McNairy County, Tennessee

McNairy County, Tennessee
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	October 8, 1823
Seat	Selmer
Largest city	Selmer
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	561 sq mi (1,453 km²) 560 sq mi (1,450 km²) 1 sq mi (2 km²), .14%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	24,653 44/sq mi (17/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

McNairy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 24,653. Its county seat is Selmer, pop. 4,500.^[1] McNairy County is located along the northern border of the state of Mississippi.

Sheriff Buford Pusser, whose story was told in the Walking Tall series of movies, was the sheriff of McNairy County from 1964 to 1970.^[2]

McNairy County is the location of the Coon Creek Science Center, a notable fossil site that preserves Late Cretaceous marine shells and vertebrate remains (such as mosasaurs).

Demographics

Age pyramid McNairy County^[3]

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 24,653 people, 9,980 households, and 7,135 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile (17/km²). There were 11,219 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.22% White, 6.23% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,980 households out of which 29.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,154, and the median income for a family was $36,045. Males had a median income of $30,028 versus $21,450 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,385. About 11.80% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.00% of those under age 18 and 20.80% of those age 65 or over.

History

Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County until 1890. Graves in the Purdy cemetery date back to the early 1800s. (2007)

County seat

Purdy was the county seat of McNairy County until 1890.^[5] Since then, Selmer has been the county seat.

Sheriff Buford Pusser

Buford Pusser served as the sheriff of McNairy County from 1964 to 1970. The courthouse and jail in Selmer were his base of operations. He gained prominence for his fight against illegal distilleries, bootleggers, gambling establishments, and corruption in the county. His story has been made famous in the Walking Tall series of movies starring Joe Don Baker and Bo Svenson, and in numerous documentaries and books.^[2][6]

Newspaper

The oldest existing business in McNairy County is its newspaper, the Independent Appeal, which was founded in 1902. It is located at 111 N. 2nd St. in Selmer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 561 square miles (1,453 km²), of which 560 square miles (1,450 km²) is land and 1 square miles (2 km²) (0.14%) is water.

The major highways U.S. Route 64 (east-west), and U.S. Route 45 (north-south) intersect in McNairy County and mutually bisect it into four parts. McNairy County's position on Route 64 places it on the historic Lee Highway, which stretches from New York to San Francisco.

Adjacent Counties

• Chester County (north)
• Hardin County (east)
• Alcorn County, Mississippi (south)
• Hardeman County (west)

Parks and attractions

McNairy County is the site of 5,000 acre (20 km²) Big Hill Pond State Park, which is forested with timberland and hardwood bottomland.

The county is also the location of the Coon Creek Science Center,^[7] a notable fossil site, located in Leapwood over the Coon Creek Formation, which preserves Late Cretaceous marine shells and vertebrate remains (such as mosasaurs) left there 70 million years ago.

McNairy County is also home to one of the most successful rural arts organizations in the state. Arts in McNairy Also known as AiM, Arts in McNairy pushes for arts recoginition in the county and surrounding area through theatre productions, exhibits of local artists, and the bi-annual Artisan Trail.

Cities and towns

• Adamsville
• Bethel Springs
• Eastview
• Finger
• Gilchrist (unincorporated)
• Guys
• Michie
• Milledgeville
• Purdy (unincorporated)
• Ramer
• Rose Creek Village^[8] (not incorporated as a municipality)
• Selmer (county seat)
• Stantonville
• Wolf Pen (or Wolfe Pen) (unincorporated)

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in McNairy County, Tennessee

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Buford Pusser Biography
3. ^ Based on 2000 census data
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ The Death Song of Purdy, by Nancy Wardlow Kennedy
6. ^ "A man who "Walked Tall" in McNairy County"
7. ^ Coon Creek Science Center
8. ^ Rose Creek Village, Inc. website

External links

• McNairy County Chamber of Commerce's Homepage
• McNairy County at the Open Directory Project
• Arts in McNairy Homepage
• McNairy Central High School

Coordinates: 35°11′N 88°34′W / 35.18°N 88.56°W / 35.18; -88.56