Cheatham County, Tennessee

Cheatham County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,072.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Ashland City.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> Cheatham County is located in Middle Tennessee, and is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Cheatham County was created by the Tennessee General Assembly act in 1856, from lands formerly of Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery, and Robertson counties. Cheatham County was named for Edward Saunders Cheatham, a state legislator. It is also possible that Cheatham County was also named for native middle Tennessean and Confederate general Benjamin F. Cheatham, a relative of Edward Saunders Cheatham.<ref name=tehc/>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.5%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

The county is bisected from northwest to southeast by the Cumberland River, with Ashland City on its northern bank. The southern portion of the county is bisected from southeast to northwest by the Harpeth River, which meanders through generally hilly country, and along whose course are located the communities of Kingston Springs, largely to the north of I-40, and Pegram, along U.S. Route 70 (US 70). The western border of the central portion of the county is defined by the course of the Harpeth. The hills east of the Harpeth and south of the Cumberland are partly set aside by the state as the Cheatham State Wildlife Management Area. North of Ashland City the hills subside into more level highlands, where the community of Pleasant View is located just south of I-24, which generally delineates the county's northern border.

Adjacent counties

• Robertson County (northeast)
• Davidson County (east)
• Williamson County (south)
• Dickson County (west)
• Montgomery County (northwest)

State protected areas

• Cheatham Wildlife Management Area
• Cheatham Lake Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Harpeth River State Park

Demographics

2020 census

Cheatham County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	36,299	88.38%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	815	1.98%
Native American	92	0.22%
Asian	184	0.45%
Pacific Islander	25	0.06%
Other/Mixed	1,818	4.43%
Hispanic or Latino	1,839	4.48%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 41,072 people, 15,089 households, and 11,022 families residing in the county.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 35,912 people, 12,878 households, and 10,160 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 13,508 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 96.86% White, 1.48% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.22%.<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In 2005 The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% non-Hispanic whites, 2.1% African-Americans and 1.7% Latinos. In 2000 Of the 12,878 households 39.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.90% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.10% were non-families. 16.90% of households were one person and 5.30% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.08.

The age distribution was 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.30% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.

The median household income was $45,836 and the median family income was $49,143. Males had a median income of $34,476 versus $25,191 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,882. About 5.30% of families and 7.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.60% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Pleasant View

Towns

• Ashland City (county seat)
• Kingston Springs
• Pegram

Unincorporated communities

• Bell Town
• Chapmansboro
• Cheap Hill
• Craggie Hope
• Shacklett

Government and politics

County Government

The county mayor serves as the chief executive officer of Cheatham County and is elected at-large. The position oversees county administration and finances. The current mayor is Republican<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Kerry McCarver.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Board of County Commissioners is the county's legislative body. It is composed of twelve members elected from six districts, with two commissioners representing each district. The commission is responsible for adopting the county budget, setting the property tax rate, and overseeing county departments and services. It meets regularly at 6:00 p.m. on the third Monday of each month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot

Political History

Cheatham County was historically a "Solid South" Democratic stronghold, like much of Middle Tennessee, consistently supporting Democratic presidential candidates through much of the 20th century and even supporting segregationist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> George Wallace in 1968. Republican candidates began gaining traction near the final quarter of the century, with Richard Nixon carrying the county in 1972 for the first time in recent memory.Template:Efn After 1972, Democrats carried the county through the later 1970s and into the 1990s, although it supported Republicans Ronald Reagan in 1984 and George H. W. Bush in 1988.

In 2000, Cheatham County began solidifying as a Republican stronghold, when George W. Bush carried it over native Tennessean Al Gore. Since then, the county has voted reliably Republican in every presidential election, with Donald Trump surpassing 70% of the vote in 2016, and Democrats have not approached one-third of the county's vote share since. The last time Cheatham County voted for a Democratic candidate in a statewide race was for Phil Bredesen in 2006, and the last time it voted for a Democratic candidate on a presidential level, was for Bill Clinton in 1996.

Notable people

• Gene Allison, R&B singer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Mark Green, politician, physician, and retired U.S. Army major, former Republican U.S. representative for Tennessee's 7th congressional district<ref name="website">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Green's listing at Tennessee State Senate page</ref>
• Hickok45, firearm content YouTuber<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Horace McCoy, writer<ref name="B&A">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Caleb Plant, professional boxer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Ryan Stack, former professional basketball player<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Pat Summitt, women's college basketball head coach<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Upchurch, rapper, singer-songwriter, and comedian<ref name="allmusic">Template:Cite web</ref>
• Clive Westlake, British songwriter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cheatham County, Tennessee
• List of counties in Tennessee

References

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External links

• Official site
• Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce
• Cheatham County, TNGenWeb – free genealogy resources for the county