# Martin, Tennessee

Martin is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,825 according to the 2020 census. The city is the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin.

## History

Martin is named for Captain William Martin. William Martin was born in Halifax County, Virginia in 1806, and moved to Weakley County, Tennessee with his wife Sarah in 1832. Captain Martin prospered through tobacco farming and began working to establish a railroad connection in what would later become Martin in 1852. It was not until after his death in 1859 that his sons, led primarily by George W. Martin, persuaded the Mississippi Central Railroad to locate a connection with the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad in what would become Martin, Tennessee in 1872.
Martin was initially named Green Briar Glade and then renamed Frost in honor of an official of the Illinois Central Railroad. George W. Martin, M. P. Martin and W. H. Martin sold to the Mississippi Central Railroad on February 11, 1874, for $5. The railroad renamed the area Martin in honor of William Martin and to better advertise the area. Surveyor H. C. Draughon layed out the town on September 22, 1874, and a petition of incorporation was filed by G.W. Martin, A.M. Clemons, and Draughon on September 24. A majority of the 36 residents voted in favor of the incorporation on November 27, and John L. Smith was appointed mayor. B.F. Crawford was elected mayor on February 5, 1875, alongside six aldermen and a constable.
In 1878, a yellow fever outbreak infected 400 of the 500 inhabitants and killed 52. A smallpox epidemic broke out during the tenure of Mayor James E. Kennedy. Concrete sidewalks and gravel streets were built during the mayoral tenure of Wiley Blakemore. The city's sewer system was built under Mayor J.T. Perkins.
Esquire listed Martin as one of the happiest towns in the United States in 1970.

## Geography

Martin is located at 36°20′31″N 88°51′6″W﻿ / ﻿36.34194°N 88.85167°W﻿ / 36.34194; -88.85167 (36.341836, -88.851647).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32 km$^2$), of which 12.4 square miles (32 km$^2$) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km$^2$) (0.32%) is water.

### Major roads and highways

* U.S. Route 45E (Elm St., Lindell St.)
* State Route 22
* State Route 431 (Main Street, University Street)
* State Route 43 (Skyhawk Parkway)

### Climate

Climate data for Martin, Tennessee (University of Tennessee at Martin) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1936–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) | 81 (27) | 86 (30) | 90 (32) | 98 (37) | 107 (42) | 105 (41) | 106 (41) | 105 (41) | 96 (36) | 87 (31) | 78 (26) | 107 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 45.9 (7.7) | 50.8 (10.4) | 59.5 (15.3) | 70.2 (21.2) | 78.8 (26.0) | 86.5 (30.3) | 89.8 (32.1) | 89.5 (31.9) | 83.4 (28.6) | 72.4 (22.4) | 59.6 (15.3) | 49.3 (9.6) | 69.6 (20.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 36.2 (2.3) | 40.5 (4.7) | 48.7 (9.3) | 58.7 (14.8) | 68.3 (20.2) | 76.3 (24.6) | 79.7 (26.5) | 78.4 (25.8) | 71.5 (21.9) | 59.7 (15.4) | 48.5 (9.2) | 39.8 (4.3) | 58.9 (14.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26.5 (−3.1) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 37.8 (3.2) | 47.3 (8.5) | 57.8 (14.3) | 66.2 (19.0) | 69.7 (20.9) | 67.4 (19.7) | 59.6 (15.3) | 47.1 (8.4) | 37.4 (3.0) | 30.2 (−1.0) | 48.1 (8.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) | −14 (−26) | −2 (−19) | 20 (−7) | 31 (−1) | 44 (7) | 48 (9) | 44 (7) | 33 (1) | 17 (−8) | 0 (−18) | −13 (−25) | −18 (−28) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.18 (106) | 4.74 (120) | 5.32 (135) | 5.29 (134) | 5.66 (144) | 4.30 (109) | 4.24 (108) | 3.45 (88) | 3.77 (96) | 3.98 (101) | 4.48 (114) | 5.31 (135) | 54.72 (1,390) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 1.2 (3.0) | 1.4 (3.6) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 3.1 (7.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 10.6 | 9.7 | 11.6 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 9.6 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 9.4 | 11.5 | 116.9 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2.3 |
| Source: NOAA ||||||||||||||

## Demographics
### 2020 census

Martin racial composition :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White (non-Hispanic) | 7,892 | 72.91% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,910 | 17.64% |
| Native American | 14 | 0.13% |
| Asian | 131 | 1.21% |
| Other/Mixed | 549 | 5.08% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 329 | 3.04% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,825 people, 3,958 households, and 2,049 families residing in the city.

### 2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 10,515 people, 3,773 households, and 2,029 families living in the city. The population density was 848.9 inhabitants per square mile (327.8/km$^2$). There were 4,106 housing units at an average density of 331.5 per square mile (128.0/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the city was 66.32% White, 25.62% African American, 0.08% Native American, 4.13% Asian, 0.97% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.82%.
Of the 3,773 households 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were non-families. 34.1% of households were one person and 11.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.
The age distribution was 16.7% under the age of 18, 32.6% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% 65 or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.
The median household income was $26,493 and the median family income was $38,648. Males had a median income of $29,836 versus $22,219 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,184. About 15.8% of families and 27.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.7% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

## Government and politics

Mayors of Union Springs, Alabama :
| # | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Note |
| 1 | John Smith | 1874 | 1875 | Appointed |
| 2 | Baldwin Crawford | 1875 | 1877 | Elected |
| 3 | L.A. Blake | 1877 | 1878 | Died of yellow fever |
| 4 | J.P. Beach | 1878 | 1880 | |
| 5 | J.M. Ridgeway | 1880 | 1886 | |
| 6 | John L. Brooks | 1886 | 1894 | |
| 7 | Ruffan R. Aycock | 1894 | 1896 | |
| 8 | James E. Kennedy | 1896 | 1900 | |
| 9 | George E. Bowden | 1900 | 1902 | Brother of Thomas A. Bowden |
| 10 | Thomas A. Bowden | 1902 | 1902 | Brother of George E. Bowden; Died two months into term |
| 11 | Wiley B. Blakemore | 1902 | 1908 | |
| 12 | J.T. Perkins | 1908 | 1914 | |
| 13 | A.B. Adam | 1914 | 1918 | |
| 14 | J.D. Jones | 1918 | 1920 | |
| 15 | George P. Hurt | 1920 | 1922 | |
| 16 | D. Walter Harper | 1922 | 1928 | |
| 17 | George M. Brooks | 1928 | 1930 | |
| 18 | L.G. McMillion | 1930 | 1931 | Resigned due to poor health |
| 19 | George M. Brooks | 1931 | 1932 | |
| 20 | L.A. Elliott | 1932 | 1934 | |
| 21 | George M. Brooks | 1934 | 1939 | |
| 22 | Frank Smith | 1939 | 1940 | |
| 23 | George M. Brooks | 1940 | 1950 | |
| 24 | Jack Vincent | 1950 | 1954 | |
| 25 | Milburn Gardner | 1954 | 1957 | Died in office |
| 26 | Max Burchard | 1957 | 1958 | |
| 27 | Jack Vincent | 1958 | 1962 | |
| 28 | Doug Murphy | 1962 | 1966 | |
| 29 | Cliff Weldon | 1966 | 1974 | |
| 30 | Tom Copeland | 1974 | 1976 | |
| 31 | H.C. Brundige | 1976 | 1982 | |
| 32 | Tom Copeland | 1982 | 1984 | |
| 33 | Virginia Weldon | 1984 | 1988 | Wife of Cliff Weldon |
| 34 | Bob Peeler | 1988 | 1990 | |
| 35 | Carl Savage | 1990 | 1992 | |
| 36 | Larry Taylor | 1992 | 2002 | |
| 37 | Randy Brundige | 2002 | Present | |

### ZIP codes

The ZIP codes used in the Martin area are: 38237 and 38238, with the latter reserved for the University of Tennessee at Martin.

## Media
### Newspapers

* Weakley County Press

### Radio

* WCMT-AM 1410 100.5FM
* WCMT-FM 101.3
* WUTM-FM 90.3
* (WCDZ FM 95.1 and 102.9FM)
* WCMT-AM 1410 "your best friend"

## Points of interest

* University of Tennessee at Martin
* University of Tennessee Botanical Gardens
* Westview High School (Tennessee)

## Notable people

* Chad Clifton - NFL player for the Green Bay Packers
* Leonard Hamilton - UTM alumnus, men's basketball coach, Florida State University
* Justin Harrell - NFL player for the Green Bay Packers
* Crystal Renee Hayslett - Actress and costume designer, known for BET's Sistas and BET+'s Zatima
* Lester Hudson - UTM alumnus, NBA player
* Pat Summitt - UTM alumna, Head Coach emerita, UT Knoxville Lady Vols Basketball
* Jerry Reese - UTM alumnus, General Manager, New York Giants (football)
* Hayden White - narrative historian.
* Lin Dunn - UTM alumna, first coach and general manager for the Seattle Storm (basketball)
* Van Jones - UTM alumnus, CNN commentator, Emmy award winner
* Ty Simpson - Westview alumnus, quarterback for Alabama Crimson Tide