Gallatin, Tennessee

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Gallatin is a city in Sumner County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sumner County^GR6. The city was named for U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.

Gallatin was formerly the headquarters of Dot Records, and is home to Volunteer State Community College, the largest 2-year college in Tennessee.

On April 7, 2006, a tornado struck the city, killing nine people and injuring 150. Volunteer State Community College sustained major damage. This tornado was part of the April 6-8, 2006 Tornado Outbreak.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

[edit] History

Sumner County was created by an act of the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina in November 1786. The county was named for Revolutionary War soldier Colonial Jethro Sumner. Gallatin was established in 1802 as the permanent county seat. The town was named after Albert Gallatin, Secretary of Treasury to Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Andrew Jackson became one of the first to purchase a lot when the town was surveyed and platted in 1803. That same year, the first courthouse and jail were built. In 1815, the town was first incorporated and would later function under a Charter established by a 1953 Private Act of the State Legislature.

At the beginning of the Civil War, the citizens of Gallatin were mostly opposed to secession from the Union. Eventually, the citizens placed their nearly unanimous support in the Confederacy. When fighting began in April 1861, soldiers from Sumner County began joining ranks. The Union Army first captured Gallatin in February 1862. In July, General John Hunt Morgan recaptured Gallatin and held it until Confederate forces fell back to Chattanooga.

Gallatin was left with occupational forces after the war. Upon their departure, the area returned to being a small southern community with steady growth. The area was primarily agricultural until mid-century. By 1970, industrialization resulted in only half of the county population being considered rural.^[1]

[edit] Geography

Gallatin is located at 36°22′53″N, 86°27′5″W (36.381370, -86.451315)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 58.2 km² (22.5 mi²). 56.9 km² (22.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.18%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 23,230 people, 8,963 households, and 6,193 families residing in the city. The population density was 408.2/km² (1,057.3/mi²). There were 9,600 housing units at an average density of 168.7/km² (436.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.30% White, 17.57% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.

There were 8,963 households out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,696, and the median income for a family was $41,899. Males had a median income of $30,620 versus $22,696 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,550. About 10.8% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over.