 53
1944 59.9% 1,187 40.1% 795
1940 46.3% 1,317 53.7% 1,527
1936 48.7% 1,178 50.4% 1,218 1.0% 23
1932 48.1% 960 51.9% 1,034
1928 60.1% 901 39.9% 598
1924 58.3% 690 41.0% 485 0.8% 9
1920 71.3% 1,198 28.7% 482
1916 61.7% 681 38.3% 423
1912 30.2% 379 37.0% 464 32.8% 411

See also

References
  1. Elizabeth Robnett, "Bledsoe County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: 31 March 2013.
  2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  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.
  7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  8. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. 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
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  15. See [https://www.tn.gov/correction/sp/state-prison-list/bledsoe-count-correctional-complex.html "Bledsoe County Correctional Complex" (2020)
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-03-09.

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