Fayette County, Tennessee

Fayette County
Fayette County Courthouse in Somerville
Fayette County Courthouse in Somerville
Official seal of Fayette County
Map of Tennessee highlighting Fayette County
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Map of the United States highlighting Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°11′N 89°25′W / 35.19°N 89.41°W / 35.19; -89.41
Country United States
State Tennessee
FoundedSeptember 29, 1824
Named forMarquis de Lafayette[1]
SeatSomerville
Largest townOakland
Area
 • Total706 sq mi (1,830 km2)
 • Land705 sq mi (1,830 km2)
 • Water1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total41,990 Increase
 • Density56.8/sq mi (21.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitefayettetn.us

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,990.[2] Its county seat is Somerville.[3] The county was named after the Marquis de la Fayette, French hero of the American Revolution.[4] A part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area, Fayette County is culturally alike to the Mississippi Delta and was a major area of cotton plantations dependent on slave labor in the nineteenth century.

  1. ^ Dorothy R. Morton, "Fayette County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: June 27, 2013.
  2. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 124.