Editing Clay County, Tennessee

{{short description|County in Tennessee, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Clay County
 | state                = Tennessee
 | seal                 = 
 | founded              = 1870
 | named for            = [[Henry Clay]]<ref>[http://www.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook/05-06/44-counties.pdf Origins Of Tennessee County Names], ''[[Tennessee Blue Book]]'' 2005-2006, pages 508-513.</ref>
 | seat wl              = Celina
 | largest city wl      = Celina
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 259
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 237
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 23
 | area percentage      = 8.8%
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 7581 {{decrease}}
 | density_sq_mi        = 33
 | time zone            = Central
 | footnotes            = 
 | web                  = https://dalehollowlake.org/
 | ex image             = Clay-county-tennessee-courthouse.jpg
 | ex image cap         = Clay County Courthouse in Celina
 | district             = 6th }}

'''Clay County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Tennessee]]. As of the [[2020 United States census]], the population was 7,581.<ref name="2020 Census" /> Its [[county seat]] and only incorporated city is [[Celina, Tennessee|Celina]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}</ref>  Clay County is named in honor of American statesman [[Henry Clay]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA83 | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=83}}</ref> member of the [[United States Senate]] from [[Kentucky]] and [[United States Secretary of State]] in the 19th century.

==History==
Clay County was formed in 1870 by combining pieces from surrounding [[Jackson County, Tennessee|Jackson]] and [[Overton County, Tennessee|Overton]] counties.<ref name=tehc>Corinne McLerran, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=272 Clay County]," ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture''. Retrieved: June 24, 2013.</ref>  Secretary of State [[Cordell Hull]]'s first law office (now a museum) was located in Clay County.

Clay County's early inhabitants farmed and worked the Cumberland River, which was the major method of transportation in the Cumberland area. There were many docks and ferry crossings throughout Clay County to transport local crops and livestock to major markets. The timber industry was a major employer throughout the 1800s and 1900s and provides many jobs today. Tobacco farming became important in the local area throughout the 1900s and many old tobacco barns are still standing. With the end of government subsidies and with foreign competition, tobacco farming is minimal. Cattle, poultry, and corn are the major agricultural influences today. Clay County is one of the top poultry-producing counties in Tennessee.

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], many skirmishes took place up and down the Cumberland River to control the movement of barges laden with supplies. Local communities were split in their loyalties, with many families at odds with each other. Some of these animosities remain today between family groups.

The city of Celina is at the junction of the [[Obey River|Obey]] and Cumberland rivers, and it was a major port during the steamboat years between [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] and [[Burnside, Kentucky|Burnside]], [[Kentucky]]. Although the Celina ferry landing no longer exists, Celina still connects the north and south by highway. Butler's Landing was used as a storage depot with large warehouses owned and operated by the Butler family. The first Clay County Court meeting was held in a store near the river at Butler's Landing on March 6, 1871. Butler's Landing nearly became the county seat, but Celina won the vote by a narrow margin.

Clay County's rural location has restricted development and attraction of business and industry. This has resulted in the county having one of the highest unemployment rates annually in the state of Tennessee. The lack of jobs often results in the loss of educated young people who have limited opportunities locally. [[SR 52]] has been upgraded to a 4-lane divided highway as part of the [[Corridor J]] project, which connects to [[I-40]] in [[Cookeville]], and work continues on developing a new industrial park within the Celina city limits. It is hoped this industrial park will help attract more jobs to the county. {{citation needed|date=June 2012}}.

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|259|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|237|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|23|sqmi}} (8.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_47.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 2, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}}</ref> The [[Cumberland River]] flows through the center of the county from north to south, fed by the [[Obey River]] which flows through the city of Celina from its impoundment at [[Dale Hollow Reservoir|Dale Hollow Lake]], inundates much of the eastern part of the county.

===Adjacent counties===
*[[Monroe County, Kentucky]] (north)
*[[Cumberland County, Kentucky]] (northeast)
*[[Clinton County, Kentucky]] (northeast)
*[[Pickett County, Tennessee|Pickett County]] (east)
*[[Overton County, Tennessee|Overton County]] (southeast)
*[[Jackson County, Tennessee|Jackson County]] (south)
*[[Macon County, Tennessee|Macon County]] (west)

===State protected areas===
*[[Standing Stone State Forest]] (part)

===Highways===
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|51}}
*{{jct|state=TN|SR|52}}
*{{jct|state=TN|SR|53}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|135}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|292}}
*{{jct|state=TN|Sec|294}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 6987
|1890= 7260
|1900= 8421
|1910= 9009
|1920= 9193
|1930= 9577
|1940= 10904
|1950= 8701
|1960= 7289
|1970= 6624
|1980= 7676
|1990= 7238
|2000= 7976
|2010= 7861
|2020= 7581
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=April 2, 2015|archive-date=August 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811110448/http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/tn190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 27, 1995|access-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> 2010-2020<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/47027.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110705043942/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/47027.html|archive-date=July 5, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> 2020<ref name="2020 Census">{{cite web |title=2020 Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0500000US47027 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
}}
{{Stack|[[Image:USA Clay County, Tennessee.csv age pyramid.svg|thumb|left|150px|Age pyramid Clay County<ref>Based on 2000 [[census]] data</ref>]]}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Clay County racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US47027&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 26, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| [[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
| 7,202
| 95.0%
|-
!scope="row"| [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
| 76
| 1.0%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
| 17
| 0.22%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
| 5
| 0.07%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
| 1
| 0.01%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
| 150
| 1.98%
|-
!scope="row"| [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
| 130
| 1.71%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 7,581 people, 3,039 households, and 2,002 families residing in the county.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 7,976 people, 3,379 households, and 2,331 families residing in the county. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 7,992.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-47.xls |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921081015/http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/tables/CO-EST2005-01-47.xls |title=Missing Title |archive-date=September 21, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[population density]] was {{convert|34|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 3,959 housing units at an average density of {{convert|17|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 92.75% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 1.44% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.33% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.14% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.11% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.24% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 4.99% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 3,379 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.80.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.50% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 27.60% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $23,958, and the median income for a family was $29,784. Males had a median income of $23,513 versus $16,219 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $13,320. About 14.30% of families and 19.10% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 23.40% of those under age 18 and 27.60% of those age 65 or over.

==Communities==
[[File:Celina-overview-tn1.jpg|right|210px|thumb|[[Celina, Tennessee|Celina]]]]

===City===
*[[Celina, Tennessee|Celina]] (county seat)

===Unincorporated communities===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Bakerton, Tennessee|Bakerton]]
* [[Baptist Ridge, Tennessee|Baptist Ridge]]
*[[Free Hill, Tennessee|Free Hill]]
*[[Hermitage Springs, Tennessee|Hermitage Springs]]
* [[Midway, Clay County, Tennessee|Midway]]
*[[Moss, Tennessee|Moss]]
{{div col end}}
*[[Pea Ridge, Clay County, Tennessee|Pea Ridge]]

===Ghost town===
*[[Willow Grove, Tennessee|Willow Grove]]<ref>[https://clayco150.com/willow-grove/ "Willow Grove -- Clay County TN Celebration".] ''clayco150.com''. Retrieved November 4, 2022.</ref><ref>Watts, Jennifer (May 18, 2021). [https://tnmuseum.org/junior-curators/posts/underwater-ghost-towns-of-tennessee "Underwater Ghost Towns of Tennessee".] ''Tennessee State Museum''. Retrieved November 4, 2022.</ref>

==Politics==
Though a traditionally Democratic county like most of [[Middle Tennessee]], Clay County has historically been more competitive compared to other counties in the region such as [[Stewart County, Tennessee|Stewart County]], with pockets of [[Southern Unionist]] sympathy having existed on the [[Highland Rim]] west of the [[Cumberland River]] even as the river valley and eastern part of the county supported the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] enough to vote for secession by a wider margin than similarly-divided [[DeKalb County, Tennessee|DeKalb County]] (where secession passed by the narrowest margin of any county that didn't vote to remain).<ref>https://tnmap.tn.gov/civilwar/Civil%20War%20Trails%20Installation%20Sites%20with%20descriptions.pdf</ref> The county voted for GOP candidates in 1920, 1960, 1968, 1972, 1984 and 1988, and [[Herbert Hoover]] in 1928, [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1980, and [[George W. Bush]] in 2004 all came within less than 2 percentage points of winning Clay County. Like almost all of Tennessee, however, the county has turned solidly Republican in the 2010s. The last time Democrats even came close to winning any part of Clay County in any statewide election(s) was [[2018 United States Senate election in Tennessee|20]][[2018 Tennessee gubernatorial election|18]], when both [[Phil Bredesen]] and [[Karl Dean]] came within five percentage points of winning the Celina town limits (losing by 1.6% and 2.9% margins respectively) despite losing badly statewide. Even so, Celina itself has since been swept up in Clay County's hard rightward swing too, with [[Bill Lee (Tennessee politician)|Bill Lee]] doing better in Celina than statewide when he won re-election in [[2022 Tennessee gubernatorial election|2022]], a stark contrast from his anemic performance in 2018.<ref>https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::c0ed8258-ce44-4eec-9736-2cc3b86a9d16</ref> In [[2024 United States presidential election in Tennessee|20]][[2024 United States Senate election in Tennessee|24]], [[Donald Trump]] and [[Marsha Blackburn]] both got over 80% of the vote in Clay County overall, vastly outperforming even their previous margins; Clay County had one of the four biggest rightward swings/trends of any Tennessee county from the [[2020 United States presidential election in Tennessee|2020 presidential election]] to 2024, being the only county in the state other than nearby [[Trousdale County, Tennessee|Trousdale]] and rural [[Black Belt in the American South|Black Belt]] [[Lauderdale County, Tennessee|Lauderdale]] and [[Haywood County, Tennessee|Haywood]] Counties to trend more than 2.5% rightwards relative to the national popular vote between those two elections. Clay County native [[Trae Crowder]] attributed its powerful rightward swing every time Trump was on the ballot to Trump's [[economic populist]] messaging in [[2016 United States presidential election in Tennessee|2016]] and the county's lingering economic distress after abruptly losing many manufacturing jobs in the 1990s, with Crowder noting that Clay County voters were told what they wanted to hear in 2016 then became more [[safe seat|"dug in"]] as reliably Republican voters in 2020 and 2024.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d_YjKZwDYk&t=2259s</ref>
{{PresHead|place=Clay County, Tennessee|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|3,117|614|29|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|2,733|735|38|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|2,141|707|72|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|1,747|1,037|36|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|1,676|1,248|70|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|1,650|1,675|32|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|1,468|1,931|43|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|1,108|1,559|339|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|1,072|1,922|232|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|1,291|1,183|19|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|1,338|1,281|15|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|1,344|1,376|45|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|982|1,671|25|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|982|648|34|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|814|667|451|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|622|1,196|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|1,098|976|32|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|902|948|17|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|842|968|11|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|703|1,146|52|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|650|754|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|537|1,288|0|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|378|661|20|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|361|819|16|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|556|576|3|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|488|668|15|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|1,044|772|11|Tennessee}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|578|689|18|Tennessee}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|440|718|95|Tennessee}}
{{clear}}

==See also==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Tennessee#Clay County|National Register of Historic Places listings in Clay County, Tennessee]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.dalehollowlake.org/ Clay County Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.clayedu.com/ Clay County Schools]
*[http://www.dalehollowlake.com Dale Hollow Lake tourism information]
*[http://www.tngenweb.org/clay Clay County, TNGenWeb] - genealogy resources 
*''[http://www.dalehollowhorizon.com/ Dale Hollow Horizon]'' &ndash; local newspaper

{{Geographic Location
|Centre    = Clay County, Tennessee
|North     = [[Monroe County, Kentucky]]
|Northeast = [[Cumberland County, Kentucky]]
|East      = [[Pickett County, Tennessee|Pickett County]]
|Southeast = [[Overton County, Tennessee|Overton County]]
|South     = [[Jackson County, Tennessee|Jackson County]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Macon County, Tennessee|Macon County]]
|Northwest =
}}

{{Clay County, Tennessee}}
{{Tennessee}}

{{coord|36.55|-85.54|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-TN_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Clay County, Tennessee| ]]
[[Category:1870 establishments in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1870]]
[[Category:Middle Tennessee]]