Putnam County, Tennessee

Infobox U.S. County
county = Putnam County
state = Tennessee


map size = 265
founded = 11 February 1854
seat = Cookeville
area_total_sq_mi =403
area_land_sq_mi =401
area_water_sq_mi =2
area percentage = 0.37%
census yr = 2000
pop = 62315
density_km2 =60
web = www.putnamcountytn.gov
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Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 62,315, a 21 percent increase from 1990. The [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US4716920&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US47%7C16000US4716920&_street=&_county=Putnam+County&_cityTown=Putnam+County&_state=04000US47&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160 2004 Census estimate population] is 66,000. Its county seat is CookevilleGR|6.

Putnam County is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.

After its original formation in 1842 was declared unconstitutional, Putnam County was firmly established 11 February 1854 when Richard Fielding Cooke's bill, with amendments, cleared the Tennessee House. Putnam County was again a reality. The name is in honor of Israel Putnam, who was a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 403 square miles (1,043 km²), of which, 401 square miles (1,039 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Overton County (northeast)
*Cumberland County (east)
*White County (south)
*DeKalb County (southwest)
*Smith County (west)
*Jackson County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 62,315 people, 24,865 households, and 16,410 families residing in the county. The population density was 155 people per square mile (60/km²). There were 26,916 housing units at an average density of 67 per square mile (26/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.52% White, 1.71% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 1.60% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 24,865 households out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.30% under the age of 18, 14.70% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,914, and the median income for a family was $39,553. Males had a median income of $29,243 versus $21,001 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,927. About 10.30% of families and 16.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.90% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over.

History

Putnam County is named in honor of General Israel Putnam, who rose to prominence in the American Revolutionary War and fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

Putnam County was first established on 2 February 1842 when the Twenty-fourth Tennessee General Assembly enacted a measure creating Putnam County from portions of Jackson, Overton, Fentress, and White Counties. Isaac Buck, Burton Marchbanks, Henry L. McDaniel, Lawson Clark, Carr Terry, Richard F. Cooke, H. D. Marchbanks, Craven Maddox, and Elijah Con, all of Jackson County, were named by the Act to superintend the surveying of the new county.

Surveying was done by Mounce Gore, also of Jackson County, and the Assembly instructed them to locate the county seat, to be called "Monticello," near the center of the county. However contending that the formation of Putnam was illegal because it reduced their areas below constitutional limits, Overton and Jackson counties secured an injunction against its continued operation. Putnam officials failed to reply to the complaint, and in the March, 1845 term of the Chancery Court at Livingston, Chancellor Bromfield L. Ridley declared Putnam unconstitutionally established and therefore dissolved. The 1854 act reestablishing Putnam was passed after Representative Henderson M. Clements of Jackson County assured his colleagues that a new survey showed that there was sufficient area to form the county.

The act specified the "county town" be named "Cookeville" in honor of Richard F. Cooke, who served in the Tennessee Senate from 1851-1854, representing at various times Jackson, Fentress, Macon, Overton and White Counties. The act authorized Joshua R. Stone and Green Baker from White County, William Davis and Isaiah Warton from Overton County, John Brown and Austin Morgan from Jackson County, William B. Stokes and Bird S. Rhea from DeKalb County, and Benjamin A. Vaden and Nathan Ward from Smith County to study the Conner survey and select a spot, not more than two and one-half miles from the center of the county, for the courthouse. The first County Court chose a hilly tract of land then owned by Charles Crook for the site.

Education

Cookeville, the largest town in Putnam County, is the home of Tennessee Technological University, which is known for its engineering programs, its school of education, its business school and its center for rural health. The largest college at Tennessee Tech is its College of Arts and Sciences. The university student population of 10,600 comprises a third of the resident population of Cookeville.

The Putnam County school system [http://www.putnamcountyschools.com] enrolls 10,200 students in 18 schools spread throughout the county. The largest, Cookeville High School [http://www.cookevillecavaliers.com] , is the largest non-metropolitan school in the state and is one of only five schools in the state to offer the International Baccalaureate program.Fact|date=May 2008

Putnam County ZIP codes and their 2000 populations

*Algood is included in Cookeville's 38506 ZIP code
*Baxter 38544 (5,908)
*Bloomington Springs 38545 (1,315)
*Buffalo Valley 38548 (634)
*Cookeville 38501 (32,906), 38502, 38503, 38505, 38506 (22,542)
*Monterey 38574 (7,432)
*Silver Point 38582 (1,403)
*Tennessee Tech University 38505 (10,300 students)

Cities and towns

*Algood
*Baxter
*Cookeville
*Monterey

Unincorporated communities

*Bloomington Springs
*Buffalo Valley
*Silver Point

References

External links

* [http://www.putnamcountytn.gov Putnam County government]
* [http://www.pclibrary.org Putnam County Library System]
* [http://www.cookevillechamber.com Cookeville Putnam County Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.putnamcountyschools.com Putnam County Schools]
*dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Tennessee/Counties/Putnam/|Putnam County