Wilson County, Tennessee

Wilson County is a of Tennessee, United States.

This district is named according to the of 2000, the county has a population of people. The county seat is located in Lebanon, Tennessee, The Tennessee General Assembly created Wilson County on October 26, 1799. Its prehistoric heritage is rich. The Sellars temple mound on, for example, yielded an outstanding piece of pre-Columbian sculpture that has been the emblem of the Tennessee Archaeological Society. Europeans explored the land long before settlement: French trappers arrived as early as 1760, and the hunting party of Henry Scraggins passed through the area in 1765. John B. Walker led the first permanent settlers to Hickory Ridge, west of the present site of Lebanon, in 1794.

History
The county was named for Major David Wilson, a North Carolina hero of the American Revolution. Lebanon was named for the impressive stands of red cedar trees (actually Virginia juniper) that are characteristic of the region. In the late 1930s Tennessee and the federal government created the Cedars of Lebanon State Park in recognition of this botanical feature. Lebanon was chosen as the county seat in 1801, largely because of a large spring (still flowing) on what became the public square. The county has had five courthouses; the building of 1848-81 was designed by the noted architect William Strickland. Other towns and villages include Watertown, Green Hill, Mt. Juliet, Statesville, Gladesville, Baird’s Mill, Norene, Cherry Valley, Shop Springs, Tucker’s Cross Roads, Leeville, Martha, Bellwood, Commerce, Taylorsville, Centreville, Oakland, LaGuardo, and Maple Hill.

Major historical events in the county have included the start of Sam Houston’s political career as well as his disastrous courtship, which began at a ball at a house west of Lebanon; the “stump speaking” gubernatorial debates between James C. “Lean Jimmy” Jones and James K. Polk; and a Civil War cavalry engagement between General John Hunt Morgan’s Confederates and Union troops. Mussolini sent a contingent of Fascist cadets to Castle Heights in 1931. The Second Army Maneuvers director headquarters were located in Wilson County, from which eight hundred thousand troops were supervised during the Tennessee Maneuvers (1942-44) in preparation for service in Europe during World War II. Finally, the trial of Charles Sullins and Harry Kirkendoll for the shooting of Ed Collier was the first in the state to be televised (1953).

Noteworthy citizens of Wilson County who left their mark on the state and the nation include Governors Houston, Jones, William B. Campbell (the Mexican War hero for whom Fort Campbell was named), Robert L. Caruthers (judge, legal educator, Congressman, Confederate governor-elect), and Frank Clement. Layula, a Lumbee and wife of Lebanon’s first settler, Ned Jacobs, walked the Trail of Tears after her husband died. Alexander P. Stewart and Robert Hatton were Confederate generals. W. E. B. Du Bois, African American leader and writer, began his teaching career in rural Wilson County. Maggie Porter Cole and Thomas Rutling were original Fisk Jubilee singers. George Wharton Winston, named captain of the 366th Infantry in 1918, was one of the first African American officers in the U.S. Army. Dixon Lanier Merritt, author of “The Pelican” limerick, was a noted journalist.

The county’s 2000 population was 88,809, representing a 31 percent increase since 1990. Two recent major developments in the county include the Dell Computer facility (1999), which has fourteen hundred employees, and the Nashville Superspeedway (2001), the largest racetrack in Middle Tennessee and the second largest in the state. It hosts such NASCAR events as the Busch Grand National Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series.

Geography
According to the the county has an area of 583.2 km2, of which 34 km2 is the water surface area.

Demographic information
In the census, the county's average per capita income was 33 116, and the median income for a family was $41 551. The income per capita for the county was $17 102. In 2000 men had a per capita income of $30 364 versus $21 997 for women. About 18.50% of the population was below the national.

37.20% of the total are children under the age of 18, 64.20%  are  living in together, 10.10%  are single women without a spouse, 22.00%  are not related to a family member, 18.10% of  are one person, 6.10%  are seniors (65 years and over) living alone. The average size of is 2.67 and the average size of family is 3.03.