Cumberland County, Tennessee

Cumberland County
Cumberland County
County
	Cumberland County Courthouse in Crossville
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
	Tennessee's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°57′N 85°00′W / 35.95°N 85°W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	November 16, 1855
Named for	Cumberland Mountains
Seat	Crossville
Largest city	Crossville
Area
• Total	685 sq mi (1,770 km2)
• Land	681 sq mi (1,760 km2)
• Water	3.8 sq mi (10 km2) 0.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	61,145
• Density	82/sq mi (32/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th
Website	cumberlandcountytn.gov

Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,145.^[3] Its county seat is Crossville.^[4] Cumberland County comprises the Crossville, TN micropolitan statistical area.^[5]

History

Cumberland County was formed in 1856 from parts of Bledsoe, Roane, Morgan, Fentress, Rhea, Putnam, Overton, and White.^[6] During the Civil War, the county was nearly evenly split between those supporting the Union and those supporting the Confederacy.^[6]

In 1787, the North Carolina legislature ordered widening and improvements to Avery's Trace, the trail that ran from North Carolina through Knoxville and what is now Cumberland County to Nashville. They raised funds by a lottery and completed a project that built a wagon road. This slightly improved travel, but still required a bone jarring trip. The road was often muddy and crossed stone slabs so that it was only passable in some places on foot. Reportedly wagons could not get down the steep grade at Spencer's Mountain without locking brakes on all wheels and dragging a tree behind to slow the descent. The mountain top was described as "quite denuded of trees."

Cumberland County Courthouse, photographed in 1910

Cumberland County was the site of an important saltpeter mine. Saltpeter is the main ingredient of gunpowder and was obtained by leaching the earth from Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave. Richard Green Waterhouse settled in this area in 1800. In his "Diary, Journal, and Memoirs" he states that he went with William Kelly into Grassy cove and explored his (Kelly's) saltpeter cave on October 7, 1812.^[7]

According to Barr (1961), Dicky Mathews began the manufacture of gunpowder at the cave in 1859. His son was killed by an explosion at Powder House Spring below the cave. This is an exceptionally large cave and evidence of mining extends far from the entrance. The leaching vats were located in a large room near the entrance, but this room is damp and the wooden vats have deteriorated to the point that they are difficult to recognize.^[8]

During the 1930s, as part of the New Deal, the federal government's Subsistence Homesteads Division established the Cumberland Homesteads outside of Crossville. The program provided land and houses for 250 impoverished families. Cumberland Mountain State Park was built as part of this project.^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 685 square miles (1,770 km²), of which 681 square miles (1,760 km²) is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) (0.6%) is water.^[9] It is the fourth-largest county in Tennessee by area. The county is located atop the Cumberland Plateau. The southernmost of the Cumberland Mountains, known locally as the Crab Orchard Mountains, rise in the northeastern part of the county.

The county is home to a number of karst formations, most notably at Grassy Cove, a large, closed depression located southeast of Crossville. It is 3 miles wide, 5 miles long, and over 1,000 feet deep. All of the water draining into Grassy Cove flows underground through a large cave system and emerges 4 miles southwest at the head of the Sequatchie Valley to form the Sequatchie River.

The Tennessee Divide, where the watersheds of the Cumberland River and the Tennessee River meet, passes through the county. The source of the Caney Fork is located west of the divide, while the source of the Obed River is located east of the divide.

Adjacent counties

Fentress County (north)
Morgan County (northeast/EST Border)
Roane County (east/EST Border)
Rhea County (southeast/EST Border)
Bledsoe County (south)
Van Buren County (southwest)
White County (west)
Putnam County (northwest)

National protected area

Obed Wild and Scenic River (part)

State protected areas

Bledsoe State Forest (part)
Catoosa Wildlife Management Area (part)
Cumberland Mountain State Park
Cumberland Trail (part)
Keyes-Harrison Wildlife Management Area
Luper Mountain Wildlife Management Area
Mount Roosevelt Wildlife Management Area (part)
Ozone Falls State Natural Area

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	3,460	—
1870	3,461	0.0%
1880	4,538	31.1%
1890	5,376	18.5%
1900	8,311	54.6%
1910	9,327	12.2%
1920	10,094	8.2%
1930	11,440	13.3%
1940	15,592	36.3%
1950	18,877	21.1%
1960	19,135	1.4%
1970	20,733	8.4%
1980	28,676	38.3%
1990	34,736	21.1%
2000	46,802	34.7%
2010	56,053	19.8%
2020	61,145	9.1%
U.S. Decennial Census^[10] 1790-1960^[11] 1900-1990^[12] 1990-2000^[13] 2010-2014^[14]

2020 census

Cumberland County racial composition^[16]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	56,313	92.1%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	299	0.49%
Native American	130	0.21%
Asian	366	0.6%
Pacific Islander	12	0.02%
Other/Mixed	2,089	3.42%
Hispanic or Latino	1,936	3.17%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 61,145 people, 25,801 households, and 17,692 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the census^[17] of 2010, there were 56,053 people, 23,791 households, and 16,954 families residing in the county. The population density was 82.3 people per square mile (31.8 people/km²).

There were 28,151 housing units at an average density of 41.3 units per square mile (15.9/km²).^[18] The racial makeup of the county was 96.08% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. 2.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the 2014 American Community Survey the largest ancestry groups in Cumberland County were German (15%), American (14.8%), Irish (12.9%), and English (11.8%).

There were 23,791 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.7% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were one-person, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.72.

The population was distributed by age as follows, with 19.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 20% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 26% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.3 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $30,901, and the median income for a family was $35,928. Males had a median income of $26,559 versus $20,644 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,808. About 11.10% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.80% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Cumberland County School District oversees two high schools, nine elementary schools, and one charter school. Schools include Cumberland County & Stone Memorial High Schools.

Communities

Cities

Crab Orchard
Crossville (county seat)

Town

Pleasant Hill

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Westel, Tennessee

Politics

Like all of East Tennessee, Cumberland County is powerfully Republican, and has generally been favorable to the party since the Civil War. Five Democratic presidential candidates have won the county since then, but none have reached 52 percent of the county's vote. For example, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson only won the county by fewer than 100 votes even as they won over 40 states and 400 electoral votes. The Democrats have only managed 40 percent of the county's vote five other times.

United States presidential election results for Cumberland County, Tennessee^[19]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	27,399	79.09%	6,996	20.20%	247	0.71%
2020	25,168	77.97%	6,728	20.84%	383	1.19%
2016	20,413	77.44%	5,202	19.73%	745	2.83%
2012	18,653	73.73%	6,261	24.75%	384	1.52%
2008	17,436	67.81%	7,889	30.68%	387	1.51%
2004	15,144	64.07%	8,327	35.23%	166	0.70%
2000	10,994	57.81%	7,644	40.20%	379	1.99%
1996	8,096	49.53%	6,676	40.84%	1,575	9.63%
1992	7,116	45.06%	6,393	40.48%	2,283	14.46%
1988	7,557	65.18%	3,964	34.19%	73	0.63%
1984	7,083	65.85%	3,605	33.52%	68	0.63%
1980	6,354	60.89%	3,775	36.17%	307	2.94%
1976	4,119	47.00%	4,543	51.84%	101	1.15%
1972	4,593	73.78%	1,482	23.81%	150	2.41%
1968	3,115	51.81%	1,428	23.75%	1,469	24.43%
1964	2,975	49.19%	3,073	50.81%	0	0.00%
1960	3,523	60.70%	2,189	37.72%	92	1.59%
1956	3,200	62.00%	1,925	37.30%	36	0.70%
1952	3,282	61.45%	2,059	38.55%	0	0.00%
1948	1,988	53.43%	1,607	43.19%	126	3.39%
1944	1,786	59.93%	1,174	39.40%	20	0.67%
1940	1,492	50.32%	1,443	48.67%	30	1.01%
1936	1,409	49.46%	1,426	50.05%	14	0.49%
1932	957	48.73%	996	50.71%	11	0.56%
1928	1,186	70.14%	505	29.86%	0	0.00%
1924	885	58.61%	538	35.63%	87	5.76%
1920	1,485	72.69%	557	27.26%	1	0.05%
1916	924	68.19%	428	31.59%	3	0.22%
1912	372	28.48%	489	37.44%	445	34.07%

References

^ "Cumberland County TNGenWeb". Retrieved May 15, 2021.
^ Origins Of Tennessee County Names, Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 508-513.
^ "Census - Geography Profile: Cumberland County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ United States Census Bureau, Crossville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Retrieved: June 25, 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c G. Donald Brookhart, "Cumberland County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: June 25, 2013.
^ Larry Matthews, "Caves of Grassy Cove," National Speleological Society, August 2014, pp. 29-30. ISBN 978-1-68044-003-4.
^ Thomas C. Barr, Jr., "Caves of Tennessee", Bulletin 64 of the Tennessee Division of Geology, 1961, 568 pages.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
^ "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 2, 2015.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
^ "Tennessee 2010: Population Housing and Unit Costs" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 10, 2018.