White County, Tennessee

White County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 23,102. Its is.

History
On, , an act of the created White County out of , responding to a petition signed by 155 residents of the area. The origin of the county's name is in dispute, officially and widely held to be named after the first known white settler of the area, John White. However, some historians dispute this claim, and instead suggest that the county was named after hero, founder of. A temporary was established near, now in. Three years later a permanent seat of justice for the county was established on the banks of the and named.

In, White County became a destination for people from all over the country when Christopher Haufmann erected a large hotel on Bon Air Mountain, a part of the. The hotel was located near some as well as being at a high altitude, both thought to be health-bringing, and those with ailments came from far and wide to partake of the "cures" advertised by the resort. During this time, the (including then-Judge ) often met in Sparta, and the town was even considered by the Legislature as a potential site for the state capital, narrowly missing out to.

The impacted White County heavily, even though no major battles were fought in the area. Being on the border between the pro- and pro-, the county saw its share of bloodshed from  (called "bushwhackers") of both sides. One famous Confederate was, who caused much mayhem and destruction before he was arrested on ,. During the War, White County provided the Confederacy with 19, and the Federals with one.

Over the following decades, White County slowly rebuilt from the ashes of war. The county was connected to the outside world by railroad, mainly because of the booming industries being started on Bon Air Mountain. The mountain was rich in, and enterprising local businessmen were quick to realize the profit potential that represented. Several mining towns sprang up on the plateau part of the county, including, , and. The coal mining industry employed thousands of White County men for decades, but as the went on, the mines started to close and the people started to move away, and the industry had vanished by the time of.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 983 (379 ). 975 km² (377 sq mi) of it is land and 7 km² (3 sq mi) of it (0.74%) is water.

Geographic features

 * Sunset Rock
 * Sunset Rock

Major highways

 * State Highway 26
 * State Highway 84
 * State Highway 111
 * State Highway 135
 * State Highway 136
 * State Highway 285
 * State Highway 289
 * State Highway 289

Adjacent counties

 * (Southeast)
 * (East)
 * (West)
 * (North)
 * (South)
 * (Southwest)

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 23,102 people, 9,229 households, and 6,774 families residing in the county. The was 24/km² (61/sq mi). There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (27/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 96.63%, 1.64% or , 0.20% , 0.23% , 0.05% , 0.46% from , and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 9,229 households out of which 30.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.50% were living together, 10.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.60% were non-families. 23.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 25.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,383, and the median income for a family was $34,854. Males had a median income of $26,706 versus $20,346 for females. The for the county was $14,791. About 11.20% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the, including 16.90% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.

Public schools

 * White County High School
 * White County Middle School
 * BonDeCroft Elementary School
 * Cassville Elementary School
 * Central View Elementary School
 * Doyle Elementary School
 * Findlay Elementary School
 * Northfield Elementary School
 * Woodland Park Elementary School

Private schools

 * Heritage Christian Academy

Local culture
Like many rural areas, White County has developed a few unique cultural features. One prominent feature is the term "yert," the use of which is believed to be solely found in White County residents and former residents. It is used primarily as a form of greeting, but sometimes is used to show elation or as a for other four letter words. "Yert" is usually accompanied by a motion of the arm that resembles the act of pulling a. The origin of the term is not known.

Notable residents

 * - chief
 * - Confederate General 8th TN Cavalry; successor to Gen. 's Brigade; Escorted President from  to  after the fall of Richmond
 * - Confederate guerilla
 * - Bluegrass legend
 * - women's basketball head coach at
 * - Bluegrass Legend; invented the eight string fiddle
 * - former world  champion
 * - journalist, author, U.S. Ambassador to
 * - author, historian, winner 2001,  finalist
 * - record holder for most  in a season
 * - industrialist