Van Buren County, Tennessee

Van Buren County, Tennessee
Van Buren County Courthouse in Spencer, TN
Location in the state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 3, 1840
Named for	Martin Van Buren
Seat	Spencer
Largest city	Spencer
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	275 sq mi (711 km²) 273 sq mi (708 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), .42%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	5,548 20.3/sq mi (8/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,548. Its county seat is Spencer.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 275 square miles (710 km²), of which 273 square miles (710 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.42%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• White County (north)
• Cumberland County (northeast)
• Bledsoe County (east)
• Sequatchie County (south)
• Warren County (west)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	2,674		—
1860	2,581		−3.5%
1870	2,725		5.6%
1880	2,933		7.6%
1890	2,863		−2.4%
1900	3,126		9.2%
1910	2,784		−10.9%
1920	2,624		−5.7%
1930	3,516		34.0%
1940	4,090		16.3%
1950	3,985		−2.6%
1960	3,671		−7.9%
1970	3,758		2.4%
1980	4,728		25.8%
1990	4,846		2.5%
2000	5,508		13.7%
2010	5,548		0.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,548 people and 2,096 households in the county. The population density was 20.3 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 2,673 housing units at an average density of 9.8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 0.9% from two or more races. 0.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Age pyramid Van Buren County

There were 2,096 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, while 30.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43. 82.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied, meaning that 17.4% were renter-occupied.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.2% up to the age of 19, 8.8% from 20 to 29, 12.4% from 30 to 39, 13.4% from 40 to 49, 16.8% from 50 to 59, 14.7% from 60 to 69, and 10.7% who were 70 years of age or older. The median age was 44.5 years. Women make up 50.2% of the population.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,087. The per capita income for the county was $17,160. 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

Populated places

• Bone Cave (unincorporated)
• Spencer

State parks and natural features

Fall Creek Falls State Park, which straddles the county line between Van Buren and Bledsoe counties, is a major attraction for visitors to the county.

Big Bone Cave is located in the northwest corner of Van Buren County. It is one of the best-known and most historic caverns in Tennessee. It was mined by prehistoric Indians for gypsum and salts and was the site of the largest saltpeter mine in Tennessee during the War of 1812 and again during the American Civil War. The cave is named for the discovery of the skeleton of a Giant Ground Sloth (Megalonyx jeffersoni) by saltpeter miners in 1811. Many of the wooden saltpeter mining artifacts in the cave remain in a remarkable state of preservation, due to the extreme dryness of the cave.

Notable people

• James Monroe Smith (1888–1949), educator

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Van Buren County, Tennessee

External links

• Van Buren County Chamber of Commerce
• Van Buren County Schools
• TNGenWeb
• Van Buren County at the Open Directory Project