Hardin County, Tennessee

Hardin County is a located in the  of. The county was named for Col. Joseph Hardin, a state legislator. As of 2000, the population was 25,578. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 25,930. Its is.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,544 (596 ). 1,497 km² (578 sq mi) of it is land and 48 km² (18 sq mi) of it (3.09%) is water.

Adjacent counties

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Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 25,578 people, 10,426 households, and 7,444 families residing in the county. The was 17/km² (44/sq mi). There were 12,807 housing units at an average density of 9/km² (22/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 94.91%, 3.69% or , 0.20% , 0.16% , 0.02% , 0.30% from , and 0.72% from two or more races. 1.02% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 10,426 households out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.10% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.60% from 25 to 44, 26.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,819, and the median income for a family was $34,157. Males had a median income of $28,357 versus $18,806 for females. The for the county was $15,598. About 14.60% of families and 18.80% of the population were below the, including 25.80% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Hardin County has several community and city elementary schools, a Middle school.The county also has one high school, Hardin County High School, nicknamed the Tigers.The, and maintains an active campus in the City of.

Recent Development and Economy
As of December, 2006, the city of Savannah as well as the County have experienced rapid growth in industry and commerce. With most of its economy based on tourism, Hardin County has attempted to market itsself as an attractive place for river-side developers to establish large scale upper class communities. These tend to be clustered along Pyburn Drive, and Highway 57 adjacent to the Tennessee River. Recently, high-scale businesses such as Lowes and Peebles have begun establishing large stores in the town. The County contains its own airport, which is notable for having the world's first thin-white top coating over its runway, allowing much heavier aircraft to land.

Environmental Concerns
With the majority of the economy based on tourism, there is the threat to the environment that is caused by tourists through the state parks and campsites that dot Hardin County. In addition to this, one of the main Heavy Industries that Hardin County harbors utilizes massive amounds of timber, leading to concerns of over-logging of the area.

Fire and Medical Protection
Hardin County maintains its own Level 4 Trauma Center out of Hardin County Medical Center in Savannah, TN. Emergency Medical Services to Savannah and its surrounding county are provided by a paid 24/7 ambulance service based out of this hospital. Fire protection to the city of Savannah is provided by a 24-hour paid Fire Department based out of two stations, with five pieces of apparatus. The County of Hardin is protected by a combination of paid and volunteer Firefighter/First Responder and Firefighter/EMT-IV level engine companies, based out of 15 Fire Districts and with approximately 60 pieces of apparatus. The county also maintains a disaster/mass casualty team and a HAZMAT Team. An interesting note is that Hardin County has one of the lowest ISO Safety Ratings for its Fire Services outside of Jackson or Memphis, TN, which reduces insurance rates for property substantially.