Camden, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Camden is a city in Benton County, Tennessee
, United States
. The population was 3,828 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Benton County.
impoundment of the Tennessee River
(the original lower 10 miles (16.1 km) of the creek were entirely engulfed by Tennessee River with the completion of Kentucky Dam
in 1944). The area is characterized by low hills to the north and west and wetlands to the east, the latter of which is largely protected by the Camden Wildlife Management Area.
Camden is centered around the junction of U.S. Route 70
, which connects Camden to Nashville
to the east and Memphis
to the west, and Tennessee State Route 191, which connects Camden to Eva
and Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park
to the northeast and Interstate 40
to the southeast. U.S. Route 641
, which intersects US-70 in the western half of Camden, connects the area with Paris
and Kentucky to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km²), of which, 11.1 square miles (28.7 km²) of it is land and 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²) of it (50.88%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,828 people, 1,631 households, and 1,014 families residing in the city. The population density
was 344.9 people per square mile (133.2/km²). There were 1,840 housing units at an average density of 165.8 per square mile (64.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.08% White, 5.33% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.31% from other races
, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 1,631 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples
living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 26.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,348, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $27,413 versus $20,142 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,271. About 11.6% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
for the Tennessee Valley Authority
facility and the DuPont
titanium dioxide production plant in New Johnsonville, TN, five miles to the east and on the other side of the Tennessee River.
In the past, Camden and Benton County were known for sorghum
production, however, the last sorghum production facility shut down in summer 2001. Tourism, however, is quickly supplanting it, with the well-promoted Tennessee Freshwater Pearl Museum at Birdsong Resort & Marina providing an influx of out-of-town dollars. Pearls, both farmed and harvested in the wild, have been a staple of Benton County for years. The Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm is the only one of its kind in North America. Birdsong Resort, Marina and Lakeside RV and Tent Campgrounds offers tours of the farm and museum daily located off Interstate 40 at the Birdsong Exit # 133 which is halfway between Nashville and Memphis.
Another notable event in Camden is the Bargain Highway, where parts of U.S. Highway 641
and U.S. Highway 70
are transformed into a 30-mile yardsale during Labor Day Weekend.
were living and camping in the Camden area as early as Archaic period (8000-1000 B.C.). A substantial Archaic site
has been excavated at nearby Eva (the actual site is now submerged), uncovering evidence of semi-permanent habitation dating back 7000 years.
The first Euro-American settlers arrived in the Benton County area around 1818, shortly after (and probably before) the county was purchased from the Chickasaw
. Camden has its roots as a stopover along the stage coach route between Nashville and Memphis. Initially known as "Tranquility," the community had attained the name "Camden" by the 1830s, a name influenced by the Revolutionary War
-era Battle of Camden
. When Benton County was created in 1835, Camden was chosen as the county seat. The city of Camden was officially incorporated in 1838.
It was near Camden where country music stars Patsy Cline
, Cowboy Copas
, and Hawkshaw Hawkins
lost their lives in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,828 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Benton County.
Geography
Camden is positioned at 36°2′47"N 88°5′9"W (36.046344, -88.085944). The city is situated along Cypress Creek, near the creek's modern confluence with the Kentucky LakeKentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a major navigable reservoir along the Tennessee River in Kentucky and Tennessee. Created in 1944 by the Tennessee Valley Authority's impounding of the Tennessee River by Kentucky Dam, the lake is the largest artificial lake by surface area in the United States east of the...
impoundment of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
(the original lower 10 miles (16.1 km) of the creek were entirely engulfed by Tennessee River with the completion of Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River on the county line between Livingston County and Marshall County in the U.S. state of Kentucky...
in 1944). The area is characterized by low hills to the north and west and wetlands to the east, the latter of which is largely protected by the Camden Wildlife Management Area.
Camden is centered around the junction of U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
, which connects Camden to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to the east and Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
to the west, and Tennessee State Route 191, which connects Camden to Eva
Eva, Tennessee
Eva is an unincorporated community in Benton County, Tennessee, United States, on the western shore of the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River. It is the site of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. Although not a census-designated place, the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for the ZIP code ...
and Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park
Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park
Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park is a state park in Benton County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park is situated on the western shore of the Kentucky Lake impoundment of the Tennessee River, just north of the community of Eva...
to the northeast and Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
to the southeast. U.S. Route 641
U.S. Route 641
U.S. Route 641 is a spur of U.S. Route 41. It currently runs for 132 miles from Marion, Kentucky at U.S. Route 60 to Holladay, Tennessee at Interstate 40. Its passes through the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. US 641 does not, in any way, connect to its "parent" route, U.S. Route...
, which intersects US-70 in the western half of Camden, connects the area with Paris
Paris, Tennessee
Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, United States, west of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River. In 1900, 2,018 people lived in Paris, Tennessee; in 1910, 3,881; and in 1940, 6,395. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,763. It is the county seat of Henry...
and Kentucky to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km²), of which, 11.1 square miles (28.7 km²) of it is land and 11.5 square miles (29.8 km²) of it (50.88%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,828 people, 1,631 households, and 1,014 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 344.9 people per square mile (133.2/km²). There were 1,840 housing units at an average density of 165.8 per square mile (64.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.08% White, 5.33% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.31% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 1,631 households out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 26.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,348, and the median income for a family was $31,667. Males had a median income of $27,413 versus $20,142 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,271. About 11.6% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Camden and Benton County function on primarily an agrarian economy, and Camden serves as a bedroom communityCommuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
for the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
facility and the DuPont
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
titanium dioxide production plant in New Johnsonville, TN, five miles to the east and on the other side of the Tennessee River.
In the past, Camden and Benton County were known for sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
production, however, the last sorghum production facility shut down in summer 2001. Tourism, however, is quickly supplanting it, with the well-promoted Tennessee Freshwater Pearl Museum at Birdsong Resort & Marina providing an influx of out-of-town dollars. Pearls, both farmed and harvested in the wild, have been a staple of Benton County for years. The Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Farm is the only one of its kind in North America. Birdsong Resort, Marina and Lakeside RV and Tent Campgrounds offers tours of the farm and museum daily located off Interstate 40 at the Birdsong Exit # 133 which is halfway between Nashville and Memphis.
Another notable event in Camden is the Bargain Highway, where parts of U.S. Highway 641
U.S. Route 641
U.S. Route 641 is a spur of U.S. Route 41. It currently runs for 132 miles from Marion, Kentucky at U.S. Route 60 to Holladay, Tennessee at Interstate 40. Its passes through the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. US 641 does not, in any way, connect to its "parent" route, U.S. Route...
and U.S. Highway 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
are transformed into a 30-mile yardsale during Labor Day Weekend.
Radio Stations
- WRJB-FM 95.9WRJBWRJB is a radio station licensed to serve Camden, Tennessee, USA. The station is owned by Community Broadcasting Services, Inc. It airs a hot adult contemporary music format...
"Magic 95.9 the Valley" - WFWL-AM 1220WFWLWFWL is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Camden, Tennessee, USA, the station is currently owned by Community Broadcasting Services and features programming from Citadel Media.-External links:*...
"The Station You Grew Up With" - WAKQ-FM 105.5 (Henry Co) "Today's Best Music with Ace & TJAce & TJ ShowThe Ace & TJ Show is a syndicated morning radio show, previously on KISS 95.1 out of Charlotte, NC. The Ace & TJ Show debuted on KISS 95.1 on April 6, 1998. Their last day on Kiss 95.1 was Friday, May 20, 2011. Contract discussions with CBS Radio were not successful...
in the Morning" - WTPR-AM 710 (Henry Co) "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
- WTPR-FM 101.7 (Henry Co) "The Greatest Hits of All Time"
History
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
were living and camping in the Camden area as early as Archaic period (8000-1000 B.C.). A substantial Archaic site
Eva (archaeological site)
The Eva site is a prehistoric Native American site in Benton County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Located along an ancient channel of the Tennessee River, the Eva site saw extensive periods of occupation during the Middle and Late Archaic period...
has been excavated at nearby Eva (the actual site is now submerged), uncovering evidence of semi-permanent habitation dating back 7000 years.
The first Euro-American settlers arrived in the Benton County area around 1818, shortly after (and probably before) the county was purchased from the Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
. Camden has its roots as a stopover along the stage coach route between Nashville and Memphis. Initially known as "Tranquility," the community had attained the name "Camden" by the 1830s, a name influenced by the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
-era Battle of Camden
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War...
. When Benton County was created in 1835, Camden was chosen as the county seat. The city of Camden was officially incorporated in 1838.
It was near Camden where country music stars Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
, Cowboy Copas
Cowboy Copas
Lloyd Estel Copas , known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, was an American country music singer popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Hawkshaw Hawkins. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry.-Biography:Copas was born in 1913 in...
, and Hawkshaw Hawkins
Hawkshaw Hawkins
Harold Franklin Hawkins , better known as Hawkshaw Hawkins, was an American country music singer popular from the 1950s into the early 60s known for his rich, smooth vocals and music drawn from blues, boogie and honky tonk...
lost their lives in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.