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Giles County
Giles County
County
	Giles County Courthouse in Pulaski
	Flag Seal
	Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
	Tennessee's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 35°12′N 87°02′W / 35.2°N 87.04°W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	November 14, 1809
Named for	William B. Giles
Seat	Pulaski
Largest city	Pulaski
Area
• Total	611 sq mi (1,580 km2)
• Land	611 sq mi (1,580 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.04%
Population (2020)
• Total	30,346
• Density	50/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	gilescountytn.gov

Giles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 30,346.^[2] Its county seat is Pulaski.^[3]

History

Giles County is named after William Branch Giles, a senator from Virginia who sponsored the admission of Tennessee as the 16th 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 1909.^[4] One of Giles County's local heroes is James McCallum, who served as grandmaster of the Tennessee Masons, a member of the Confederate Congress, and mayor. He lived in Giles County for 70 years.

Until Maury County was established in November 1807, the area of the future Giles County was part of Williamson County. Two years after the formation of Maury County, Giles County was created from southern Maury County on November 14, 1809, by an act of the state legislature. Nearly half of the new county lay in Chickasaw territory until September 1816.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 611 square miles (1,580 km²), of which 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.04%) is covered by water.^[6]

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1810	4,546	—
1820	12,558	176.2%
1830	18,703	48.9%
1840	21,494	14.9%
1850	25,949	20.7%
1860	26,166	0.8%
1870	32,413	23.9%
1880	36,014	11.1%
1890	34,957	−2.9%
1900	33,035	−5.5%
1910	32,629	−1.2%
1920	30,948	−5.2%
1930	28,016	−9.5%
1940	29,240	4.4%
1950	26,961	−7.8%
1960	22,410	−16.9%
1970	22,138	−1.2%
1980	24,265	9.6%
1990	25,741	6.1%
2000	29,447	14.4%
2010	29,485	0.1%
2020	30,346	2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census^[7] 1790-1960^[8] 1900-1990^[9] 1990-2000^[10] 2010-2014^[11] 2020^[2]

2020 census

Giles County racial composition^[13]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	24,920	82.12%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,927	9.65%
Native American	113	0.37%
Asian	176	0.58%
Pacific Islander	9	0.03%
Other/Mixed	1,473	4.85%
Hispanic or Latino	728	2.4%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 30,346 people, 11,904 households, and 7,807 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census^[14] 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 people/km²). There were 13,113 housing units at an average density of 22 units per square mile (8.5/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.

Crime

On November 15, 1995, Giles County received minor notoriety after a shooting occurred at Richland High School in the community of Lynnville. A senior student named Jamie Rouse shot two teachers and a student in the north entrance of the school. One teacher (Carolyn Foster) and the student (Diane Collins) were killed, while teacher Carolyn Yancey was wounded in the crime. Rouse was convicted of the shooting and sentenced to life in prison without parole.^[15]^[16]

In 2000, there were 1,268 arrests made in Giles County, with 781 arrests in the city of Pulaski. One homicide occurred in that year. Based on a 2003 recording conducted by the Uniform Crime Report, the delinquency rate dropped to 71 arrests being made, with 8.8 percent of the county population being arrested that year.^[17] No homicides occurred in Giles County in 2003.

Transportation

Airport

Abernathy Field is a public use airport owned by Giles County and the City of Pulaski. It is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Pulaski.^[18]

Communities

Cities

Ardmore (partial)
Elkton
Minor Hill
Pulaski (county seat)

Town

Lynnville

Unincorporated communities

Politics

United States presidential election results for Giles County, Tennessee^[19]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	9,784	74.10%	3,298	24.98%	121	0.92%
2016	7,970	71.56%	2,917	26.19%	250	2.24%
2012	6,915	64.03%	3,760	34.82%	124	1.15%
2008	6,902	59.05%	4,614	39.47%	173	1.48%
2004	6,163	53.42%	5,273	45.71%	101	0.88%
2000	4,377	43.48%	5,527	54.91%	162	1.61%
1996	3,269	36.20%	4,948	54.80%	813	9.00%
1992	2,827	28.90%	5,601	57.26%	1,353	13.83%
1988	3,518	47.04%	3,918	52.39%	42	0.56%
1984	3,875	50.07%	3,812	49.26%	52	0.67%
1980	2,757	36.58%	4,653	61.74%	127	1.69%
1976	1,952	26.93%	5,225	72.09%	71	0.98%
1972	2,914	57.69%	1,875	37.12%	262	5.19%
1968	1,264	17.01%	2,203	29.64%	3,966	53.36%
1964	1,378	21.81%	4,940	78.19%	0	0.00%
1960	1,598	24.54%	4,879	74.91%	36	0.55%
1956	1,401	22.65%	4,750	76.79%	35	0.57%
1952	1,649	25.98%	4,640	73.11%	58	0.91%
1948	717	14.72%	3,676	75.45%	479	9.83%
1944	751	15.02%	4,249	84.98%	0	0.00%
1940	692	15.37%	3,796	84.34%	13	0.29%
1936	600	13.70%	3,760	85.88%	18	0.41%
1932	619	18.12%	2,773	81.15%	25	0.73%
1928	1,032	27.94%	2,661	72.06%	0	0.00%
1924	677	20.76%	2,509	76.94%	75	2.30%
1920	2,224	41.50%	3,129	58.39%	6	0.11%
1916	1,488	31.65%	3,207	68.22%	6	0.13%
1912	1,596	31.31%	3,081	60.44%	421	8.26%

Although historically part of overwhelmingly Democratic and secessionist Middle Tennessee, Giles County has, like much of the rural white South, become overwhelmingly Republican since 2000 due to opposition to the Democratic Party's liberal views on social issues.^[20]

Notable people

Aaron V. Brown, Governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847; resident of Giles County, Tennessee.^[21]
Neill S. Brown, Governor of Tennessee from 1847 to 1849; born in Giles County.^[22]
John C. Brown, Governor of Tennessee from 1871 to 1875; born in Giles County.^[23]
Cully Cobb, Southern agriculture pioneer and publisher, editor of Progressive Farmer^[24]
Walter Herschel Beech, co-founder of Beechcraft Aircraft; born in Giles County.
John Crowe Ransom, educator, scholar, literary critic, poet, essayist and editor; born in Giles County.
James McCallum, Grandmaster of the Tennessee Masons, a member of the Confederate Congress, and mayor. He lived in Giles County for 70 years.
James David Vaughan, music teacher, composer, song book publisher, the founder of the Vaughan Conservatory of Music and the James D. Vaughan Publishing Company; born in Giles County.
Archibald Wright, Justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1858 to 1885; raised in Giles County.^[25]

References

^ Margaret Butler, "Giles County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: June 28, 2013.
^ ^a ^b 2020 Population and Housing State Data | Tennessee
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "Welcome to Giles County Tennessee". Gilescounty-tn.us. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
^ McCallum, James (1876). A Brief Sketch of the Settlement and Early History of Giles County Tennessee.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ Leung, Rebecca (April 12, 2004). "The Mind Of A School Shooter". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
^ https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1084754/state-v-stephen-abbott/ ^{[bare URL]}
^ Pulaski City Information Archived June 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at epodunk.com
^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for GZS PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective June 3, 2010.
^ David Leip. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
^ Cohn, Nate; ‘Demographic Shift: Southern Whites’ Loyalty to G.O.P. Nearing That of Blacks to Democrats’, New York Times, April 24, 2014
^ "BROWN, Aaron Venable, (1795 - 1859)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
^ "Tennessee Governor Neill Smith Brown". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
^ "Tennessee Governor John Calvin Brown". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
^ "The Founders of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology". msstate.edu. Archived from the original on May 1, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
^ Albert D. Marks, "The Supreme Court of Tennessee", Part II, The Green Bag, Volume 5 (1893), p. 180-82.