Somerville, Tennessee

Somerville, Tennessee
Town
Somerville Courthouse
Location in Fayette County and the state of Tennessee.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Fayette
Area
• Total	11.4 sq mi (29.4 km2)
• Land	11.2 sq mi (28.9 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation	397 ft (121 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	3,094
• Density	270/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	38068
Area code(s)	901
FIPS code	47-69620
GNIS feature ID	1303713

Somerville is a town in Fayette County, Tennessee. It is part of the Memphis metropolitan area. The population was 3,094 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Fayette County.

History

Somerville was named to honor Lieutenant Robert Somerville, who was killed in 1814 during the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in central Alabama while serving under General Andrew Jackson. Somerville was incorporated in 1836.

Geography

Somerville is located at (35.237623, -89.358400).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.4 square miles (30 km²), of which 11.2 square miles (29 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (1.58%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	1,526		—
1870	954		−37.5%
1880	834		−12.6%
1890	892		7.0%
1900	777		−12.9%
1910	1,387		78.5%
1920	1,106		−20.3%
1930	1,333		20.5%
1940	1,570		17.8%
1950	1,760		12.1%
1960	1,820		3.4%
1970	1,816		−0.2%
1980	2,264		24.7%
1990	2,047		−9.6%
2000	2,519		23.1%
2010	3,094		22.8%
Est. 2014	3,104		0.3%
Sources:

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,519 people, 1,006 households, and 618 families residing in the town. The population density was 225.4 people per square mile (87.1/km²). There were 1,070 housing units at an average density of 95.8 per square mile (37.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 59.94% White, 39.38% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population.

There were 1,006 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.3% were married couples living together, 19.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% 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 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,225, and the median income for a family was $29,750. Males had a median income of $26,094 versus $22,768 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,636. About 18.3% of families and 25.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Elizabeth Bolden (1890-2006) - Supercentenarian, world's oldest living person in 2006, died in Memphis, Tennessee.
• Herb Parsons (1908-1959) - Considered by many to be the greatest exhibition shooter in history.
• Ingram Stainback (1883-1961) - Territorial governor of Hawaii born in Somerville.
• W. Herbert Brewster (1897–1987) was an influential African American Baptist minister, composer, dramatist, singer, poet and community leader. Brewster is considered to be one of the fathers of Gospel Music.
• William L. Wainwright (1947-2012), North Carolina politician

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