Obion County, Tennessee

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Reelfoot Lake

Obion County is a county located in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,787.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Union City.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county was formed in 1823 and organized in 1824.<ref name=tehc /> It was named after the Obion River.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Obion County is part of the Union City, TN–KY Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Martin–Union City, TN Combined Statistical Area.

History

In the year, 1811 there was a large seismic activity located on the New Madrid Fault Line. The series of earthquakes, while devastating, formed Reelfoot Lake.

Obion was later established in 1823 and organized the following year. It was named for the Obion River, which flows through the county and is a tributary of the nearby Mississippi River. The word "Obion" is believed to be derived from a Native American word meaning "many forks", or from an Irish trapper named O'Brien.<ref name="tehc" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The founding of Obion County originally came from the expansion of railroads. The county has since moved towards many agricultural and manufacturing productions.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2013, Discovery Park of America opened in Union City. Discovery Park is a 50-acre encyclopedic museum and heritage park with exhibits pertaining to local and national history, military history, art, science, and technology.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (1.9%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is located in the "rolling hills of northwest Tennessee".<ref name=tehc />

Adjacent counties

Fulton County, Kentucky (north)
Hickman County, Kentucky (northeast)
Weakley County (east)
Gibson County (southeast)
Dyer County (southwest)
Lake County (west)

National protected area

Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State protected areas

Glover Wetland Wildlife Management Area
Gooch Wildlife Management Area
Hop-In Refuge
Obion River Wildlife Management Area (part)
Reelfoot Lake State Natural Area (part)
Reelfoot Lake State Park (part)
Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area

Major highways

Demographics

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2020 census

Obion County racial composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	24,736	80.35%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	3,137	10.19%
Native American	50	0.16%
Asian	103	0.33%
Other/Mixed	1,187	3.86%
Hispanic or Latino	1,574	5.11%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,787 people, 12,717 households, and 8,389 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 32,450 people, 13,182 households, and 9,398 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 14,489 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 88.16% White, 9.85% Black or African American, 0.19% Asian, 0.14% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 13,182 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% 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 23.40% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,764, and the median income for a family was $40,533. Males had a median income of $32,963 versus $20,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,409. About 10.10% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 15.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

The county is part of District 77 of the Tennessee House of Representatives, currently represented by Republican Rusty Grills, and District 76, currently represented by Republican Tandy Darby. The county is part of District 24 of the Tennessee Senate, currently represented by Republican John Stevens.<ref>Senate District 24 from the website of the Tennessee General Assembly</ref> At the federal level, it is part of the state's 8th congressional district, currently represented by Republican David Kustoff.

Education

There are two school districts: Obion County Schools and Union City Schools.<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

Obion County Schools

School District website

School Name	Team Mascot	School Colors	School Website
Lake Road Elementary School	Generals	Blue/Orange	[1]
Hillcrest Elementary School	Cougars	Red/Navy Blue	[2]
Ridgemont Elementary School	Mustangs	Red/Yellow	[3]
Black Oak Elementary School	Eagles	Yellow/Blue	[4]
South Fulton Elementary School	Red Devils	Red/White	[5]
South Fulton Middle and High School	Red Devils	Red/White	[6]
Obion County Central High School	Rebels	Red/White/Blue	[7]

Union City Schools

School District Website

School Name	Team Mascot	School Colors	School Website
Union City Elementary School	Tornadoes	Purple/Gold	1
Union City Middle School	Tornadoes	Purple/Gold	1
Union City High School	Tornadoes	Purple/Gold	1

Attractions

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Discovery Park of America in Union City.

Obion County is home to many attractions and activities.

Discovery Park of America focuses on nature, science, technology, history, and art. Discovery Park is the main source of tourism to Obion County.
Reelfoot Lake is a protected area in Obion County. It is a venue for hiking, boating, and nature.
Masquerade Theatre is a local theater groups. What started as the historical Capitol Theater has now been renovated to meet the community's needs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Obion County Fair is one of the biggest events held in the county. Fair Rides, Agricultural displays, pageants, and much more are held in late August every year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

WENK-AM 1240 "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
WWGY 99.3 "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJ in the Morning"
WQAK-FM 105.7 "The Quake" (alternative rock)
The Union City Daily Messenger The county's Newspaper since 1926

Other services

Obion County has a public library, with a Template:Convert building and a catalog of over 70,000 books, video and audio materials.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Residents of the county's unincorporated communities have the option of paying $75 per year if they want firefighting services from the city of South Fulton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Communities

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The Tower at Discovery Park of America

Cities

Towns

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Unincorporated communities

References

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External links

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Obion County Joint Economic Development Council – joint initiative of the Obion County Chamber of Commerce and the Obion County Industrial Development Council
Obion County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county
Obion County Schools
Union City Schools

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