Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 29,447. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 29,297   [13751]. Its county seat is Pulaski .

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 611 square miles (1,583 km²), of which, 611 square miles (1,582 km²) of it is land and 0 square miles (1 km²) of it (0.04%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Maury County (north)
• Marshall County (northeast)
• Lincoln County (east)
• Limestone County, Alabama (south)
• Lawrence County (west)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 29,447 people, 11,713 households, and 8,363 families residing in the county. The population density was 48 people per square mile (19/km²). There were 13,113 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.44% White, 11.80% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 0.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,713 households out of which 31.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.80% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% 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 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,824, and the median income for a family was $41,714. Males had a median income of $31,221 versus $22,221 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,543. About 9.00% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.50% of those under age 18 and 14.80% of those age 65 or over.

Local History

Giles County is named after William Branch Giles, who was Senator of Virginia and sponsored the admission of Tennessee as the sixteenth state into the Union. He also sponsored the building of the city and courthouse, which has burned four times. The current courthouse was built in 1859 by the George Moore and Sons company. It cost about thirty thousand dollars to complete. Though it stood through the Civil War, it suffered much damage. One of Giles County's local heroes is James McCullam, who served as Grandmaster of the Tennessee Masons, a member of the Confederate Congress, and mayor. He lived in Giles County for seventy years.

Until Maury Co was established in November 1807, the area of the future Giles Co was considered to be part of Williamson Co. Two years after the formation of Maury Co, Giles Co was created from southern Maury Co on 14 November 1809 by an act of the State Legislature. Nearly half of the new county lay in Chickasaw territory until September 1816.From A Brief Sketch of the Settlement and Early History of Giles County Tennessee by James McCallum, 1876.

References

1. Based on 2000 census data

External links