Covington, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Covington is a city in central Tipton County in the State of Tennessee. Covington is the largest city and county seat
of, Tipton County. Covington is located in one of just five counties of West Tennessee
that are located along the Mississippi River
, thus it is in extreme western Tennessee.
This city's population was about 8,460 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census.
Covington is located in the Memphis, Tennessee Metropolitan Area, and it is located on U.S. Highway 51, a major north-south highway connecting Mississippi
, Memphis, Kentucky
, and Illinois
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, this town has a total area of 10.3 square miles (26.7 km²), of which practically all of it is dry land.
Covington is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone
, an area judged by geologist
s to have a high risk of earthquake
s in the future.
of various tribes. Also, since the Mississippi River
is quite close to here, this area was used for much north-south trade by the American Indians.
Since Tipton County is one of the five counties of the State of Tennessee that is located along the Mississippi River
, this area was first explored by white people during the noted expedition of the French Canadian
s Jacques Marquette
and Louis Joliet in 1673. This one went down the Mississippi from Wisconsin
to the mouth of the Arkansas River
, and then back upriver to Lake Michigan
. That river mouth is along the present border between Arkansas
and Mississippi
. Also, the fine details of the route of the land expedition of the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto are not known, but it is likely that de Soto and his men passed near here in about 1541.
During the 18th century, because this entire area consists of flatlands
with long, hot summers, and adequate rainfall, the Covington area and the rest of West Tennessee
grew to become the location of large plantation
s for growing huge crops of cotton
(and a few foodcrops
). Hence Africa
n slaves were brought to Western Tennessee early in its history, and West Tennessee was the nexus of slavery in Tennessee, since most of the rest of the state had relatively few slaves.
During the War Between the States, one of the primary objectives of the Union Army
and Union Navy
was to split the Confederate States
in two along the Mississippi River. The Confederate Army resisted this, but still the counties of Tennessee and northeastern Arkansas
, including Tipton County, were among the early ones to be overrun and held by the Union Army. Thus, the war in the Covington area ended early.
Starting in the 1870s, Covington and its surroundings began to receive the benefits of the new technologies that were being invented and then extended across the middle of the United States: the railroad, the telegraph, household electric power
, a municipal pure water supply, the paving of the town's streets, and the provision of natural gas.
The Memphis and Paducah Railroad completed its tracks to Covington in July 1873. Nect, the first telegraph line between Memphis and Covington was completed in 1882. In 1894, electric power came to Covington for the first time.
A municipal water system began providing the residents of Covington with pure drinking water
beginning in 1898. In 1922, the paving of the streets began in Covington, and beginning in 1929, a natural gas
company has operated to provide cooking gas and wintertime heating to homes and business in Covington. The time that telephone
service in Covington orginated is not known.
Following the invention of the automobile
, during the 1910s and 1920s the United States began to construct more and more intercity paved highway
s in various regions of the county. These developed into the U.S. Numbered Highway System, and U.S. Highway 51 was established. This highway connects Memphis and points south of it, via Covington and Cairo, Illinois
, with the major metropolis
of Chicago, Illinois, at Lake Michigan
. Thus, Covington became a small town along a major north-south highway of commerce and travel.
In the South Main Historic District in Covington, about 50 houses from the late 19th century and the early 20th century are still standing.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 8,463 people, 3,199 households, and 2,136 families residing in the city. The population density
was 822.1 people per square mile (317.5/km²). There were 3,372 housing units at an average density of 327.6 per square mile (126.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 51.59% White, 46.54% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races
, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 3,199 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples
living together, 25.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,684, and the median income for a family was $32,213. Males had a median income of $28,964 versus $20,938 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,293. About 25.2% of families and 27.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 34.1% of those age 65 or over.
bone show something about its natural history. Adjacent to the museum, there is a 20 acre
park with a 0.5 miles (805 m) walking trail. Natural woodland and a man-made wetland give habitat to a few of the smaller local species such as turtles and birds.
The Veterans Memorial in front of the museum commemorates the soldiers from the county who lost their lives in wars. This museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and admission to the museum and to the park is free.
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, Tipton County. Covington is located in one of just five counties of West Tennessee
West Tennessee
West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the State of Tennessee. Of the three, it is the one that is most sharply defined geographically. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River on the west and the Tennessee River on the east...
that are located along the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, thus it is in extreme western Tennessee.
This city's population was about 8,460 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census.
Geography
Covington is located at 35°33′54"N 89°38′50"W (35.564937, -89.647168).Covington is located in the Memphis, Tennessee Metropolitan Area, and it is located on U.S. Highway 51, a major north-south highway connecting Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Memphis, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
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...
, this town has a total area of 10.3 square miles (26.7 km²), of which practically all of it is dry land.
Covington is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone
New Madrid Seismic Zone
The New Madrid Seismic Zone , sometimes called the New Madrid Fault Line, is a major seismic zone and a prolific source of intraplate earthquakes in the southern and midwestern United States, stretching to the southwest from New Madrid, Missouri.The New Madrid fault system was responsible for the...
, an area judged by geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
s to have a high risk of earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s in the future.
History
It is not recorded when white settlers started arriving in Memphis. Before that, this area was inhabited by Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
of various tribes. Also, since the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
is quite close to here, this area was used for much north-south trade by the American Indians.
Since Tipton County is one of the five counties of the State of Tennessee that is located along the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, this area was first explored by white people during the noted expedition of the French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
s Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette
Father Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
and Louis Joliet in 1673. This one went down the Mississippi from Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
to the mouth of the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
, and then back upriver to Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. That river mouth is along the present border between Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. Also, the fine details of the route of the land expedition of the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto are not known, but it is likely that de Soto and his men passed near here in about 1541.
During the 18th century, because this entire area consists of flatlands
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
with long, hot summers, and adequate rainfall, the Covington area and the rest of West Tennessee
West Tennessee
West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the State of Tennessee. Of the three, it is the one that is most sharply defined geographically. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River on the west and the Tennessee River on the east...
grew to become the location of large plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s for growing huge crops of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
(and a few foodcrops
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
). Hence Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n slaves were brought to Western Tennessee early in its history, and West Tennessee was the nexus of slavery in Tennessee, since most of the rest of the state had relatively few slaves.
During the War Between the States, one of the primary objectives of the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
and Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
was to split the Confederate States
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
in two along the Mississippi River. The Confederate Army resisted this, but still the counties of Tennessee and northeastern Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, including Tipton County, were among the early ones to be overrun and held by the Union Army. Thus, the war in the Covington area ended early.
Starting in the 1870s, Covington and its surroundings began to receive the benefits of the new technologies that were being invented and then extended across the middle of the United States: the railroad, the telegraph, household electric power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
, a municipal pure water supply, the paving of the town's streets, and the provision of natural gas.
The Memphis and Paducah Railroad completed its tracks to Covington in July 1873. Nect, the first telegraph line between Memphis and Covington was completed in 1882. In 1894, electric power came to Covington for the first time.
A municipal water system began providing the residents of Covington with pure drinking water
Tap water
Tap water is a principal component of "indoor plumbing", which became available in urban areas of the developed world during the last quarter of the 19th century, and common during the mid-20th century...
beginning in 1898. In 1922, the paving of the streets began in Covington, and beginning in 1929, a natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
company has operated to provide cooking gas and wintertime heating to homes and business in Covington. The time that telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
service in Covington orginated is not known.
Following the invention of the automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, during the 1910s and 1920s the United States began to construct more and more intercity paved highway
Highway
A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
s in various regions of the county. These developed into the U.S. Numbered Highway System, and U.S. Highway 51 was established. This highway connects Memphis and points south of it, via Covington and Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, with the major metropolis
Metropolis
A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...
of Chicago, Illinois, at Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. Thus, Covington became a small town along a major north-south highway of commerce and travel.
In the South Main Historic District in Covington, about 50 houses from the late 19th century and the early 20th century are still standing.
Demographics
Census
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 8,463 people, 3,199 households, and 2,136 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 822.1 people per square mile (317.5/km²). There were 3,372 housing units at an average density of 327.6 per square mile (126.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 51.59% White, 46.54% African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.25% 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 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 3,199 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% 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, 25.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 79.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,684, and the median income for a family was $32,213. Males had a median income of $28,964 versus $20,938 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 $14,293. About 25.2% of families and 27.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 34.1% of those age 65 or over.
Tipton County Museum
The Tipton County Museum is located in Covington. Amongst other things, this museum houses displays and exhibits from the county's history during the War Between the States. Mountings of local animal species are kept there, and fragments of mastodonMastodon
Mastodons were large tusked mammal species of the extinct genus Mammut which inhabited Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Central America from the Oligocene through Pleistocene, 33.9 mya to 11,000 years ago. The American mastodon is the most recent and best known species of the group...
bone show something about its natural history. Adjacent to the museum, there is a 20 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
park with a 0.5 miles (805 m) walking trail. Natural woodland and a man-made wetland give habitat to a few of the smaller local species such as turtles and birds.
The Veterans Memorial in front of the museum commemorates the soldiers from the county who lost their lives in wars. This museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays, and admission to the museum and to the park is free.
Notable people of Covington
- Tony DelkTony DelkTony Lorenzo Delk is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. He was team leader of the 1996 University of Kentucky Wildcats team that won the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
, an American pro basketball player who was born here in 1974 - The Hall-of-Fame composer and musician Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
was born here in 1942 - Lawrence Hall, aka: "The Man Hall" - a local radio broadcasting figure.
- The actress Leigh SnowdenLeigh SnowdenLeigh Snowden was an American actress in motion pictures and television.-Studios bid for a young actress:...
named her granddaughter Covington, in honor of this town. - Josh Mason, the independent film maker is from this town.