Jamestown, Tennessee

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Jamestown, Tennessee
Fentress County Courthouse in Jamestown
Fentress County Courthouse in Jamestown
Location of Jamestown, Tennessee
Location of Jamestown, Tennessee
Coordinates: 36°25′45″N 84°55′57″W / 36.42917, -84.9325
Country United States
State Tennessee
County Fentress
Area
 - Total 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km²)
 - Land 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation 1,719 ft (524 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 1,839
 - Density 634.4/sq mi (245.0/km²)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 38556
Area code(s) 931
FIPS code 47-37780[1]
GNIS feature ID 1289287[2]

Jamestown is a city in Fentress County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Fentress County[3]. The city population was 1,839 at the 2000 census. The 2008 estimated population is about 2,300.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Jamestown is located at 36°25′45″N, 84°55′57″W (36.429082, -84.932414)[4]. Jamestown is situated at the intersection of U.S. 127 and Tennessee Highway 52, in central Fentress County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,839 people, 881 households, and 446 families residing in the city. The population density was 634.4 people per square mile (244.8/km²). There were 1,007 housing units at an average density of 347.4/sq mi (134.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.42% White, 0.71% African American, 0.05% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population.

There were 881 households out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.6% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.3% were non-families. 47.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.9% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 77.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $12,136, and the median income for a family was $18,714. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $16,094 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,135. About 28.9% of families and 35.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.8% of those under age 18 and 27.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

The City of Jamestown was established in 1828, a few years after the County of Fentress was established in 1823. Fentress County and the City of Jamestown are so named for the prominent local politician James Fentress (1763-1843), who made the appeal for the new county to be carved out of Overton and Morgan Counties. Jamestown was built upon the site of a semi-permanent Cherokee village, which probably made use of the many natural rock shelters in the area.[5] Before the founding of Jamestown, the area was known as "Sand Springs" for the many bubbling springs located within the city. The last remaining spring is located within the Mark Twain City Park just northeast of the county courthouse. This spring provided water to John M. Clemens, father of Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain), and his family before they moved to Missouri. Mr. Clemens served as the first circuit court clerk. He also drew plans for the first courthouse and jail.

[edit] Interesting facts

Sgt. Alvin C. York was born, raised and died in Fentress County. He lived in Pall Mall, although Jamestown is the county seat and largest town in the county. Jamestown has Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, a high school built by Alvin C. York himself. It is one of four state funded schools in Tennessee.

Jamestown has a low power FM radio station WSAB-LP at 92.5. It also has radio stations WDEB-FM at 103.9 and WDEB-AM at 1500.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ The Federal Writers' Project, The WPA Guide to Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 1986), 498.

[edit] External links