Editing Lexington, Tennessee

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Lexington, Tennessee
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = Lexington former post office 38351.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Former post office in Lexington
|image_flag               = Flag of Lexington, Tennessee.png
|image_map                = File:Henderson County Tennessee Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Lexington Highlighted 4741980.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in Henderson County, Tennessee
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Tennessee|County]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_name1        = [[Tennessee]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Henderson County, Tennessee|Henderson]]
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Jeff Griggs
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_total         = 7956
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|39|26|N|88|23|33|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|established_date         = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 30.78
|area_land_km2            = 30.32
|area_water_km2           = 0.46
|area_total_sq_mi         = 11.88
|area_land_sq_mi          = 11.71
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.18
|elevation_m              = 159.1
|elevation_ft             = 522
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 38351
|website                  = {{URL|www.lexingtontn.gov}}
|area_code                = [[Area code 731|731]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 47-41980<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1291101<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='47'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
|population_density_sq_mi = 679.59
|population_density_km2 = 262.40
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|population_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
}}

'''Lexington''' is a city in [[Henderson County, Tennessee]], United States. It is midway between [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] and [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], lying {{convert|10|mi|0}} south of [[Interstate 40]], which connects the two cities. Its population was 7,956 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Lexington,%20tn&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1&hidePreview=true| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2020 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Lexington city, Tennessee| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=September 22, 2021}}</ref> It is the [[county seat]] of Henderson County.<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>

==History==
Shortly after the 1821 creation of Henderson County, a site near its center was chosen as a [[county seat]], and was named in honor of [[Lexington, Massachusetts]], site of the first battle of the [[American Revolution]].<ref>{{cite book |title=History of Tennessee from the Earliest Time to the Present |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJ8KT_aU9pEC&pg=PA804 |year=1886 |publisher=Southern Historical Press |page=804| isbn=978-0-89308-097-6 }}</ref> Land grant holder Samuel Wilson gave the land for the town, retaining a lot on the square where his house was already situated.  The square is oriented so the corners point to the cardinal points on the compass.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} The first [[county courthouse]] was built in 1823; Lexington was incorporated in 1824 and by 1830 had a population of 260.

As the lead-up to the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] began, Henderson County voted against [[secession]]. As the war progressed, both [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] regiments were recruited in the county. The area in and around Lexington was the site of a skirmish on December 18, 1862. Union Colonel Robert Ingersoll sent his troops to destroy a bridge over [[Beech Creek, Tennessee|Beech Creek]] to disallow the [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] army moving into the area. Ingersoll's troops did not destroy the bridge, and General [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]]'s troops headed into Lexington. Forrest's troops overtook the Union soldiers, taking over 140 men, including Colonel Ingersoll, and collected artillery and supplies left behind by Union soldiers who escaped.<ref name="RebelsRout">{{cite web | title=Rebles rout Yankees in western Tennessee | work=This Day in History | publisher=[[History.com]] | url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-lexington-tennessee | access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref>

In 1918, an African-American man called Berry Noyse, who was accused of killing the sheriff, was [[Lynching in the United States|lynched]] by a mob in the courthouse square and burned in the street.<ref name="lynching13">{{cite book |title=Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror: Second Edition: Report Summary |date=2015 |publisher=[[Equal Justice Initiative]] |location=Montgomery, Alabama |page=13 |url=http://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-second-edition-summary.pdf |quote=When Berry Noyse was accused of killing the sheriff in Lexington, Tennessee, in 1918, an angry mob lynched him in the courthouse square, dragged his body through the town, shot it dozens of times, and burned the body in the middle of the street below hung banners that read, "This is the way we do our bit." |access-date=October 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429053159/http://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-second-edition-summary.pdf |archive-date=April 29, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Geography ==
Lexington is in central Henderson County. [[U.S. Route 412]] (Church Street) is the main road through the city, leading east {{convert|85|mi}} to [[Columbia, Tennessee|Columbia]] and west {{convert|27|mi}} to [[Jackson, Tennessee|Jackson]]. [[Tennessee State Route 22]] (Broad Street) crosses US 412 in the center of Lexington, leading north {{convert|9|mi|0}} to [[Interstate 40]] at [[Parkers Crossroads, Tennessee|Parkers Crossroads]] and south {{convert|20|mi}} to [[Milledgeville, Tennessee|Milledgeville]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Lexington has a total area of {{convert|32.2|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|31.7|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|0.4|km2|order=flip|1|abbr=on}}, or 1.34%, is covered by water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4741980| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Lexington city, Tennessee| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=February 1, 2018| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213103647/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4741980| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[Beech River]], an east-flowing tributary of the [[Tennessee River]], runs through the southwestern part of the city.

Lexington is {{convert|7|mi|0}} southwest of [[Natchez Trace State Park]].

===Climate===
{{Weather box   <!-- Infobox begins -->
| single line = Y
| location    = Lexington, Tennessee, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1962&ndash;present

|Jan record high F = 78
|Feb record high F = 83
|Mar record high F = 87
|Apr record high F = 91
|May record high F = 94
|Jun record high F = 104
|Jul record high F = 105
|Aug record high F = 106
|Sep record high F = 101
|Oct record high F = 97
|Nov record high F = 86
|Dec record high F = 78

|Jan avg record high F = 68.4
|Feb avg record high F = 72.6
|Mar avg record high F = 79.9
|Apr avg record high F = 85.3
|May avg record high F = 88.9
|Jun avg record high F = 93.9
|Jul avg record high F = 96.3
|Aug avg record high F = 96.7
|Sep avg record high F = 93.7
|Oct avg record high F = 87.0
|Nov avg record high F = 77.9
|Dec avg record high F = 69.0
|year avg record high F = 98.4

<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high F  =47.9
| Feb high F  =52.7
| Mar high F  =61.7
| Apr high F  =71.5
| May high F  =79.1
| Jun high F  =86.4
| Jul high F  =89.4
| Aug high F  =89.3
| Sep high F  =83.8
| Oct high F  =73.2
| Nov high F  =60.8
| Dec high F  =51.1
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
| Jan mean F  =37.6
| Feb mean F  =42.0
| Mar mean F  =49.8
| Apr mean F  =59.0
| May mean F  =67.7
| Jun mean F  =75.5
| Jul mean F  =78.8
| Aug mean F  =78.1
| Sep mean F  =71.8
| Oct mean F  =60.2
| Nov mean F  =48.9
| Dec mean F  =41.0
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low F  =27.3
| Feb low F  =31.2
| Mar low F  =37.8
| Apr low F  =46.4
| May low F  =56.2
| Jun low F  =64.6
| Jul low F  =68.2
| Aug low F  =67.0
| Sep low F  =59.7
| Oct low F  =47.2
| Nov low F  =37.0
| Dec low F  =30.9

|Jan avg record low F = 10.5
|Feb avg record low F = 16.7
|Mar avg record low F = 22.4
|Apr avg record low F = 31.7
|May avg record low F = 43.0
|Jun avg record low F = 54.2
|Jul avg record low F = 60.0
|Aug avg record low F = 58.3
|Sep avg record low F = 45.9
|Oct avg record low F = 32.8
|Nov avg record low F = 22.6
|Dec avg record low F = 17.2
|year avg record low F = 8.8

|Jan record low F = -17
|Feb record low F = 1
|Mar record low F = 4
|Apr record low F = 22
|May record low F = 32
|Jun record low F = 43
|Jul record low F = 50
|Aug record low F = 47
|Sep record low F = 36
|Oct record low F = 23
|Nov record low F = 9
|Dec record low F = -8

<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| precipitation colour    =  green
| Jan precipitation inch  =4.51
| Feb precipitation inch  =4.73
| Mar precipitation inch  =4.65
| Apr precipitation inch  =5.24
| May precipitation inch  =6.07
| Jun precipitation inch  =4.28
| Jul precipitation inch  =4.25
| Aug precipitation inch  =3.36
| Sep precipitation inch  =3.86
| Oct precipitation inch  =4.23
| Nov precipitation inch  =4.21
| Dec precipitation inch  =5.36

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 10.1
|Feb precipitation days = 10.3
|Mar precipitation days = 10.5
|Apr precipitation days = 9.3
|May precipitation days = 9.8
|Jun precipitation days = 8.1
|Jul precipitation days = 8.1
|Aug precipitation days = 6.4
|Sep precipitation days = 5.9
|Oct precipitation days = 7.6
|Nov precipitation days = 8.5
|Dec precipitation days = 10.5

<!-- Snowfall -->
| Jan snow inch  =0.6
| Feb snow inch  =0.3
| Mar snow inch  =0.3
| Apr snow inch  =0.1
| May snow inch  =0.0
| Jun snow inch  =0.0
| Jul snow inch  =0.0
| Aug snow inch  =0.0
| Sep snow inch  =0.0
| Oct snow inch  =0.0
| Nov snow inch  =0.1
| Dec snow inch  =0.1

|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan snow days = 0.3
|Feb snow days = 0.5
|Mar snow days = 0.1
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.1
|Dec snow days = 0.0
|year snow days = 1.0

|source 1 = NOAA<ref name = NOAA>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00405210&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Lexington, TN
|access-date = May 22, 2023
}}
</ref>
|source 2 = National Weather Service<ref name = NOWData>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=meg
|publisher = National Weather Service
|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Memphis
|access-date = May 22, 2023
}}
</ref>
}}

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1880= 329
|1890= 715
|1900= 1332
|1910= 1497
|1920= 1792
|1930= 1823
|1940= 2526
|1950= 3566
|1960= 3943
|1970= 5024
|1980= 5934
|1990= 5810
|2000= 7393
|2010= 7652
|2020= 7956
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="GR9">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=March 4, 2012|title=Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses}}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=June 11, 2013}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Lexington racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4741980&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 8, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|White (non-Hispanic)
|6,085
|76.48%
|-
|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|1,037
|13.03%
|-
|Native American
|12
|0.15%
|-
|Asian
|64
|0.8%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/mixed]]
|450
|5.66%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|308
|3.87%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], 7,956 people, 3,150 households, and 1,915 families resided in the city.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, the population density was {{convert|640.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 3,371 housing units had an average density of {{convert|292.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the city was 84.50% White, 13.07% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.18% of the population.

Of the 3,039 households, 31.2% had children under 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were not families. About 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city, the age distribution was 24.0% under 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,725, and for a family was $41,429. Males had a median income of $31,558 versus $23,212 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $18,368. About 10.2% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 14.9% of those under 18 and 12.8% of those 65 or over.

==Education==

Public schools in Lexington are operated by the Henderson County School System and the Lexington City School System. The three schools are Paul G. Caywood Elementary School, Lexington Middle School, and Lexington High School. Lexington High School is in the Henderson County School System, while Paul G. Caywood Elementary School and Lexington Middle School are both in the Lexington City School System.

Lexington is home to the Lexington-Henderson County Center of [[Jackson State Community College]], which opened in 1999.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jscc.edu/|title=Jackson State Community College|last1=Jackson|first1=Jackson State Community College is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution All rights reserved 2046 North Parkway {{!}}|last2=Tn 38301 {{!}}424-3520 {{!}}355-Jscc 35.645405 -88.780925|website=www.jscc.edu|language=en|access-date=August 2, 2019}}</ref> The center offers all courses required to earn an associate's degree in general studies, and offers other courses that may be credited towards additional degrees from the main campus in [[Jackson, Tennessee]], or may be transferred to other universities.<ref name=":0" /> It has become a popular choice of graduates from Lexington High School, Scotts Hill High School, and other area high schools as a means of continuing their education. The center has become more popular since the introduction of the Tennessee Promise, a state program that provides two years of tuition-free attendance at community colleges and technical colleges in Tennessee.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tn.gov/tnpromise/about.html|title=About|website=www.tn.gov|language=en|access-date=August 2, 2019}}</ref>

==Newspapers==
*''The Lexington Progress'', since 1884<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lexingtonprogress.com/|title=Home|website=Lexington Progress|language=en-US|access-date=August 2, 2019}}</ref>
*Tennessee Magnet Publications

==Arts and culture==

The Lexington-Henderson County Everett Horn Public Library serves the city.<ref name="Library">{{cite web | title=Lexington-Henderson County Everett Horn Public Library | publisher=Lexington-Henderson County Everett Horn Public Library | url=http://www.everetthornlibrary.org/index.html | access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref>

Lexington is home to the very popular Beech Lake. Lexington's Beech River Heritage Museum holds a variety of historical artifacts of Lexington and Henderson County.

Lexington was the setting of a 1994 episode of ''The X-Files'' called "E.B.E."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.x-fileslexicon.com/season1/1x16.html|title=The X-Files Lexicon: Season 1 - 1x16 E.B.E|website=www.x-fileslexicon.com}}</ref>

Lexington claims to be the barbecue capital of the country; it supposedly has more barbecue restaurants per capita than any other city in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mancour|first=Terry|title=Lexington City Website|url=http://lexington-tn.com/about/|access-date=June 17, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226083507/http://lexington-tn.com/about/|archive-date=December 26, 2013}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==

Henderson County Community Hospital is located in and serves the Lexington area.<ref name="Hospital1">{{cite web | title=Henderson County Community Hospital | publisher=Henderson County Community Hospital | url=http://www.hendersoncchospital.com/pages/home.aspx | access-date=March 19, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223130554/http://www.hendersoncchospital.com/pages/home.aspx | archive-date=February 23, 2012 }}</ref>

== Sports ==
From 1935 to 1938, Lexington was home to a [[Minor League Baseball]] team that played in the [[Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League]]. Known as the [[Lexington Giants (KITTY League)|Lexington Giants]] from 1935 to 1938, the team was renamed the [[Lexington Bees]] when it became a [[farm club]] of the [[National League (baseball)|National League]]'s [[Boston Bees]] in 1938.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Lexington&state=TN&country=US|title=Lexington, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=May 23, 2020}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
{{alumni|residents|date=August 2017}}
* [[Dick Barry]] (1926–2013) – lawyer and politician
* [[Buddy Cannon]] (born 1947) – singer-songwriter and record producer
* [[Mills Darden]] (1799–1857) – alleged largest man in history, retired, died, and was buried here<ref>{{Cite web |last=Judd |first=Cameron |date=February 11, 2021 |title=Mills Darden Was One Amazingly Big Dude |url=https://www.greenevillesun.com/news/local_news/judd-mills-darden-was-one-amazingly-big-dude/article_c18ccaf4-72af-50d9-9a7d-35e84c8dfb54.html |access-date=October 24, 2023 |website=The Greeneville Sun |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Doug Gilbert]] (born 1969) – professional wrestler
* [[Eddie Gilbert (wrestler)|Eddie Gilbert]] (1961–1995) – professional wrestler
* [[Loyd Jowers]] (1926–2000) – restaurateur and alleged conspirator in the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]]
* [[John McAfee]] (1945–2021) – founder of [[McAfee Associates]] and politician, former resident
* [[Sam Taylor (saxophonist)|Sam Taylor]] (1916–1990) – saxophonist

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120216152830/http://www.ci.lexington.tn.us/ Official website]

{{Henderson County, Tennessee}}
{{Tennessee county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Cities in Henderson County, Tennessee]]
[[Category:County seats in Tennessee]]
[[Category:1821 establishments in Tennessee]]