View source for Maury County, Tennessee

[[Category:Counties]]
[[Category:General Information]]
[[Category:History]]
{{Infobox community
|image = Maury County's location in Tennessee.png
|names = [["The Dimple of the Universe"]]
|founded = 1807
|pop = 96,387 (2019 est.)
|personnel = [[Andy Ogles]] ([[Mayor of Maury County, Tennessee|county mayor]]), <br/>[[Bucky Rowland]] ([[Sheriff of Maury County, Tennessee|sheriff]])
}}

[[File:Maury county courthouse.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Maury County Courthouse. 41 Public Square, Columbia, Tennessee.]]

'''Maury County''' is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County county] in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee State of Tennessee]. It is part of the grand division of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Tennessee Middle Tennessee]<ref>Tenn. Code § 4-1-203 (2016).</ref>and a part of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_metropolitan_area Nashville Metropolitan Area].<ref name="Wikipedia Article on Maury County">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maury_County,_Tennessee Wikipedia contributors. "Maury County, Tennessee." ''Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.'' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Jan. 2021. Web. 22 Jan. 2021.]</ref> The county seat is [[Columbia, Tennessee|Columbia]]. The estimated population of Maury County in 2019 was 96,387.<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee">[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/maurycountytennessee "QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee." U.S. Census Bureau, Undated. Web. 22 Jan. 2021.].</ref>

==Pronunciation==
Though the [[Maury (disambiguation) | Maury]] [[Maury (surname) | family]], after whom the county was named, originally pronounced with their surname with an "aw" sound (/ˈmɔːrɪ/)<ref>[https://www.dictionary.com/browse/maury "Maury." ''Dictionary.com.'' Undated. Web. 23 Jan. 2021.]</ref>, Maury County is generally pronounced as "Murray" (/ˈmʌrɪ/) today.<ref name="RootsWeb History Page">http://sites.rootsweb.com/~tnmaury/history.htm Thomas, Frank D. "Maury County, Tennessee History." RootsWeb Project, 12 July 1998, Web. 23 Jan. 2021.</ref><ref>[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001874458 Robbins, D.P. ''Century Review: 1805-1905, Maury County, Tennessee.'' Columbia,  Board of Mayor and Aldermen, 1905, p. 12. Web (hathitrust.org). 22 Jan. 2021.]</ref>
==History==
===Antebellum Period===
[[File:Maury county courthouse founding history plaque.jpg|thumb|right|Plaque on the Maury County Courthouse discussing the history of the establishment of Maury County.]]
[[File:Polk home.jpg|thumb|right|James K. Polk Home, near intersection of West 7th Street and High Street, Columbia (7 Feb. 2021).]]
[[File:Rippavilla.jpg|thumb|right|Rippavilla Plantation, Spring Hill. (23 Jan. 2021).]]

''See main article [[Maury County before 1800]].''

''See main article [[Maury County in the Early Nineteenth Century]].''

Maury County was established by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly dated November 16, 1807.<ref name="Wikipedia Article on 
Maury County"/><ref name="Tennessee Encyclopedia article on Maury County">[https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/maury-county/ Lightfoot, Marise. "Maury County." ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018. Web. 22 Jan. 2021]</ref><ref name="Turner at 12">[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/101881639 Turner, William Bruce. ''History of Maury County, Tennessee.'' Nashville, Parthenon Press, 1955, pp. 12 -13. Web (hathitrust.org). 22 Jan. 2021]</ref><ref>"An Act to reduce Williamson county to constitutional limits and to form a new county on the south and southwest of the same." ''Acts Passed at the First Session of the Seventh General Assembly of the State of Tennessee.'' Knoxville, William Moore, 1808, ch. 94, pp. 149-154. Online through Vanderbilt Library. 22 Jan. 2021. Also available online at [http://privateacts.ctas.tennessee.edu/content/acts-1807-chapter-94-0 UT CTAS Website.]</ref><ref>Many sources say November 24, 1807; see for example the plaque on the County Courthouse or Greenlaw, R. Douglass. "Outline History of Maury County." ''Tennessee Historical Magazine.'' vol. 3, no. 3., April 1935. p. 145. JSTOR. 29 Jan. 2021. This probably refers to the date the bill (passed by the General Assembly on November 16) creating Maury County was signed by Gov. John Sevier.</ref> Maury County was created out of parts of Williamson County and the act creating it also instructed its first county commissioners to found [[Columbia,_Tennessee|the town of Columbia]] on the [[Duck River]] to serve as its seat.<ref>Act of 16 Nov. 1807, cited ''supra'', at p. 151.</ref> Maury County is named after [[Abram Maury]], a planter who served as a state senator from [[Williamson County, Tennessee | Williamson County]] and who helped found the town of [[Franklin, Tennessee]].<ref name="Tennessee Encyclopedia article on Maury County" /><ref>[https://www.williamsoncountyhistory.com/new-page-4 | "Abram Maury", Williamson County Historical Society, Undated. Web. 22 Jan. 2021]</ref> Prior to 1806, title to the lands of the Duck River valley were held by the Cherokee Nation; their claims were relinquished by the Third Treaty of Tellico (1805) and the Treaty of Washington (1806).<ref name="Turner at 12"/><ref name="RootsWeb History Page"/><ref>[http://www.tn4me.org/minor_cat.cfm/era_id/2/major_id/7/minor_id/15 | "Broken Treaties." Tennessee State Museum. Undated. Web. 22 Jan. 2021]</ref> Giles, Lawrence, and Lewis Counties were later carved out (in part or whole) of Maury County land.<ref>Turner, ''supra'' at 15.</ref>

Maury County was relatively prosperous in the early nineteenth century due to its rich soils.<ref name="Tennessee Encyclopedia article on Maury County" /> Important products included cotton, tobacco and livestock.<ref name="Tennessee Encyclopedia article on Maury County" /> Maury County was the third-most populous county in Tennessee in 1830<ref name="1830 Census">[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100872310 U.S. Department of State. ''Abstract of the Fifth Census of the United States, 1830.'' Washington, The Globe Office, 1832 Web (hathitrust.org). 22 Jan. 2021.]</ref> and the second most populous (behind only Davidson County) in the 1840 Census.<ref name="1840 Census">[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/101976232 U.S. Department of State, ''Compendium of the enumeration of inhabitants and statistics of the United States.'' Washington, Thomas Allen, 1841. Web (hathitrust.org). 22 Jan. 2021]</ref><ref name="Tennessee Encyclopedia article on Maury County" /> Before Nashville was chosen in 1843, locals hoped that [[Columbia, Tennessee | Columbia]] (which is near the geographical center of the state) might become the state capital.<ref>Turner, ''supra'' at 16.</ref><ref>Robbins, cited ''supra'', at 14.</ref> 

The early history of Maury County is closely tied to the Polk family.<ref name="Tennessee Encyclopedia article on Maury County" /> The petition to form Maury County was signed by several members of that family, including Samuel Polk,<ref>Turner, ''supra'', at 16.</ref> the father of President [[James K. Polk]].<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_K._PolkEarly_life Wikipedia contributors. "James K. Polk." ''Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.'' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Jan. 2021. Web. 23 Jan. 2021.]</ref> Several historic properties including the [[James K. Polk House]] (built 1816) on West 7th Street in [[Columbia, Tennessee | Columbia]] are associated with the Polk family.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_James_K._Polk_Home_%26_Museum Wikipedia contributors. "President James K. Polk Home & Museum." ''Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.'' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Dec. 2020. Web. 23 Jan. 2021.]</ref>

[[Slavery in Maury County|The labor of enslaved African-Americans]] was a key ingredient to the county's early success.<ref name="Wikipedia Article on Maury County" /> By the eve of the Civil War, there were nearly as many enslaved people in Maury County as free citizens.<ref name="1860 Census">[https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1864/dec/1860a.html Kennedy, Joseph C.G. ''Population of the United States in 1860.'' Washington, Government Printing Office, 1864. Web (census.gov). 22 Jan. 2021.]</ref> Hundreds of families claimed ownership of other human beings. While many owned only one or a small number, several families (including the Polk family<ref>[https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-enslaved-households-of-james-k-polk Mann, Lina. "The Enslaved Household of President James K. Polk." 3 Jan. 2020. Web. 22 Jan. 2021]</ref>) held dozens or hundreds of people in bondage<ref>[https://maurycountyafricanamericanblackhistory.org/timelines/ "Maury County Timeline." Undated. Web. 22 Jan. 2021]</reF><ref>See the 1860 Census Slave Schedules. [https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Census_Slave_Schedules "United States Census Slave Schedules." FamilySearch Wiki. 9 Dec 2020. Web. 23 Jan 2021.]</ref>. Several prominent families, such as the Cheairs family of [[Rippavilla Plantation]], built large estates during the antebellum period by exploiting the labor of the enslaved<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rippavilla_Plantation Wikipedia contributors. "Rippavilla Plantation." ''Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.'' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Oct. 2020. Web. 23 Jan. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.williamsonhomepage.com/spring_hill/community/spring-hill-hopes-to-attract-rippavilla-tourism-with-truth-about-its-history-of-slavery/article_8beb4d7f-1e60-5f4d-a474-5fed6e24acab.html Blais, Matt. "Spring Hill hopes to attract Rippavilla tourism with truth about its history of slavery." ''Spring Hill Home Page.'' 19 Jan. 2018. Web. 22 Jan. 2021]</ref> During the 1820s and 1830s some citizens spoke out against the practice of slavery on moral and religious grounds, founding the Manumission Society of West Tennessee in Maury County in 1824; but their efforts at persuading their neighbors to free their slaves were largely unsuccessful.<ref>Turner, ''supra'', at 367.</ref> Furthermore, many freed slaves left Tennessee either by choice or under legal banishment.<ref>Duncan, Bob. "Manumission - The Struggle for an Uncertain Freedom." ''Maury County Second Century Review.'' Columbia, Maury County Archives, 2007, pp. 114-116.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of Maury County, 1810-1860, by race and status
|-
!
! Free White (% of Total)
! Slaves (% of Total)
! Free Colored Persons (% of Total)<ref>It is acknowledged that this term is anachronistic and may be offensive; it is the term used in the original Census documents.</ref>
! Other (% of Total)
! Total (% Change)
|-
!1810<ref name = "1870 Census">[https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1872/dec/1870a.html Walker, Francis A. (Superintendent of the Census). ''Ninth Census - Volume I: The Statistics of the Population of the United States.'' Washington,. Government Printing Office, 1872. Web (census.gov). 31 Jan. 2021.]</ref>
|7,722 (74.5%)
|2,626 (25.3%)
|11 (0.1%)
|n/a
|10,359 (n/a)
|-
!1820<ref>[https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1821/dec/1820a.html Adams, J.Q. (Secretary of State). ''Census for 1820.'' Washington,. Gales & Seaton, 1821. Web (census.gov). 22 Jan. 2021.]</ref>
|15,620 (70.5%)
|6,420 (29.0%)
|49 (0.2%)
|52 (0.2%)
|22,141 (+113.7%)
|-
!1830<ref name="1830 Census" /><ref name="1870 Census" />
|18,200 (65.8%)
|9,434 (34.1%)
|31 (0.1%)
|n/a
|27,665 (+24.9%)
|-
!1840<ref name="1840 Census" />
|17,090 (60.6%)
|11,002 (39.0%)
|94 (0.3%)
|n/a
|28,186 (+1.9%)
|-
!1850<ref name="1850 Census">[https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1853/dec/1850a.html DeBow, J.D.B. ''The Seventh Census of the United States: 1850.'' Washington, Robert Armstrong, 1853. Web (census.gov). 22 Jan. 2021.]</ref>
|16,759 (56.8%)
|12,670 (42.9%)
|91 (0.3%)
|n/a
|29,520 (+4.7%)
|-
!1860<ref name="1860 Census" />
|17,701 (54.5%)
|14,654 (45.1%)
|143 (0.4%)
|n/a
|32,498 (+10.1%)
|}

===Civil War===
''See article [[Maury County in the Civil War]].''

Voters in Maury County overwhelmingly (2,731 for, 58 against) supported secession in the June 1861 Tennessee state referendum, and at least 21 companies of Confederate infantry and cavalry were organized in Maury County.<ref>Turner, cited ''supra'', at pp. 207-209. Note that a full-strength company would have had about 100 men, but this number may have varied over time.</ref>

Maury County was occupied by the Union (U.S.) Army during the summer of 1862 after the capture of Nashville, but abandoned in the fall of that year<ref>Turner, ''supra'' at 209.</ref> Both Union and Confederate units passed through Maury County during the fall of 1864; Confederate General John Bell Hood sent his Army of Tennessee northward in a bid to capture Nashville during the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin%E2%80%93Nashville_Campaign Franklin-Nashville campaign]. This movement, as well as the Union Army rushing to combine forces scattered across Middle Tennessee, resulted in minor skirmishes at Columbia on November 24, Davis Ford (near Fountain Heights) on November 28, Hurt's Crossroads on November 29, and the [[Battle of Spring Hill]] (the only major battle of the Civil War to be fought in Maury County) on November 29, 1864.<ref>Turner, cited ''supra'', at 224.</ref> After the decisive Union victory at Nashville in early December 1864, retreating Confederate units commanded by [[Nathan Bedford Forrest]] briefly held Columbia before abandoning Maury County to advancing Union troops during the week of Christmas 1864.<ref>Turner, cited ''supra'', at pp. 231-33.</ref>

A number of buildings, including Jackson College in Columbia, were burned during the Civil War.<ref>Turner, cited ''supra'' at 139, 217.</ref>

Confederate General Earl Van Dorn was shot dead by Dr. George Peters at the home of Matt Cheairs in Spring Hill on May 7, 1863; Dr. Peters believed Gen. Van Dorn was having an affair with his wife.<ref>[https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/earl-van-dorn/ Logsdon, David R. "Earl Van Dorn." ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018, Web. 26 Jan. 2021]</ref>

Maury County was the home of Private Sam Watkins, whose book ''Company Aytch, or a Side Show of the Big Show: A Memoir of the Civil War'' has become a well-known primary source on the Civil War in Tennessee.<ref>Watkins, Sam R. and McAllister, Ruth Hill Fulton (editor). ''Company Aytch, or a Side Show of the Big Show: A Memoir of the Civil War.'' Nashville, Turner Publishing Company, 2011.</ref>

===Post-Civil War Years===
In 1865 and 1866, the State Tennessee abolished slavery by statewide referendum, disenfranchised Confederates, and set about on a course of Radical Reconstruction under the leadership of Governor William G. "Parson" Brownlow.<ref>Hargett, Tre (Secretary of State). ''Tennessee Blue Book 2019-2020.'' Nashville, Tennessee Secretary of State, 2020. pp. 608=09.</ref><ref>Carey, Bill. ''Runaways, Coffles, and Fancy Girls: A History of Slavery in Tennessee.'' Nashville, Clearbrook Press, 2018. pp. 232-36.</ref><ref>[https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/reconstruction/ McKenzie, Robert Tracy. "Reconstruction." ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.]</ref> Many white Maury County residents, outraged over these changes, participated in the violent activities of the first Ku Klux Klan (which was founded in neighboring Giles County in 1865 or 1866), terrorizing freed African-Americans as well as white Republicans.<ref>Turner, cited ''supra'', at pp. 354-58</ref><ref>Wetherington, Mark V. "Ku Klux Klan." ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018. Web. 27 Jan. 2021.</ref> By the 1870s, former Confederates had been restored and were a key part of the power structure in Tennessee politics for the rest of the century.<ref>O'Brien, Gail Williams. ''The Color of the Law: Race, Violence, and Justice in the Post-World War II South.'' Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina Press, 1999, pp. 116-118. HeinOnline through Vanderbilt University library. 1 Feb. 2021.</ref>

From 1865 until 1872, the Freedmen's Bureau opened schools in Columbia, Culleoka, Mount Pleasant, and Spring Hill to educate the newly-freed African Americans of Maury County.<ref>[https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/article/20130223/lifestyle/302239905 African American Heritage Society of Maury County, “Freedman's (sic) Bureau Exhibit on Display at Fairview Park Recreational Center.” ''The Daily Herald'', The Daily Herald, 23 Feb. 2013, Web. 31 Jan. 2021.]</ref>

At the end of the nineteenth century, Maury County remained among the top Tennessee counties in terms of wealth, population, and agricultural output. Columbia had the third-largest mule market in the United States.<ref>Robbins, cited ''supra'', at 160.</ref>

In 1888, William Shirley, digging around Gholston Hill in what is today Columbia, discovered brown [[Phosphate mining in Maury County | phosphate]] rock which had significant value for the manufacturing of fertilizer.<ref>Lightwood, cited ''supra''.</ref><ref>Coppedge, Needham, and Christian, John. "A History of Phosphates in Maury County", in Turner, cited ''supra'', at pp. 331-38.</ref>Phosphate was also discovered in Mount Pleasant in 1896, which turned Mt. Pleasant into a boomtown.<ref>[https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/phosphate-mining-and-industry/ Keys, Juanita. "Phosphate Mining and Industry." ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Duncan, Bob. "When Phosphate was King; Mt. Pleasant in 1912." ''Maury County Second Century Review.'' Columbia, Maury County Archives, 2007. pp. 136-138.</ref> Exploitation of this mineral resource began during the last decade of the nineteenth century and over the following decades helped to transform Maury County into an important industrial area.<ref>Lightwood, cited ''supra''.</ref><ref>Coppedge and Christian, cited ''supra''.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of Maury County, 1870-1900, by race
|-
!
! White (% of Total)
! Non-White (% of Total)
! Total (% Change)
|-
!1870<ref name = "1870 Census"/>
|20,022 (55.2%)
|16,267 (44.9%)<ref>"Colored" plus 2 "Indians."</ref>
|36,289 (+11.7%)
|-
!1880<ref name = "1880 Census">[https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html#y1880 Walker, Francis A. and Seaton, Chas. (Superintendents of the Census). ''Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Tenth Census (June 1, 1880).'' Washington, Government Printing Office, 1883. Web (census.gov). 31 Jan. 2021.]</ref>
|21,731 (54.5%)
|18,173 (45.5%)<ref>"Colored" plus 2 "Indians."</ref>
|39,904 (+10.0%)
|-
!1890<ref name = "1890 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1890.html Porter, Robert P. and Wright, Carroll D. (Superintendents of the Census). ''Report on Population of the United States at the Eleventh Census: 1890. Part I.'' Washington, Government Printing Office, 1895. Web. (census. gov). 31 Jan. 2021.]</ref>
|22,201 (58.3%)
|15,911 (41.7%)<ref>"Negro" plus 1 "Indian."</ref>
|38,112 (-4.5%)
|-
!1900<ref name = "1900 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1900.html Hunt, William C. (Chief Statistician for Population). ''Census Reports Volume I: Twelfth Census of the United States, Taken In The Year 1900, William R. Merriam, Director: Population Part I'' Washington, Government Printing Office, 1901. Web. (census. gov). 31 Jan. 2021.]</ref>
|24,539 (57.5%)
|18,164 (42.5%)<ref>"Negro"</ref>
|42,703 (+12.0%)
|}

In 1900, the population of [[Columbia, Tennessee | Columbia]] had grown to 6,052 and the population of [[Mount Pleasant, Tennessee | Mt. Pleasant]] was 2,007.<ref name="1900 Census" />

===Twentieth Century===
====Migration, Urbanization, and Rural Decline====
The population of Maury County shrank during the first half of the twentieth century due to two related migrations. First, many people, particularly African-Americans, left Maury County during this time period (and indeed, many African-Americans had already left Tennessee after the Civil War due to racial violence<ref>[https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/article/20140204/OPINION/302049853 Bennett, Mike. "Before the Great Migration." ''The Daily Herald.'' 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>) as part of the Great Migration from the rural South to urban areas, particularly to cities in the North.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/3744386 Kyriakoudes, Louis M. “Southern Black Rural-Urban Migration in the Era of the Great Migration: Nashville and Middle Tennessee, 1890-1930.” ''Agricultural History'', vol. 72, no. 2, 1998, pp. 341–351. JSTOR. Accessed 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Robbins cited ''supra'' at 13, notes that an "exodus of negroes to Alabama and other States for industrial purposes" had occurred in 1880-1890.</ref> Second, the population of rural districts in Maury County declined while the urban population (particularly in Columbia) grew.
  
{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of Maury County, 1910-1970, by race and urban/rural status
|-
!
! White (% of Total)
! Non-White (% of Total)
! Urban (% of Total)
! Rural (% of Total)
! Total (% Change)
|-
!1910<ref name = "1910 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1910.html Hunt, William C. (Statistician for Population, U.S. Bureau of the Census). "Thirteenth Census of the United States, Taken in the Year 1910. Volume III. Population. Nebraska-Wyoming." Washington, Government Printing Office, 1913. Web (census.gov). 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|24,287 (60.0%)
|16,169 (40.0%)<ref>"Negro."</ref>
|5,754 (14.2%)<ref>Note that in the early 20th century, "Urban" was equivalent to the population of Columbia as it was the only town with a population larger than 2,500 until 1940.</ref>
|34,702 (85.8%)
|40,456 (-5.3%)
|-
!1920<ref name = "1920 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1920.html Hunt, William C. (Chief Statistician for Population, U.S. Bureau of the Census). "Fourteenth Census of the United States, Taken in the Year 1920. Volume III. Population 1920." Washington, Government Printing Office, 1922. Web (census.gov). 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|23,453 (66.2%)<ref>Of whom 80 were foreign-born.</ref>
|11,950 (33.8%)<ref>"Negro."</ref>
|5,526 (15.6%)
|29,877 (84.4%)
|35,403 (-12.5%)
|-
!1930<ref name = "1930 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1930.html Truesdell, Leon E. (Chief Statistician for Population, U.S. Bureau of the Census). "Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930. Population. Volume III, Part 2, Montana-Wyoming." Washington, Government Printing Office, 1932. Web (census.gov). 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|24,208 (71.2%)<ref>59 foreign born.</ref>
|9,808 (28.8%)<ref>"Negro."</ref>
|7,882 (23.2%)
|26,134 (76.8%)
|34,016 (-3.9%)
|-
!1940<ref name = "1940 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1940.html Truesdell, Leon E. (Chief Statistician for Population, U.S. Bureau of the Census). "Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940. Population. Volume II Characteristics of the Population, Part 6, Pennsylvania-Texas." Washington, Government Printing Office, 1943. Web (census.gov). 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|30,225 (74.9%)<ref>57 foreign born.</ref>
|10,130 (25.1%)<ref>"Negro."</ref>
|13,668 (33.9%)<ref>10,579 in Columbia; 3,089 in Mount Pleasant. Columbia made up 26.2% of the county population.</ref>
|26,689 (66.1%)<ref>18,014 rural-farm population; 8,675 rural-nonfarm.</ref>
|40,357 (+18.6%)
|-
!1950<ref name = "1950 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1950.html Brunsman, Howard G. (Chief Population and Housing Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census). "A Report of the Seventeenth Decennial Census of the United States. Census of Population: 1950. Volume II Characteristics of the Population, Part 42, Tennessee." Washington, Government Printing Office, 1952. Web (census.gov). 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|31,782 (78.7%)
|8,586 (21.3%)<ref>"Negro."</ref>
|13,842 (32.8%)<ref>10,911 in Columbia; 2,931 in Mount Pleasant. Columbia made up 27.0% of the county population.</ref>
|26,526 (67.2%)<ref>13,215 rural-farm population; 13,311 rural-nonfarm.</ref>
|43,376 (+0.0%)
|-
!1960<ref name = "1960 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1960.html Brunsman, Howard G. (Chief, Population Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census). "The Eighteenth Decennial Census of the United States. Census of Population: 1960. Volume I Characteristics of Population, Part 44, Tennessee." Washington, Government Printing Office, 1963. Web (census.gov). 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|33,314 (79.9%)
|8,385 (20.1%)<ref>"Negro" plus 10 "Indian" and 1 "Other Race."</ref>
|20,545 (49.3%)<ref>17,624 in Columbia; 2,921 in Mount Pleasant. Columbia made up 42.3% of the county population.</ref>
|21,154 (50.7%)
|41,699 (+3.3%)
|-
!1970<ref name = "1970 Census">[https://www.census.gov/history/www/through_the_decades/overview/1970.html Zittar, Meyer (Chief, Population Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census). "1970 Census of Population. Volume I Characteristics of the Population, Part 44, Tennessee." Washington, Government Printing Office, 1973. Web (census.gov). 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|35,307 (81.4%)
|8,069 (18.6%)<ref>"Negro" plus 20 "Indian," 3 Japanese, 4 Filipino and 7 "Other Race."</ref>
|25,001 (57.6%)<ref>21,471 in Columbia; 3,530 in Mount Pleasant. Columbia made up 49.5% of the county population.</ref>
|18,375 (42.4%)
|43,376 (+4.0%)
|}

These trends were both cause and effect of a decline in the importance of agriculture in Maury County. By 1940, agricultural workers made up a minority of the County's workforce<ref name="1940 Census"/> and by 1950 a majority of the rural population no longer lived on a farm.<ref name="1950 Census"/>. During the mid-twentieth century, farms increasingly were operated by owners (rather than by sharecroppers, which had been a major source of farm labor in years past) and many farms began using machinery to increase productivity.<ref>[https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/tennessee/mauryTN1959/Maury.pdf United States Department of Agriculture. ''Soil Survey: Maury County.'' Series 1952, No. 7 (October 1958). p. 4. Web (usda.gov. 8 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The relative importance of Maury County in Tennessee also declined during this time. By mid-century, Maury County was no longer in the top ten counties by population, falling behind thirteen other counties (Shelby, Davidson, Knox, Hamilton, Sullivan, Madison, Washington, Anderson, Blount, Gibson, Montgomery, Carter, and Rutherford).<ref name="1950 Census"/>

====The First Industrial Boom (and Bust): Columbia and Mount Pleasant====
The phosphate boom of the late nineteenth century continued into the early decades of the twentieth, particularly in Mt. Pleasant. By 1904, Mt. Pleasant leaders felt their town was influential enough to try to get the county seat moved there from Columbia (ultimately, the current county courthouse was built in Columbia).<ref>Duncan, Bob. "Yesteryear's Hints of Political Upheaval and Civic In-fighting." ''River of Fire.'' Columbia, Maury County Archives, 2005, pp. 117-19.</ref>

Advances in mining and process techniques, as well as the establishment of fertilizer plants and elemental phosphorous furnaces in Maury County, helped the phosphate boom continue through the first half of the twentieth century, A major employer was Monsanto, which pronounced elemental phosphorous as well as high-quality steel using complex and often-dangerous (both to the workers and to the environment) methods in a sprawling 3,500-acre complex west of Columbia.<ref>Duncan, Bob. "The Glow on the Horizon: Monsanto, Then and Now." ''River of Fire.'' Columbia, Maury County Archives, 2005, pp. 122-23.</ref> Increased operational costs, falling market demand, and depletion of mineral reserves in the county led to a decline in the manufacturing sector during the second half of the century, with major facilities closing in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.<ref>Keys, cited ''supra.''</ref>

In 1962, near the peak of Maury County's first industrial boom, Maury County posted a full-page advertisement in ''The Tennessean'' touting the county's progress. At the time, five of the top 50 largest industrial companies in America had plants in Maury County, with 45 total industrial plants in the county. The advertisement claimed industrial payroll of 5,000 employees with $25,000,000 in annual payroll; 40 percent of this (by payroll) was attributed to the phosphate industry, with the other 60 percent coming from the production of items ranging from carbon electrodes, nylon hosiery, cellulose sponges, stock feed, aluminum tubing, furniture, soft drinks, and children's clothes. The advertisement stated that Maury County was eighth out of Tennessee's 95 counties in industrial payrolls and emphasized that local political leadership "understand industrial relations... and appreciate the economic and community contribution of our good industrial citizens, large and small."<ref>Maury County Quarterly Court. "Maury County. Tested Industrial Area. 70 Years of Success Proves Maury's Superiority As A Location For New Industry." (advertisement). ''The Nashville Tennessean.'' 29 April 1962. p. 3-MC. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref> 

{| class="wikitable"
|+Employment by Industry Group (Top Three Sectors) 1940-1960
|-
!
! Top Industry (Workers) (% of Total)
! Second Industry (Workers) (% of Total)
! Third Industry (% of Total)
! Total Workforce<ref>Includes unemployed workers.</ref> (% Change)
|-
! 1940<ref name="1940 Census"/>
| Agriculture (4,797) (31.1%)
| Domestic Service (1,397) (9.1%)
| Chemicals (1,363) (8.9%)
| 15,400 (n/a) <ref>Includes 11,085 employed males, 605 unemployed males, and 125 on New Deal emergency work assignments, and 3,381 employed females, 176 unemployed females and 28 females on New Deal emergency work assignments.</ref>
|-
! 1950<ref name="1950 Census"/>
| Agriculture (4,014) (26.8%)
| Manufacturing (2,853) (19.0%)<ref>Includes chemicals (1,351 employees), textiles (393), etc.</ref>
| Other Retail Trades (1,079) (7.2%)<ref>Excludes "food and dairy product stores" (i.e. grocers, 456 employees) and "eating and drinking places" (i.e. restaurants, 380 employees).</ref>
| 14,996 (-2.6%) <ref>Includes 11,095 employed males, 273 unemployed males, 3,370 employed females and and 124 unemployed females.</ref>
|-
! 1960<ref name="1960 Census"/>
| Manufacturing (4,030) (25.7%))<ref>Includes chemicals (1,532 employees), electrical machinery (905), and apparel (520), etc.</ref>
| Agriculture (2,241) (14.3%)
| Other Retail Trades (1,326) (8.4%)<ref>Excludes "food and dairy product stores" (i.e. grocers, 442 employees) and "eating and drinking places" (i.e. restaurants, 347 employees).</ref>
| 15,652 (+4.3%)<ref>Includes 10,672 employed males, 387 unemployed, 4,269 employed females, and 302 unemployed females.</ref>
|}

====Columbia Race Riot of 1946====

''See main article [[Columbia Race Riot of 1946]].''

[[Lynchings in Maury County | Lynchings]] - the killing of often-innocent people by armed vigilantes, usually as a means to assert white racial supremacy - were an unfortunately common phenomenon in the Southern United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with more than 214 lynchings in Tennessee between 1882 and 1930.<ref>Approximately one person - usually but not always African-American men - was lynched each week on average in the Southern United States between 1882 and 1930. [https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/lynching/ Bennett, Kathy. "Lynching." ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018, Web. Accessed 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>  Maury County gained national notoriety for the lynchings of two young African-American men, both accused (with little or no evidence) of having attacked young white women, in 1927 and again in 1933.<ref>Ikard, Robert W. ''No More Social Lynchings.'' Franklin, Hillsboro Press, 1997, pp. 8-9. Web (hathitrust.org). 1 Feb. 2021.</ref> 

On February 25, 1946, a disagreement over a radio repair led to a street brawl outside of a Columbia department store between black customers and a white radio repairman.<ref>[https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/columbia-race-riot-1946/ Van West, Carroll. "Columbia Race Riot, 1946." ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture.'' Tennessee Historical Society, 1 Mar. 2018. Web. 2 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Ikard, cited ''supra'' at pp. 13-15.</ref><ref>O'Brien, cited ''supra'', at pp. 9-11.</ref>  A mob of angry white citizens formed in downtown Columbia, and some of the town's black citizens took up arms to defend the black-owned businesses there.<ref>O'Brien at pp. 15-17.</ref><ref>Ikard at pp. 20-23.</ref><ref>Van West, cited ''supra.''</ref> The tense situation escalated when four Columbia police officers were fired upon and wounded by a crowd of black men.<ref>Ikard at pp. 27-28.</ref><ref>O'Brien at pp. 17-18.</ref>

During the early morning hours of February 26, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Highway_Patrol Tennessee Highway Patrol] entered into the black-owned business area, ransacking and vandalizing buildings and arresting (and often beating) dozens of people<ref>Ikard at pp. 35-37.</ref><ref>O'Brien at p. 21-27</ref>. By February 28, over 100 black citizens had been arrested and held without bail or legal representation for days.<ref>Ikard at 45-47.</reF> Two black men were killed by state troopers after the prisoners grabbed confiscated guns that were being stored in the jail.<ref>Ikard at 47-48.</ref><ref>O'Brien at 31-32</ref>.

Lawyers for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)] intervened following the mass arrests on February 26-28, obtaining acquittals for 26 out of 27 black defendants tried during the summer and fall of 1946.<ref>Ikard at p. 113.</ref>

====County Jail Fire of 1977====
''See main article [[Maury County Jail Fire of 1977]].''

Forty-two people (33 inmates and 9 visitors) died on June 26, 1977, from smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at the Maury County Jail in Columbia. The fire was started by a troubled runaway teenager who was being held in a padded room lined with synthetic padding. This event was one of the most-deadly structure fires in Tennessee and the second-worst jail fire in American history.<ref>[https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/News-and-Research/Resources/Fire-Investigations/maury-county-jail.ashx "42 Die in Maury County, Tennessee, Jail Fire." ''NFPA Fire Journal.'' March 1978. pp. 30-33, 37. Web (nfpa.org). 10 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Coggins, Allen. ''Tennessee Tragedies: Natural, Technological, and Social Disasters in the Volunteer State.'' Knoxville, University of Tennessee Press, 2012, pp. 113-114. Web (proquest.com). 10 Feb. 2021.</ref><ref> Tinsley, C.R. ''Tragedy in Small Town TN: The Maury County Jail Fire.'' Self-Published, Lexington (Ky.), 2018.</ref>

====The Second Boom: Spring Hill Becomes A Different Kind of Community====
Maury County's population began to grow significantly in the 1970s, a part of a regional trend of young families choosing to stay in Middle Tennessee rather than leaving the area.<ref>Hancock, Catherine. "Housing Upturn Indicates Young Sink Roots Here." ''The Tennessean.'' 16 Feb. 1981. p. 1. Web. (newspapers.com). This article cites 1980 Census Data showing Maury population growing 16 percent and housing units increasing 31 percent between 1970 and 1980.</ref> But, other counties nearby -- particularly Williamson County -- grew even more rapidly as they began to develop strong suburban cultures, and "white flight" drove some families out of Nashville, leaving Maury County a relative backwater in the Nashville metropolitan area.<ref>See "Population Study: Area Counties Outpacing Metro." ''The Tennessean.'' 2 Nov. 1978. p. 1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref> In 1981, the phosphate industry still formed the industrial base of Maury County -- a base that was in decline.<ref>Reed, Connie. "Maury Schools, Park, Bond Issues Approved." ''The Tennessean.'' 20 Jan. 1981. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021. This article quotes County Commissioner J.B. Napier as stating that phosphate made up 47 percent of the county's industrial base when speaking in support of investments in a county industrial park.</ref><ref>See for example Davey, Janet. "Monsanto to Close in Maury; 400 to Lose Jobs at Phosphate Plant." ''The Tennessean.'' 26 October 1985. p. 1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref>

In the early 1980s, American automobile manufacturers lost market-share to Japanese carmakers, who earned a reputation for reliable quality.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/18/business/japans-amazing-auto-machine.html Stokes, Henry Scott. "Japan's Amazing Auto Machine." ''The New York Times.'' 18 January 1981. sec. 3. p. 1. Web (nytimes.com). 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref> In 1983, Nissan opened a manufacturing plant to build small trucks in Smyrna, in Rutherford County, Tennessee.<ref>Tenpenny, Jenny. "Nissan grand opening will attract world attention Friday." ''The (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) Daily News-Journal.'' 20 Oct. 1983. p. 1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 1983. The entire October 20, 1983 edition of the ''Daily News-Journal'' was a special edition covering the Nissan opening.</ref> In January 1985, [[General Motors]] announced that it was launching a new division, Saturn, to produce a new line of small cars to compete with Japanese imports.<ref>Lienert, Paul. "GM Forms 6th Car Division; Saturn to build subcompacts." ''Detroit Free Press.'' 9 January 1985. pp. 1A, 8A. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref> States and towns across the country lobbied GM for its new manufacturing plant, with early rumors suggesting that a site in the Midwest would be selected.<ref>Risen, James. "States Rush to Land GM's Saturn." ''Los Angeles Times.'' 25 Jan. 1985. p. IV-1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref> 

Meanwhile, General Motors was negotiating with the [[United Auto Workers]] on a new collective-bargaining agreement. On July 26, the UAW and General Motors agreed to their new contract,<ref>Hilman, Randy. "UAW Passes A Landmark Labor Pact." ''The Tennessean.'' 27 July 1985. p. 1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref> and rumors were confirmed that GM had selected [[Spring Hill, Tennessee]] as the site for its new Saturn plant.<ref>Pratt, James. "Saturn Landed; 20,000 Jobs Could Follow." ''The Tennessean.'' 27 July 1985. p. 1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref>. The first Saturn automobiles rolled off the assembly line in July 1990 and were sent to dealers in October.<ref>McCampbell, Candy. "Saturn's off and running; 'There goes our baby.'" ''The Tennessean.'' 12 Oct. 1990. p. 1E. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref><ref>Bernard, Bush. "Spring Hill braces for life after Saturn." ''The Tennessean.'' 23 July 2005. p. 1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref>

At the time of the General Motors announcement, Spring Hill had a population of only 1,095.<ref>Pratt cited ''supra.''</ref> The site selected for the plant had long been part of the Haynes Haven horse farm.<ref>Vesilind, Priit and Kasmauski, Karen (photographer). "Rising, Shining Tennessee." ''National Geographic.'' vol. 169, no. 5, May 1986. pp. 602,608,610-611,625.</ref> The Saturn plant employed 3,350 people by 1990.<ref>McCampbell, cited ''supra.''</ref> Spring Hill's population grew to 1,464 by 1990 (a 48 percent increase over 1980) and 7,115 by 2000 (a 479 percent increase over 1990). The rapid growth of Spring Hill and surrounding areas brought growing pains; school overcrowding strained teachers, and some children of GM workers relocated from Michigan found it difficult to adjust to Maury County's traditional Southern culture.<ref>Tanner, Adam. "For Saturn families, move proves hardest for kids." ''The Tennessean.'' 10 Nov. 1991. p. 4E. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref> Real estate prices soared, while crime and traffic became regular occurrences in the formerly-sleepy community of Spring Hill, even after major infrastructure improvements such as Saturn Parkway (Tennessee Highway 396) were constructed.<ref>Paul, Peralte C. "Sudden Impact: Saturn plant remade hamlet of Spring Hill." ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.'' 10 November 2002. p. 1D. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref><ref>Wirth, Greg (Village Voice). "Maury County sees Saturn workers as a tax burden." ''The Detroit News.'' 6 Feb. 1994. p. 4D. Web (newspapers.com). 15 Feb. 2021.</ref> Some Maury County natives, many left unemployed after phosphate and apparel jobs disappeared, were disappointed by General Motors' practice of employing relocated UAW workers instead of struggling Tennesseans.<ref>Associated Press "Unemployed disappointed in Saturn plant." ''Johnson City Press.'' 22 July 1991. p. 5. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref>

Saturn sales peaked in the mid-1990s, and by the end of the millennium, the Saturn line was struggling.<ref>Bernard, "Spring Hill braces for life after Saturn" cited ''supra.''</ref><ref>Higgins, Jim. "Saturn ranks with Edsel as major blunder." ''The Detroit News.'' 1 Aug. 1999. p. 8A. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref> Major layoffs occurred in 2005, and the plant (now [[GM Spring Hill Manufacturing]]) was re-tooled for other GM products and today is the company's largest facility.<ref>Bernard, Bush. "GM's Dark Day: Spring Hill to lose Ion, source of 1,500 workers paychecks." ''The Tennessean.'' 22 Nov. 2005. p. 1. Web (newspapers.com). 14 Feb. 2021.</ref><ref>[https://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/company_info/facilities/assembly/springhill.html?id=1613357807618 "Spring Hill Manufacturing." General Motors Corporate Newsroom. 26 Oct. 2020. Web (gm.com). 14 Feb. 2021.] </ref> Saturn employment peaked at around 5,700.<ref>Bernard, "Spring hill braces for life after Saturn," cited ''supra.''</ref>

===Twenty-first Century===
====Suburbanization and Commuter Communities====
In the closing years of the twentieth century and opening decades of the twenty-first century, Maury County became more tightly integrated with the Nashville metropolitan area. Commuting from Columbia to Nashville became a common phenomenon in the 1990s.<ref>Elder, Renee. "Census may pull Maury into masses." ''The Tennessean.'' 23 July 1998. p. 1E. Web (newspapers.com). 15 Feb. 2021.</ref> Spring Hill, in particular, has developed a "commuter community" culture.<ref>[https://columbiadailyherald.newsbank.com/doc/news/157B82918C8C2880 Powell, Jay. "Comprehensive plan requires citizen input." ''The Daily Herald.'' 5 Sept. 2015. Web (Daily Herald archives). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref> At the same time, there was a movement away from the downtown areas of Columbia and Mount Pleasant toward suburbs and rural areas.<ref>McClure, Sue. "Census shows Maury residents leaving cities." ''The Tennessean.'' 25 May 2001. p. 1B. Web (newspapers.com). 15 Feb. 2021.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of Maury County, 1980-2010, by urban/rural status
|-
!
! Urban (% of Total)
! Rural (% of Total)
! Total (% Change)
|-
!1980
|29,747 (58.2%)<ref name="1980 Population Census">[https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/tennessee/1980a_tnabc-01.pdf Chapman, Bruce (director). ''Characteristics of the Population; Number of Inhabitants; Tennessee.'' Washington, Government Printing Office, January 1982. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>This includes 26,372 in Columbia and 3,375 in Mount Pleasant. It does not include the town of Spring Hill (still considered rural at the time), which had 986 residents in Maury County and 3 in Williamson.</ref>
|21,348 (41.8%)<ref name="1980 Population Census"/>
|51,095 (+17.8%)<ref name="1980 Population Census"/>
|-
!1990
|32,422 (59.2%)<ref name="1990 Population Census">[https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-44.pdf Scarr, Harry A (acting director). ''1990 Census of Population and Housing; Population and Housing Unit Counts; Tennessee.'' Washington, Government Printing Office, 1993. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Note that in 2000 definition of "urban" was changed, so under the new definition it was 33,003. See Kincannon 2003, cited ''infra.'' The old definition includes 28,583 in Columbia and 3,839 in the urban parts of in Mount Pleasant (there were also 439 in rural parts of Mount Pleasant). It did not include Spring Hill, which had 1,288 residents in Maury County and 176 in Williamson County.</ref>
|22,390 (40.8%)<ref name="1990 Population Census"/><ref>Or, 21,809 under the post-2000 definition of "urban." See Kincannon 2003, ''infra.''</ref>
|54,812 (+7.3%)<ref name="1990 Population Census"/>
|-
!2000
|39,363 (56.6%)<ref name="2000 Population Census">[https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/phc-3-44.pdf Kincannon, Charles Louis (director). ''Tennessee:2000 Population and Housing Unit Counts.'' Washington, Government Printing Office, October 2003. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Includes 31,146 in the urban parts of Columbia (city also had 1,909 rural residents), 3,768 in the urban parts of Mount Pleasant (there were also 723 rural residents in Mount Pleasant), and 1,477 in the urban Maury County parts of Spring Hill (city also had 985 rural residents in Maury County and 5,253 residents in Williamson County).</ref>
|30,135 (43.4%)<ref name="2000 Population Census"/>
|69,498 (+26.8%)<ref name="2000 Population Census"/>
|-
!2010
|47,284 (58.4%)<ref name="2010 Population Census">[https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-44.pdf Mesenbourg, Thomas (acting director). ''Tennessee:2010 Population and Housing Counts.'' Washington, Government Printing Office, September 2012. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Includes 34,681 in Columbia, 4,561 in Mount Pleasant, and 7,023 in Spring Hill (Maury only; 22,013 in Williamson County).</ref>
|33,672 (41.6%)<ref name="2010 Population Census"/>
|80.956 (+16.5%)<ref name="2010 Population Census"/>
|}

===Historiography===
''See article [[Historical Markers and Monuments in Maury County]].''

''See article [[Historic Preservation in Maury County]].''

Traditionally, historical production and memorialization in Maury County have tended to exclude racial minorities and promote historical narratives (such as the "Lost Cause" narrative with regard to the memory of the Civil War) that are affirming to affluent white citizens of the county. In recent decades, however, writers and archivists have become more inclusive, in part due to the work of groups such as the African-American Heritage Society of Maury County.<ref>Abdallah, Jaryn. ''More to the story: Historical narratives and the African American past in Maury County, Tennessee.'' 2015. Middle Tenn. State Univ. Master's Thesis. Web (proquest.com). 8 Feb. 2021.</ref>

==Geography==
===Location===
The Maury County Courthouse is located at 35° 36' 54" North, 87° 2' 2" West. It is located 40.5 miles (65.2 kilometers) south-southwest (200°) of the Tennessee State Capitol in [[Nashville, Tennessee]] and 595.6 miles (958.5 km) west-southwest (248°) of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.<ref>See Google Maps (maps.google.com) and SunEarthTools.com.</ref> It is in the Central Time Zone (UTC -6 or -5 during Daylight Saving Time).<ref>See [https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa "Time Zones in the United States." Undated. Web (timeanddate.com). 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

===Area===
Maury County contains 613.1 square miles (1,588 square km) of land area and 2.4 square miles (6.3 square km) of water.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html "2020 Gazetteer Files." United States Census Bureau. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

===Coding===
The FIPS (Federal Information Processing System) code for Maury County is 47119.<ref>[https://transition.fcc.gov/oet/info/maps/census/fips/fips.txt "Federal Information Processing System (FIPS) Codes for States and Counties." FCC. Undated. Web (fcc.gov.). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

===Human Geography===
[[File:Maury County in TDOT's "2021 Official Transportation Map" .png|thumb|400px|right|Map of Maury County (Source: TDOT) <ref>[https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/maps/state-maps/2020-21_Transportation_Map_TDOT_Jan8_2021.pdf ''2021 Official Transportation Map.'' Nashville, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), 2021. Web. 22 Jan. 2021.]</ref>]]
====Communities and Areas of Maury County====

''These are unincorporated areas unless specified. For neighborhoods of a particular city, see the entry for that particular city.''

* [[Ashwood, Tennessee | Ashwood]]
* [[Athendale, Tennessee | Athendale]]
* [[Bigbyville, Tennessee | Bigbyville]]
* [[Campbell's Station, Tennessee | Campbell's Station]]
* [[Columbia, Tennessee | Columbia ]] (city)
* [[Cross Bridges, Tennessee | Cross Bridges]]
* [[Culleoka, Tennessee | Culleoka]]
* [[Fly, Tennessee | Fly]]
* [[Fountain Heights, Tennessee | Fountain Heights]]
* [[Glendale, Tennessee | Glendale ]]
* [[Hampshire, Tennessee | Hampshire]]
* [[Hollywood, Tennessee | Hollywood]]
* [[Lasea, Tennessee | Lasea]] (partly inside the city limits of [[Columbia, Tennessee | Columbia]]).
* [[Mount Joy, Tennessee | Mount Joy]]
* [[McCain's, Tennessee | McCain's]]
* [[Mount Pleasant, Tennessee | Mount Pleasant]] (city)
* [[Neapolis, Tennessee | Neapolis]] (partly inside the city limits of [[Columbia, Tennessee | Columbia]]).
* [[Poplar Top, Tennessee | Poplar Top]]
* [[Rally Hill, Tennesseee | Rally Hill]]
* [[Santa Fe, Tennessee | Santa Fe]]
* [[Sandy Hook, Tennessee | Sandy Hook]]
* [[Sawdust, Tennessee | Sawdust]]
* [[Southport, Tennessee | Southport]]
* [[Spring Hill, Tennessee | Spring Hill]] (city, partly in Williamson County)
* [[Summertown, Tennesssee | Summertown ]] (part, mostly in other counties)
* [[Theta, Tennessee | Theta]]
* [[Tice Town, Tennessee | Tice Town]]
* [[Williamsport, Tennessee | Williamsport]]
* [[Zion, Tennessee | Zion]]

====Historical Communities and Areas in Maury County====

''This is a list of places appearing on old maps that are no longer in widespread use.<ref>See for example [https://www.loc.gov/item/2009579455/ Map of Maury Co., Tennessee : from new and actual surveys / compiled & published by D.G. Beers & Co. ; eng. by Worley & Bracher ; printed by F. Bourquin. (1878)]. </ref>''

* Allensville - according to D.P. Robbins<ref>Dobbins, cited ''supra'', at 144</ref> this community was located on Big Bigby Creek about two miles west of Mount Pleasant.
* Bristow - an old Post Office was located here on the old Santa Fe Pike near Knob Creek; today called Athendale.
* Broadview - Robbins<ref>Dobbins, cited ''supra'', at 137</ref> describes this a hamlet 10 miles south of Columbia on the Campbellsville Pike; just south of Bigbyville.
* Bryant's Station - an area just east of Park's Station, also on the railroad to Lewisburg, just east of the present-day intersection of Tennessee Highway 50 and Interstate 65 in southeast Maury County, near the Marshall County line.
* Carter's Creek Station - an old railway station was located here between Columbia and Spring Hill in an area that would now be described as part of Neapolis. <ref>There is a housing development in the Neapolis area called Carter's Creek Station, but it does not seem to be a general name for the whole area at this time. The USGS also refers to the 7.5-minute x 7.5-minute area as "Carter's Creek," a name it started using in the early 20th century.</ref>
* Cedar Spring - mentioned in the 1834 ''Tennessee Gazetteer'' as having a post office.
* Dark's Mill - a Post Office was located here near where Rutherford Creek and Carter's Creek join, between Neapolis and Columbia. There is still a Dark's Mill Road in this general area.<ref>The name "Dark's Mill" is still used for a 7.5-minute x 7.5 minute USGS topographical map section; this seems to be a legacy name as the USGS has used it since the early 20th century for this area.</ref>
* Enterprise - an area located here southeast of Mt. Pleasant; Route 166 is still called "Enterprise Road" and there is an Enterprise United Methodist Church.
* Ewell's Station - a railroad depot existed just northwest of Spring Hill near the Williamson County line.
* Fike's Mill - noted by Bob Duncan as being across the Duck River from Williamsport.<ref>Duncan, Bob. "An Old Maury County Geography Test." ''Maury County: River of Fire.'' Columbia, Maury County Archives, 2003, pp. 103-104.</ref>
* Glenn's Store - a Post Office was located in this area in the extreme northeastern part of Maury County near Little Flat Creek.
* Godwin - also called Duck River Station; an area just northwest of Columbia near where Highway 7 crosses the Duck River. <ref>The name "Godwin" is still used for a 7.5-minute x 7.5 minute USGS topographical map section; this seems to be a legacy name as the USGS has used it since the early 20th century for this area.</ref>
* Gravel Hill - Near Theta.
* Groveland - According to Robbins<ref>Dobbins, cited ''supra'', at 124</ref>, this community was located about 7.5 miles southeast of Columbia on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad branch. Now Fountain Heights.
* Hardison's Mill - an area on the extreme eastern margin of Maury County near where U.S. Highway 431 crosses the Duck River.
* Hurricane Switch - an area just west of Fountain Heights, now called Glendale.
* Hurt's Crossroads - an area in the extreme northeastern part of Maury County near Little Flat Creek.
* Isbell - mentioned by Bob Duncan as being at the end of Polk Lane; near the Maury County Regional Airport east of Mount Pleasant.<ref>Duncan, cited ''supra'', at p. 104.</ref>
* Isom's Store - a Post Office was located here, about two miles north of Hampshire. 
* Kedron - absorbed by Spring Hill.
* Kinderhook - an area near Fly, close to the intersection of Highway 7 and the Natchez Trace Parkway.
* Kleburne - site of a large dairy farm, north of Neapolis and South of Spring Hill, near the current location of the General Motors Spring Hill Manufacturing complex. Now part of Spring Hill.
* Lee's Corner - in northeast Maury County.
* Lick Skillet - according to Bob Duncan, east of Howard's Bridge; this would put it near where Interstate 65 crosses the Duck River today.<ref>Duncan, cited ''supra'', at p. 104.</ref>
* Mooresville - mentioned in 1834 ''Tennessee Gazetteer'' as being the location of a post office 15 miles southeast of Columbia. Now in Marshall County.
* Orr's Crossroads - an area on the extreme eastern edge of Maury County near the intersection of modern-day U.S. Highway 431 and Tennessee Highway 99.
* Park's Station - an area east of Culleoka just west of the present intersection of Highway 50 and Interstate 65.
* Pottsville - an area near the intersection of State Highway 99 and U.S. 431 north of the Duck River near the Marshall County line.
* Pleasant Grove - According to Bob Duncan, "[m]ight as well be Culleoka." <ref>Duncan, cited ''supra'', at p. 104.</ref>
* Ridley - appears on a 1905 Map of Maury County, just north of Mt. Pleasant.
* Scott's Mill - also known historically as Ettaton and New York, was located in the southeastern part of Maury County.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotts_Mill,_Tennessee Wikipedia contributors. "Scotts Mill, Tennessee." ''Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.'' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Feb. 2020. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
* Screamer - mentioned by Bob Duncan as being south of Enterprise.<ref>Duncan, cited ''supra'', at p. 104.</ref>
* Stiversville - mentioned by D.P. Robbins. Southwest of Culleoka.
* Water Valley - an area west of Santa Fe.
* Woodlawn Mills - an area immediately west of Spring Hill,

===Physical Geography===
[[File:Maury County relief map.png|thumb|400px|right|Relief map of Maury County, created using apps.nationalmap.gov.]]
[[File:Maury County Elevation Profile.png|thumb|400px|right|Elevation profile (elevation in feet, distance in miles) driving south along U.S. Highway 31 from Spring Hill at the Williamson County line, through Columbia at the intersection with Bear Creek Pike, and on U.S. Highway 43 from Columbia through Mount Pleasant to the Lawrence County line. Generally, traveling from northeast to southwest. Made using the National Map (apps.nationalmap.gov) elevation profile tool.]]

====Landforms====
Maury County is located on the southwestern edge of the Nashville Basin (also known as the Central Basin). The Nashville Basin is a relatively low area in Middle Tennessee bounded by the Eastern Highland Rim on its east (beyond which lies the Cumberland Plateau), and the Western Highland Rim on its west (beyond which lies the valley of the Tennessee River).<ref>[https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/9400312N.PDF?Dockey=9400312N.PDF Griffith, Glenn E. et. al. ''Ecoregions of Tennessee.'' EPA No. EPA/600/R-97/022. Corvallis (Ore.), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Feb. 14. 1997. Web (nepis.epa.gov). 13 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://store.usgs.gov/assets/MOD/StoreFiles/Ecoregion/21632_tn_front.pdf "Ecoregions of Tennessee." United States Geological Survey. Undated. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.] ''cited by'' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashville_Basin Wikipedia contributors. "Nashville Basin." ''Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.'' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Jan. 2021. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>Davis, Marcy B. ''Roadside Geology of Tennessee.'' Missoula (Mont.), Mountain Press Publishing Co., 2019. p. 221.</ref>

The most notable physical features are the valleys of the [[Duck River]] and its main tributaries (particularly [[Big Bigby Creek]] and [[Rutherford Creek]]). The floodplains of the Duck River and its tributaries are relatively low (less than 700 feet, or 210 meters above sea level) with flat ground or gently rolling hills. Outside of these valleys, near the northwest, west, and southern county lines, the elevation and relief increase significantly. Just beyond the southern border of Maury County, in Giles County, lies Elk Ridge, which separates the Duck and Elk River drainage basins. North of the Maury County line in southern Williamson County is a ridge that separates the Tennessee (Duck) River basin from the Cumberland (Harpeth) River basin.<ref>Davis, cited ''supra'', at pp. 271, 276.</ref>

The tallest points include Flanigan Hill at 1,152 feet (351 meters) in southern Maury County; Kansas Hill at 1,089 feet (332 meters) in southern Maury County; Toombs Hill, in southeastern Maury County near Culleoka, also at 1,089 feet; Watts Hill at 1,043 feet (318 meters) south of Mount Pleasant; and Rockdale Hill at 1,030 feet (314 meters) between Mount Pleasant and Summertown.<ref>[https://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/tennessee/maury-tn/summits/ "Summits in Maury County, Tennessee." Mountainzone.com. 2021. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Waters and Streams====
''See also the article [[Floods in Maury County]].''

Almost all of Maury County is in the [[Duck River]] watershed, with the majority being considered to be in the Lower Duck River watershed and the eastern quarter of the county (east of Columbia) in the Upper Duck watershed.<ref>[https://water.usgs.gov/wsc/acc/060400.html "Science In Your Watershed: Tennessee Region." United States Geological Survey. 16 July 2020. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/lower-tennessee-river-basin0/lower-duck-river-watershed.html Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. "Lower Duck River Watershed." Undated. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref>A very small part of Maury County along the Giles County border near Enterprise is in the Lower Elk River watershed.<ref>[https://water.usgs.gov/wsc/acc/060400.html "Science In Your Watershed: Tennessee Region." United States Geological Survey. 16 July 2020. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>https://www.tn.gov/environment/program-areas/wr-water-resources/watershed-stewardship/watersheds-by-basin/middle-tennessee-river-basin-conasuaga-river-watershed0/lower-elk-river-watershed.html "Lower Elk River Watershed." Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation. Undated. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.</ref> Both the Duck and Elk are tributaries of the Tennessee River, which flows into the Ohio River. The Ohio River, in turn, flows into the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.<ref>[https://tn.water.usgs.gov/lten/tenn.html "Tennessee River (TENN) Basin Study." United States Geological Survey. 24 August 2001. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The [[Duck River]] flows for about 75 miles in Maury County.<ref>See the map at [https://www.tn.gov/twra/gis-maps/boating-and-fishing-site-access-map.html "Boating and Fishing Site Access Map." Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency. Undated. Web (tn.gov). 12 Feb. 2021.] This map shows the Duck entering Maury County near mile 173 and exiting near mile 98. Miles 98-103 are shared between Maury and Hickman counties.</ref> The level of the Duck River in Maury County is affected both by releases from the upstream Normandy Dam as well as groundwater discharges from local aquifers.<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2007/5105/pdf/sir20075105.pdf Knight, R.R., and Kingsbury, J.A. (USGS scientists) ''Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5105: Water Resources of the Duck River Watershed, Tennessee.'' Reston (Va.), USGS, 2007. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref> The river is the source for most of the water used by residents of Maury County, and can be strained during drought conditions.<ref>[https://duckriveragency.org/DuckRiverComprehensiveRegionalWaterSupplyPlanReport.pdf Tennessee Duck River Development Agency. ''Duck River Comprehensive Regional Water Supply Plan.'' 25 March 2011. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

Several attempts have been made to dam the Duck River in Maury County over the years. In the mid-nineteenth century, a scheme was established to make the [[Duck River]] navigable, and two dams were built; but due to poor engineering, very few boats were ever able to make it to Columbia, and then only at high water.<ref>Robbins, cited ''supra'', at p. 14.</ref> A low-head dam on the Duck River in Columbia, first constructed in the 1920s, still stands but no longer generates electric power.<ref>Duncan, Bob. "Harnessing Duck River to Generate Electricity." ''Maury County Second Century Review.'' Columbia, Maury County Archives, 2007, pp. 103-105.</ref> During the second half of the twentieth century, the Tennessee Valley Authority (which operates the Normandy Dam in Coffee County<ref>[https://www.tva.com/about-tva/our-history/built-for-the-people/non-power-normandy "Non-Power Normandy." Tennessee Valley Authority. Undated. Web. 8. Feb. 2021.]</ref>) planned for and nearly completed construction of a massive hydroelectric dam east of Columbia, but the [[TVA Columbia Dam project]] was canceled due to concern over whether the cost to complete the dam justified its benefits; local activists also raised environmental concerns, particularly with regard to the impact the dam would have on endangered species of freshwater mussels in the Duck River.<reF>United Press Int'l. "Columbia Dam study critical of TVA project." ''Kingsport Times-News.'' 14 Jan. 1986. p. 3A. Web (newspapers.com). 8 Feb. 2021.</ref><ref>Alligood, Leon. "TVA strips Columbia Dam for scrap." ''The Tennessean.'' 25 June 1998. p. 1-A. Web (newspapers.com). 8 Feb. 2021.</ref> The land acquired by the TVA for the proposed reservoir was donated to the State of Tennessee in 2001 for public use.<ref>McClure, Sue. "Columbia Dam acres given to state for use by public." ''The Tennessean.'' 15 August 2001. p. 4-B. Web (newspapers.com). 8 Feb. 2021.</ref>

Major streams flowing into the Duck River in Maury County include (from upstream to downstream):

* Flat Creek (right tributary).
* Fountain Creek (left tributary) including its branch, Silver Creek.
* Bear Creek (right tributary), which joins the Duck near Columbia.
* Lytle Creek (left tributary), which joins the Duck near Columbia.
* Rutherford Creek (right tributary) including its branches Carter's Creek, McCutcheon Creek, and Aenon Creek, which joins the Duck near Columbia.
* Little Bigby Creek (left tributary) which joins the Duck west of Columbia.
* Knob Creek (right tributary) which joins the Duck near Athendale.
* Greenlick Creek (left tributary) which joins the Duck west of Athendale.
* Snow Creek (right tributary) which joins the Duck near Williamsport.
* Leiper's Creek (right tributary) which joins the Duck near Williamsport.
* Poplar Creek (left tributary) which joins the Duck near Williamsport.
* Big Bigby Creek (left tributary) which joins the Duck west of Williamsport.
* Cathey's Creek (left tributary) which joins the Duck near the Hickman County line.

In addition to the Duck River and groundwater, there are a number of ponds in Maury County, many of which were created artificially.<ref>[https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/article/20130926/opinion/309269884m Bennett, Mike. "Monsanto property: Diamond in the rough?" ''The Daily Herald.'' 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 7 Feb. 2021.] Bennett's op-ed notes that the Monsanto property contains many tailings ponds from its twentieth-century mining operations, some of which have been turned into fishing or duck-hunting ponds.</ref>

====Geology and Soils====
Maury County sits at the southwestern end of the Central (Nashville) Basin. Structurally, the Central Basin is an anticline, with rock layers dipping gently away from its center (in Maury County, this means that rock layers dip toward the southwest). Differential erosion of an ancient uplift (the Nashville Dome) results in older surface rocks near the middle part of the Central Basin. As one approaches the Highland Rim (i.e. the western parts of Maury County), surface rocks become progressively younger.<ref>Davis, cited supra, at pp. 221-228, 271-276.</ref>

The rocks themselves were laid down over a period of hundreds of millions of years when Tennessee was covered by shallow seas, lagoons, and beaches. Limestone - a dominant type of rock in Maury County - was created by the compression of the shells of ancient marine creatures. The Nashville Dome began to be uplifted about 450 million years ago (mya) with most of the uplift occurring at the time of the Alleghanian orogeny (when the Cumberland Plateau and Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee were formed by the collision of ancient North America with ancient Africa) about 300 mya, during the late Paleozoic Era. Since that time, erosion has cut into the Dome, removing over a mile of rock.<ref>Davis, cited supra, at pp. 20-45, 221-228, 271-276.</ref>

Most of the exposed surface rocks and near-surface bedrock in Maury County are sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. The oldest rocks are the Ordovician (485-444 mya) limestones of the Stones River Group, which dominate the areas east of Interstate 65 as well as the lower-lying areas of the Duck River valley. At somewhat higher elevations, and in most of the county west of Interstate 65, are the younger Ordovician limestones and sandstones of the Nashville Group, which includes the phosphate-rich Bigby-Cannon Limestone, and the Leipers-Cathey Group limestones above that. At the highest elevations, particularly in the western part of the county, Silurian (Wayne Group, laid down approximately 430 mya) and Mississippian (Fort Payne Formation, laid down approximately 350 mya) limestones and shales dominate.<ref>Davis, cited ''supra,'' at 20, 271-276.</ref>

The geology of Maury County has been economically important. The phosphate-rich Bigby-Cannon formation (formed from the shells of sea creatures who pulled phosphorous out of the ancient seawater) gave rise to the phosphate industry here. The sedimentary rock layers of Maury County led to the formation of aquifers and caves.<ref>Davis, cited ''supra,'' at 225-227, 273-274.</ref><ref>Douglas, Joseph C. "Miners and Moonshiners: Historic Industrial Uses of Tennessee Caves." ''Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology.'' vol. 26 no. 2 (Fall 2001). pp. 251-267. Web (jstor.com). 10 Feb. 2021 (mentions use of Rockdale Cave in Maury County for hiding moonshine liquor during Prohibition).</ref>

Due to the origin and age of Maury County's rocks, most of the fossils found here are from marine invertebrates (such as mollusks) from the mid-to-late Paleozoic Era. A few fossils of Pleistocene ("Ice Age") age -- such as bones from mastodons (''Mammuthus'' sp.), giant sloths (''Megalonyx''), and turtles -- have also been found in phosphate pits and caves.<ref>[http://fossilspot.com/STATES/TN.HTM "U.S. and Canadian Fossil Sites -- Data for TENNESSEE." FossilSpot.com. October 2008. Web. 10 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>"APSU To Display Ancient Fossil Bones." ''The Tennessean.'' 30 Sept. 1977. p. 26. Web (newspapers.com). 10 Feb. 2021 (mentions Pleistocene fossils found at Dark's Mill phosphate mine and in caves near McCain's).</ref><ref>Davis, cited ''supra'' at 261-62 (noting mollusk fossils found in Nashville Group and Stones River Group beds).</ref>

The soils of Maury County vary primarily the result of weathering and erosion of local parent rocks, though in some areas (such as the Duck River bottoms) alluvial soils dominate. The soils of the western part of the county tend to be more cherty than the soils of the central and eastern parts of the county, which are more clayey and high in phosphorous. Most of the soils of Maury County (except for some alluvial soils) tend to have good drainage, low amounts of lime and other bases, and only a moderate amount of organic material due to the warm, humid climate. Leaching of the soil has also helped to concentrate phosphates.<ref>USDA ''Soil Survey'' cited ''supra'', at pp. 65-69.</ref><ref>Davis, cited ''supra'' at 274.</ref>

====Flora and Fauna====
Maury County is located in the Outer Central (Nashville) Basin and Western Highland Rim level 4 ecoregions, both part of the Interior Plateau level 3 ecoregion. These ecoregions are both dominated by oak-hickory deciduous forests and pastures. Much of the original forest has been cleared in the past two centuries.<ref>[https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/9400312N.PDF?Dockey=9400312N.PDF See Griffith, et. al. "Ecoregions of Tennessee" white paper cited above.]</ref>

Maury County frequently ranks high among Tennessee counties for deer hunting, ranking 7th out of 95 counties in Tennessee for total number of deer harvested between January 1, 2011 and January 1, 2021 (with 35,043 deer taken during that ten-year period). The county also ranked highest in the state for total number of wild turkeys harvested during the same time period (with a harvest of 11,600 turkeys).<ref>[https://hunterstoolbox.gooutdoorstennessee.com/ "Hunter's Toolbox." Tennesseee Wildlife Resources Agency. Undated. Web. 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The Duck River is one of the most biodiverse rivers in the United States and is the home, particularly for fish and freshwater mussels. Several species that make the Duck River their home cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.<ref>Wilson, Edward O. and Littschwager, David. "Within One Foot: Miniature Surveys of Biodiversity." ''National Geographic.'' vol. 217 no. 2 (February 2010). pp. 62, 80-83. Web (natgeo.com). 12 Feb. 2012. ''cited by'' [https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/duck-river/ "Places We Protect: The Duck River, Tennessee." The Nature Conservancy. Undated. Web (nature.org). 12 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The following species of plants found in Maury County have been considered endangered (either on state or federal lists):

* Price's potato bean (''Apios priceana'').
* Velvety cerastium (''Cerastium arvense var. velutinium'').
* Leafy prairie-clover (''Dalea foliosa'').
* Short's Bladderpod (''Lesquerella globosa'').
* Sand Grape (''Vitis rupuestris'').<ref>[https://duckriveragency.org/Rivermaps/Biology/Endangered_Species_by_County.htm#MauryCounty "Endangered Species by County." Duck River Agency. Web (duckriveragency.org). 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[http://environment-online.state.tn.us:8080/pls/enf_reports/f?p=9014:3:26958283421250::::: "Rare Species by County." Tennessee Department of Envirionment & Conservaton. Undated. Web. 14 Feb. 2021.] The Eggert's Sunflower has also been considered threatened by both state and federal authorities. See "Endangered Species by County."</ref>

The following endangered species of river mussels may also be found in Maury County:

* Duck River dartersnapper (''Epioblasma ahistedti'').
* Birdwing pearlymussel (''Conradilla caelata'' or ''Lemiox rimosus'').
* Cumberlandian combshell (''Epioblasma brevidens'').
* Oyster mussel (''Epioblasma capsaeformis'').<ref>Not to be confused with species of saltwater/estuarine oyster species such as the Atlantic oyster (''Crassostrea virginica'') common in the Gulf of Mexico.</ref> 
* Tan riffleshell (''Epioblasma florentina walkeri'').
* Cracking pearlymussel (''Hemistena lata'').
* Orange-foot pimpleback (''Plethobasus cooperianus'').
* Cumberland monkeyface (''Quadrula intermedia'').
* Pale lilliput (''Toxolasma cylindrellus'').
* Slabside pearlymussel (''Pleuronaia dolabelloides'').
* Snuffbox (''Epioblasma triquetra'').

The only vertebrate animals to be listed as endangered by the federal government in Maury County are the Hellbender the Indiana Bat (''Myotis sodalis'') and the Gray Bat (''Myotis grisescens''). Two species of salamanders are considered threatened or endangered at the state level: the Hellbender, ''Cryptobranchus alleganiensis'' and the Tennessee Cave Salamander, ''Gyrinophilus palleucus''. Three species of fish -- the Saddled madtom (''Notorus faciatus''), the Coppercheek darter (''Etheostoma aqauli''), and the Striated darter (''Etheostoma striatulum'') -- are listed as threatened at the state level.<ref>"Rare Species by County" cited above.</ref>

====Climate====
''See also the article [[Tornadoes in Maury County]].''

As with most of Tennessee, Maury County has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen type Cfa).

{| class="wikitable"
|+Climate Averages for Maury County, Tennessee (1991-2020)<ref>[https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/county/time-series/TN-119/tavg/1/1/1895-2021?base_prd=true&begbaseyear=1991&endbaseyear=2020 "Climate at a Glance: County Time Series." National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration-National Centers for Environmental Information. Undated. Web (noaa.gov). 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
|-
!
! Jan
! Feb
! Mar
! Apr
! May
! Jun
! Jul
! Aug
! Sep
! Oct
! Nov
! Dec
|-
! style="text-align:left;"| Maximum Temperature (°F/°C)
| 48.5<br/>9.2
| 53.3<br/>11.8
| 62.2<br/>16.8
| 72.0<br/>22.2
| 79.1<br/>26.2
| 86.1<br/>30.1
| 89.2<br/>31.8
| 88.7<br/>31.5
| 83.2<br/>28.4
| 72.6<br/>22.6
| 60.7<br/>15.9
| 51.5<br/>10.8
|-
! style="text-align:left;"|Minimum Temperature (°F/°C)
| 28.4<br/>-2.0
| 31.4<br/>-0.3
| 37.9<br/>3.3
| 45.5<br/>7.5
| 54.9<br/>12.7
| 63.3<br/>17.4
| 67.1<br/>19.5
| 65.1<br/>18.4
| 58.2<br/>14.6
| 46.4<br/>8.0
| 36.2<br/>2.3 
| 31.0<br/>-0.6
|-
! style="text-align:left;"|Precipitation (inches/mm)
| 4.69<br/>119
| 4.97<br/>126
| 5.37<br/>136
| 5.07<br/>129
| 4.98<br/>126
| 4.69<br/>119
| 4.47<br/>114
| 3.78<br/>96
| 4.12<br/>105
| 3.82<br/>97
| 3.93<br/>100
| 5.48<br/>139
|}
 
The average precipitation for years between 1991 and 2020 was 55.4 inches (140.7 cm).<ref>[https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/county/time-series/TN-119/pcp/ann/1/1895-2021?base_prd=true&begbaseyear=1991&endbaseyear=2020 "Climate at a Glance: County Time Series." National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration-National Centers for Environmental Information. Undated. Web (noaa.gov). 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref> Between 1895 and 2021, the five wettest years (calendar years from January to December) were 1941 (34.3"), 2007 (36.6"), 1931 (39.4"), 1901 (39.5"), and 1901 (39.9").<ref>[https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/county/haywood "Climate at a Glance: County Haywood Plots." National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration-National Centers for Environmental Information. Undated. Web (noaa.gov). 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

Maury County is in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a, with an average minimum temperature of 0° to 5°F based on data from 1976-2005.<ref>[https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ "USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map." United States Department of Agriculture-Agricutural Research Service. Undated. Web (usda.gov). 14 Feb. 2021.]</ref> According to ''The Old Farmer's Almanac'' website (using 1981-2010 climate data for Columbia), the last spring frost is expected by April 21 and the first fall frost is expected after October 20, for a growing season of 181 days.<ref>[https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates/TN/Columbia# "Frost Dates for Columbia, TN." ''The Old Farmer's Almanac'' website. Undated. Web (almanac.com). 14 Feb. 2021.] The same site gives frost dates of April 18 and October 18 for Spring Hill (measured in Neapolis at the Middle Tennessee Research & Education Center) for a total growing season of 182 days.</ref>

====Environmental Quality====
Maury County has struggled with air pollution issues in the past, but today the air quality has improved.<ref>[https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/news/20181111/commentary-columbia-expert-helped-maury-county-clean-air-water Bennett, James. "Commentary: Columbia expert helped Maury County clean air, water." ''The Daily Herald.'' 11 Nov. 2018. Web (columbiadailyherald.com). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

There are several brownfield (former industrial) sites in Maury County that are being rehabilitated. None of them are currently on the Superfund National Priorities List, due to their relatively modest environmental impact. These sites are being cleaned by either the state of Tennessee or by the responsible parties (e.g. former and current property owners).<ref>[https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/CurSites/srchsites.cfm "Search Superfund Site Information." U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web (epa.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The non-NPL sites are:

* the Monsanto site west of Columbia.
* the Stauffer Chemical Company furnace site on Mount Joy Road in Mount Pleasant.
* the Stauffer Chemical Company organic plant on Mount Joy Road in Mount Pleasant.
* the Industrial Products site on Boswell Street in Mount Pleasant.
* the Cowley Container site on South Park Drive in Mount Pleasant.
* the Rhone Poulenc site on Arrow Mines Road in Mount Pleasant.

Maintaining the quantity and quality of water in the Duck River has been a long-term challenge.<ref>Sanchez, Christina E. "Duck River is in danger." ''The Tennessean.'' 3 August 2008. p. A1. Web (newspapers.com). 15 Feb. 2021.</ref>

The county government has also been challenged with finding suitable landfill locations for dumping the county's solid waste.<ref>[https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/news/20190908/future-of-maury-countys--landfill-still-remains-unclear Christen, Mike. "The future of Maury County's landfill still remains unclear." ''The Daily Herald.'' 8 Sept. 2019. Web (columbiadailyherald.com). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

==Demographics and Social Statistics==
===Population Growth and Distribution===
The Census Bureau estimated the population of Maury County in July 2019 as 96,387, an increase of 19.1% from the April 2010 Census.<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/> The results of the 2020 Census should be released in the Summer of 2021.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/about/schedule.html "Schedule of Releases." U.S. Census Bureau. 9 Feb. 2021. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref> 

Maury County was the 16th-largest county in Tennesee by population and the sixth-fastest growing county by percent change (2010-2019). The county is growing slower than some of its neighbors however (Trousdale, Williamson, Wilson, Rutherford, and Montgomery counties all grew faster. Maury County's population growth may allow it to pass Madison County and Sevier County (which have similar populations but much slower growth rates) to move up to the 14th spot in the 2020 Census.<ref>[https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-counties-total.html "County Population Totals: 2010-2019." U.S. Census Bureau. 22 June 2020. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref> 

The population density in 2019 was approximately 157 people per square mile (about 60 people per square kilometer). This was slightly below the statewide average population density of approximately 166 people per square mile in 2019.<ref name="QuickFacts: Tennessee">[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/TN "QuickFacts: Tennessee." U.S. Census Bureau. Undated. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

About 58 percent of people in Maury County live in an urban area, based on the 2010 Census.<ref name="2010 Population Census"/>. The largest city entirely within Maury County is [[Columbia, Tennessee | Columbia]] with a 2019 estimated population of 40,335.<ref name="QuickFacts: Columbia">[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/columbiacitytennessee "QuickFacts: Columbia city, Tennesse." U.S. Census Bureau. Undated. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref> Spring Hill has a larger population (estimated by the Census Bureau at 43,769 in 2019) but the majority of Spring Hillians live in Williamson County; a 2018 special municipal census found 11,442 Spring Hill residents in Maury County and 28,994 in Williamson County.<ref name="QuickFacts: Spring Hill">[https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/springhillcitytennessee/PST045219 "QuickFacts:Spring Hill city, Tennessee." U.S. Census Bureau. Undated. Web (census.gov). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.springhilltn.org/DocumentCenter/View/4388/2018-SH-Census-Summary ''City of Spring Hill, Tennessee, Est. 1809: 2018 Special City-Wide Census; Summary Results, March 1, 2018.'' Smyrna, Dempsey Dilling & Associates PC, 2018. Web (springhilltn.org). 15 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

There were an estimated 34,688 households in Maury County in 2019.<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/>

===Age, Sex, and Race/Ethnicity===
[[File:Maury 2010 pop pyramid.png|thumb|right|Population Pyramid for Maury County, Tennessee based on 2010 Census.<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau Population by Characteristics">[https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-counties-detail.html "County Population by Characteristics, 2010-2019" U.S. Census Bureau. 22 June 2020. Web (census.gov). 16 Feb. 2021.]</ref>]]
In 2010, the median age in Maury County was 38.4, with a median age for males of 36.9 and a median age for females of 39.8. The Census Bureau estimated that the median age had increased to 39 in 2019 (37.7 for males and 40.1 for females).<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau Population by Characteristics"/>

The Census Bureau estimated in 2019 that 23.3 percent of the county's population (22,433) was under the age of 18; this is a decrease as a relative share of the population from 2010 (24.3 percent) but an increase in absolute numbers (+2,776, or +14.1 percent). Meanwhile, the over-65 share of the population was 16.3 percent in 2019, up from 12.9 percent in 2010. The over-65 population grew 50.2 percent in absolute numbers between 2010 and 2019.<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau Population by Characteristics"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/> The over-65 share of the population is however somewhat lower in Maury County than in the state of Tennessee as a whole (16.7 percent).<ref name="QuickFacts: Tennessee"/>

For the whole population, 51.7 percent of Maury County residents (based on 2019 estimates) are female. However, the ratio of males to females varies significantly across age groups; there are about 102 males for every 100 females from birth to age 24; about 95 males for every 100 females from age 25 to 44; about 92 males per 100 females from 45 to 64; and about 81 males per 100 females over the age of 65.<ref name="U.S. Census Bureau Population by Characteristics"/>

In 2019, about 84.1 percent of Maury County residents were white alone; 12.0 percent were black/African-American alone; 1.0 percent were Asian-Americans alone; 0.5 percent were Native American alone; 2.4 percent were bi- or multi-racial. About 6.2 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino; 78.7 percent were white and not Hispanic or Latino.<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/> Columbia had a population that was 68.4% white non-Hispanic in 2019 (with black or African-American residents making up 18.5 percent of the city's population), and Spring Hill had a population that was 85.4 percent white non-Hispanic.<ref name="QuickFacts: Columbia"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Spring Hill/>

The Census Bureau estimated that about 3.5 percent of Maury County residents were foreign-born.  About 5.5 percent speak a language other than English in the home.<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/>

===Wealth and Income===
The Census Bureau estimated that median household income in Maury County was $57,170, somewhat higher than the statewide median of $53,320. But, the Bureau also estimated per-capita income to be slightly lower than the statewide per-capita income ($28,970 per person in Maury County, versus $29,859 per person across the entire state of Tennessee).<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Tennessee"/>

The median household income varies significantly within the county, with the median income in Spring Hill ($90,778) being nearly twice that of Columbia ($49,284). (Note that the Spring Hill statistic includes both Maury and Williamson County parts of that city).<ref name="QuickFacts: Columbia"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Spring Hill/>

The Economic Policy Institute estimated in 2018 that 99 percent of Maury County residents had incomes less than $255,385 in 2015 (the national threshold for the top 1 percent was $421,926 and the Tennessee state threshold was $332,913). The average earner in the bottom 99 percent had an income of $45,697 and the average earner in the top 1 percent of Maury County had an income of $501,397. The EPI estimated that the top 1 percent earned 10 percent of the county's total income (versus the national figure of the top 1 percent earning 21 percent of the nation's income).<ref>[https://www.epi.org/publication/the-new-gilded-age-income-inequality-in-the-u-s-by-state-metropolitan-area-and-county/#epi-toc-14 Sommeiller, Estelle and Price, Mark. "The New Gilded Age: Income Inequality in the U.S. by state, metropolitan area, and county." Economic Policy Institute. 19 July 2018. Web (epi.org). 16 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The poverty rate in Maury County was estimated to be 8.5 percent, which is substantially lower than the Tennessee statewide average of 13.9 percent.<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Tennessee"/> The poverty rate is about five times higher in Columbia (13.9 percent) than it is Spring Hill (2.8 percent, Williamson-inclusive).<ref name="QuickFacts: Columbia"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Spring Hill/>

The median sale price of homes sold is about $252,995.<ref name="TNECD County Profile">[https://tnecd.com/county-profiles/ "County Profile Tool." Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. 2020. Web (tnecd.com). 17 Feb. 2021.]</ref> The median value of a housing unit in Maury County was estimated by the Census Bureau as being $184,800. About 69.9 percent of housing units were owner-occupied in the 2015-2019 time period.<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/>

===Educational Attainment and Veteran Status===
About 90.2 percent of the population of Maury County older than 25 has graduated from high school, which is somewhat higher than the state average (87.5 percent). About 23.0 percent of adults over 25 holds at least a Bachelor's degree, somewhat lower than the Tennessee state average (27.3 percent).<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Tennessee"/>

The college-educated share of the population is about three times higher in Spring Hill (46.8 percent, inclusive of Williamson County parts of Spring Hill) than it is Columbia (18.8 percent). But high school graduation rates are similar (89.4 percent in Columbia versus 95.1 percent in Spring Hill).<ref name="QuickFacts: Columbia"/><ref name="QuickFacts: Spring Hill/>

About 5,417 veterans are living in Maury County (about 7.3 percent of the over-18 population).<ref name="QuickFacts: Maury County, Tennessee"/>

===Crime===
Five law enforcement agencies in Maury County report crime statistics to the FBI:<ref>[https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/ Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime Data Explorer." Federal Bureau of Investigation. Undated (Data released 28 Sept. 2020). Web (cloud.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

* [[Maury County Sheriff's Office]]<ref>[https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/explorer/agency/TN0600000/crime "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime Data Explorer 4.0.0 - Maury County Sheriff's Office." Federal Bureau of Investigation. Undated (Data released 28 Sept. 2020). Web (cloud.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
* [[Columbia Police Department]]<ref>[https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/explorer/agency/TN0600100/crime "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime Data Explorer 4.0.0 - Columbia Police Department." Federal Bureau of Investigation. Undated (Data released 28 Sept. 2020). Web (cloud.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
* [[Mount Pleasant Police Department]]<ref>[https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/explorer/agency/TN0600200/crime "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime Data Explorer 4.0.0 - Mount Pleasant Police Department." Federal Bureau of Investigation. Undated (Data released 28 Sept. 2020). Web (cloud.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
* [[Spring Hill Police Department]] (also serves Williamson County)<ref>[https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/explorer/agency/TN0600300/crime "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime Data Explorer 4.0.0 - Spring Hill Police Department." Federal Bureau of Investigation. Undated (Data released 28 Sept. 2020). Web (cloud.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref>
* [[Columbia State Community College]]<ref>[https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/explorer/agency/TN0600400/crime "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime Data Explorer 4.0.0 - Columbia State Community College." Federal Bureau of Investigation. Undated (Data released 28 Sept. 2020). Web (cloud.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="width:50%;"
|+Crimes (Number of Incidents) Reported to Law Enforcement Agencies in Maury County, 2019
|-style="vertical-align:bottom;"
!style="text-align:left; width: 300px;" |
!style="text-align:right"|All Violent Crimes
!style="text-align:right" |All Property Crimes
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Maury County Sheriff's Office
|style="text-align:right;" |127
|style="text-align:right;" |444
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Columbia Police Department
|style="text-align:right;" |185
|style="text-align:right;" |1,235
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Mount Pleasant Police Department
|style="text-align:right;" |5
|style="text-align:right;" |48
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Spring Hill Police Department<ref>Includes parts of Spring Hill in Williamson County.</ref>
|style="text-align:right;" |49
|style="text-align:right;" |385
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Columbia State Community College
|style="text-align:right;" |0
|style="text-align:right;" |0
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:50%;"
|+Crimes (Number of Incidents) Reported to Law Enforcement Agencies in Maury County, Annual Average (2015-2019)
|-style="vertical-align:bottom;"
!style="text-align:left; width: 300px;" |
!style="text-align:right;"|All Violent Crimes
!style="text-align:right;"|Homicide
!style="text-align:right;"|Rape
!style="text-align:right;"|Robbery
!style="text-align:right;"|Aggravated<br/>Assault
!style="text-align:right;"|All Property Crimes
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Maury County Sheriff's Office
|style="text-align:right;"|123.2
|style="text-align:right;"|1.2
|style="text-align:right;"|18.8
|style="text-align:right;"|6.4
|style="text-align:right;"|96.8
|style="text-align:right;"|463
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Columbia Police Department
|style="text-align:right;"|194.6
|style="text-align:right;"|2
|style="text-align:right;"|23.2
|style="text-align:right;"|32.8
|style="text-align:right;"|136.6
|style="text-align:right;"|1,227.4
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Mount Pleasant Police Department
|style="text-align:right;"|17.4
|style="text-align:right;"|0
|style="text-align:right;"|3
|style="text-align:right;"|1.2
|style="text-align:right;"|13.2
|style="text-align:right;"|76.6
|-
!style=text-align:left;" |Spring Hill Police Department<ref>Includes parts of Spring Hill in Williamson County.</ref>
|style="text-align:right;"|49.8
|style="text-align:right;"|0.4
|style="text-align:right;"|7.4
|style="text-align:right;"|2.6
|style="text-align:right;"|39.4
|style="text-align:right;"|402.2
|-
!style="text-align:left;" |Columbia State Community College
|style="text-align:right;"|0
|style="text-align:right;"|0
|style="text-align:right;"|0
|style="text-align:right;"|0
|style="text-align:right;"|0
|style="text-align:right;"|0
|}

===Religion===
According to the 2010 U.S. Religion Census, there were 190 congregations in Maury County with 38,353 adherents (defined as full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services), for an adherence rate of 474 per 1,000 residents. The adherence rate in Maury County is somewhat below the Tennessee statewide average of 555 adherents per 1,000 residents and close to the national average of 488 adherents per 1,000 residents.<ref>[https://www.thearda.com/Archive/Files/Descriptions/RCMSCY10.asp Grammich, et. al. ''U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations and Membership Study, 2010 (County File).'' Association of Religious Data Archives, 2011. Web. 5 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/rcms2010a.asp?U=47119&T=county&S=Name&Y=2010 "County Membership Report: Maury County." Association of Religious Data Archives. Undated. Web. 6 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/rcms2010a.asp?U=47&T=state&S=name&Y=2010 "State Membership Report: Tennessee." Association of Religious Data Archives. Undated. Web. 6 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The 2010 U.S. Religion Census data shows 136 congregations and 24,645 adherents were identified as Evangelical Protestant; 14 congregations with 2,029 adherents identified as Black Protestant; 31 congregations with 5,864 adherents identified as Mainline Protestant; and 2 congregations with 3,900 adherents were identified as Roman Catholic. An additional 7 congregations with 1,915 adherents were identified as "Other", a category that embraces denominations such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and Latter-Day Saints, as well as non-Christian faith traditions. <ref>Grammitch, et. al., cited ''supra.'''</ref> The largest denominations by number of adherents in Maury County were: Southern Baptist (8,244), Church of Christ (7,675), United Methodist (4,166), Roman Catholic (3,900), Non-Denominational (3,149) and Latter-Day Saints (1,592).<ref>''Ibid.''</ref> There are an estimated 308 Muslims in Maury County.<ref>''Id.''</ref>

Since 1980, the fastest-growing denominations in Maury County in percentage terms have been the Roman Catholic Church (+954%), the Latter-Day Saints (+512%), and Assemblies of God (+299%). The denominations that gained the most adherents were the Roman Catholic Church (+3,530), the Latter-Day Saints (+1,332), and the Southern Baptists (+1,285). There has been a significant drop in the number of Cumberland Presbyterians (-279) and Methodists (-973) during this time frame. The adherence rate for Evangelical Protestantism slightly declined during this time, with Evangelicals making up about 69 percent of the county's religious adherents in 1980 and about 65 percent in 2010. The overall adherence rate for all religious traditions was the same -- 47.4 percent -- in both 1980 and 2010, but there was a significant surge in adherence in the 1980s (with the adherence rate reaching 55.2 percent in 1990) followed by a long slide in the two decades that followed.<ref>"County Membership Report" cited ''supra.''</ref>

The 2010 U.S. Religion Census does not attempt to survey the non-religious. A Pew Survey in 2014 found that 14 percent of adult Tennesseans were religiously unaffiliated and 11 percent identified as "nothing in particular." It also found that, while 51 percent of adult Tennesseans reported attending church once per week or more, 24 percent seldom or never attended services. Pew found that 91 percent of adult Tennesseans expressed an "absolutely" or "fairly" certain belief in God, with 3 percent not believing in God, and the remainder expressing some degree of agnosticism.<ref>[https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/tennessee/ Pew Research Center. "Religious Landscape Study: Adults in Tennessee." Undated (the poll was taken in May 2014). Web. 6 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

==Government==
===County Government===
====County Commission====
[[File:Hunter Matthews Complex Columbia 23Jan2021.jpg|thumb|right|The County Commission meets in the Tom Primm meeting room, on the north end of the Hunter Matthews Complex in downtown Columbia (Photo from 23 January 2021).]]
[[File:Maury districts simplified 2014.png|thumb|right|Simplified Map of Maury County Commission and School Board Districts, 2014-2022. For a detailed map, please see [https://apps.cot.tn.gov/DPAMaps/Redistrict/Maps?county=Maury&district=County%20Commission "Maury County Commission." Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury - Property Assessments. Undated. Web (tn.gov). 18 Feb. 2021].]]

The legislative body for Maury County is the County Commission (formally, "Board of Commissioners"). The County Commission is responsible for crafting the [[Maury County Budget | county's budget]] as well as other local policies. The County Commission meets every third Monday at 6:30 p.m at the Tom Primm Meeting Room at 6 Courthouse Square, Columbia (across the street from the County Courthouse in the Hunter Matthews complex).<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/167/County-Commission "County Commission." Maury County. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The Tennessee state constitution specifies that a county commission can have as many as 25 members, with each district having up to three members.<ref>Tenn. Const., art. VII. (for an online copy see: [http://www.capitol.tn.gov/about/docs/tn-constitution.pdf ''The Constitution of the State of Tennessee.'' Office of Chief Clerk of the State Senate. 14 Nov. 2014 (revision date). Web (capitol.tn.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.])</ref> The Maury County Commission is currently composed of 22 members, with two members each from eleven districts.<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/168/Commissioners "Commissioners." Maury County. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 18 Feb. 2021.]</ref> County Commission districts are redrawn at least every ten years using data from the most recent United States Census.<ref>[https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-5/chapter-1/part-1/5-1-111 Tenn. Code § 5-1-111.]</ref> The next round of reapportionment will occur before January 1, 2022.<ref>See Tenn. Code. § 5-1-111.</ref>

Commissioners serve four-year terms.<ref>Tenn. Const. art. VII.</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2018 County General Election (Maury County) | August 2, 2018]]. The next election will occur on [[2022 County General Election (Maury County) | Thursday, August 4, 2022]].

''For a complete list of County Commissioners, please see the article "[[Maury County Commission]]."''

====County Mayor (County Executive)====
The County Mayor (also referred to in the state constitution as the County Executive) is the chief executive officer of Maury County. The [[county executive| County Mayor]] is elected for a four-year term.<ref>Tenn. Const. art. VII.</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2018 County General Election (Maury County) | August 2, 2018]]. The next election will occur on [[2022 County General Election (Maury County) | Thursday, August 4, 2022]].

The current County Mayor is [[Andy Ogles]].

''For a complete list of Maury County Mayors, please see the article "[[Mayor of Maury County, Tennessee]]."''

====Sheriff====
The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of Maury County. The [[County sheriff | Sheriff]] is elected for a four-year term.<ref>Tenn. Const. art. VII.</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2018 County General Election (Maury County) | August 2, 2018]]. The next election will occur on [[2022 County General Election (Maury County) | Thursday, August 4, 2022]].

The current County Mayor is [[Bucky Rowland]].

''For a complete list of Maury County Sheriffs, please see the article "[[Sheriff of Maury County, Tennessee]]."''

====County Clerk====
The County Clerk of Maury County is responsible for keeping the records of the County Commission as well as issuing various licenses and permits (including marriage licenses, alarm permits, automobile titles and license plates, and processing applications for notaries public). The [[County clerk | County Clerk]] is elected for a four-year term.<ref>Tenn. Const. art. VII.</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2018 County General Election (Maury County) | August 2, 2018]]. The next election will occur on [[2022 County General Election (Maury County) | Thursday, August 4, 2022]].

The current County Clerk is [[Joey Allen]].<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/211/County-Clerk "County Clerk." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 27 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Trustee====
The Trustee is the chief financial officer, treasurer, and banker for Maury County. The Trustee receives tax revenue for the county. The [[county trustee | Trustee]]  is elected for a four-year term.<ref>Tenn. Const. art. VII.</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2018 County General Election (Maury County) | August 2, 2018]]. The next election will occur on [[2022 County General Election (Maury County) | Thursday, August 4, 2022]].

The current Trustee is [[Randy McNeece]].<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/327/Trustee "Trustee." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 27 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Register of Deeds====
The Register of Deeds is the county officer responsible for recording, archiving, and making available for inspection deeds and other real estate and business documents. The [[County register of deeds | Register of Deeds]] is elected for a four-year term.<ref>Tenn. Const. art. VII.</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2018 County General Election (Maury County) | August 2, 2018]]. The next election will occur on [[2022 County General Election (Maury County) | Thursday, August 4, 2022]].

The current Register of Deeds is [[John Fleming]].<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/155/Register-of-Deeds "Register of Deeds." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 27 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Assessor of Property====
The Assessor of Property is the county officer responsible for valuing most residential and business property for tax purposes. The [[County assessor of property | Assessor of Property]] is elected for a four-year term.<ref>Tenn. Const. art. VII.</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2020 County General Election (Maury County) | August 6, 2020]] and the next election will be held on August 1, 2024.

The current Assessor of Property is [[Bobby Daniels]].<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/203/Assessor "Assessor." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 27 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Road Superintendent====
The Road Superintendent oversees the Maury County Highway Department. The Highway Department maintains the county's roads. The Highway Superintendent is elected for a four-year term.<ref>[https://eli.ctas.tennessee.edu/reference/highway "Highway." University of Tennessee - County Technical Assistance Service. Undated. Web (utk.edu). 27 Feb. 2021.]</ref> The most recent election was held on [[2020 County General Election (Maury County) | August 6, 2020]] and the next election will be held on August 1, 2024.

The current Road Superintendent is [[Van G. Boshers]].<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/248/Highway-Department "Highway Department." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 27 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

===State Government in Maury County===
====Representation in Tennessee General Assembly====
Maury County is divided between the [[Sixty-Fourth House District (Tennessee))| 64th]] and [[Sixty-Ninth House District (Tennessee) | 69th]] State House districts and is part of the [[Twenty-Eighth Senate District (Tennessee) | 28th State Senate District.]] <ref>[http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/Apps/fmlv3/districts.aspx "District Maps." Tennessee General Assembly. Undated. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The 64th District is currently represented by Rep. [[Scott Cepicky]] (R).

The 69th District is currently represented by Rep. [[Michael Curcio]] (R).

The 28th Senate District is currently represented by Sen. [[Joey Hensley]] (R).

====State Courts in Maury County====
Maury County is in the 22nd Judicial District, along with Giles, Wayne, and Lawrence Counties.<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/Twenty-Second_Judicial_District,_Tennessee Ballotpedia Contributors. "Twenty-Second Judicial District, Tennessee." ''Ballotpedia.'' Ballotpedia, Undated, Web. 1 February 2021.]</ref>
=====Circuit Court (22nd Judicial District)=====
The Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction which hears criminal and civil cases, as well as appeals from General Sessions, Juvenile Cort, and municipal courts.<ref>[https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/circuit-criminal-chancery-courts/about "About the Trial Courts."  Tennessee State Courts. Undated. Web (tncourts.gov). 1 March 2021.]</ref><ref>Tenn. Const. art. IV.</ref><ref>Tenn. Code § 16-10-101 et seq.</reF>

The current Circuit Court Judge for the 22nd Judicial District is Judge [[David Allen]] who was appointed in 2015 by Gov. Bill Haslam and last elected to an eight-year term as a Republican in 2016.<ref>[https://www.tncourts.gov/news/2015/06/17/haslam-appoints-allen-circuit-court-judge-22nd-district "Haslam appoints Allen Circuit Court Judge in 22nd District." Tennessee State Courts. 17 June 2015. Web (tncourts.gov). 1 March 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/David_Lee_Allen "David Lee Allen." Ballotpedia.org. Undated. Web (ballotpedia.org). 1 March 2021.]</ref>

When sitting in Maury County, the Circuit Court holds court at the [[Maury County Courthouse]]. <ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/206/Circuit-Court "Circuit Court." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 1 March 2021.]</ref>

The Circuit Court Clerk in Maury County is [[Sandy McLain]], who was elected as an Independent to a four-year term in 2018. The Circuit Court Clerk's office also serves the General Sessions and Juvenile Courts.<ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/206/Circuit-Court "Circuit Court." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 1 March 2021.]</ref>

=====Chancery Court (22nd Judicial District)=====
=====District Attorney (22nd Judicial District)=====
=====Public Defender (22nd Judicial District)=====
=====Maury County General Sessions Court=====
=====Maury County Juvenile Court=====

===Federal Government in Maury County===
====Representation in the United States Congress====
In addition to being represented by two [[United States Senators from Tennessee]], Maury County is currently divided between the [[Fourth Congressional District (Tennessee) | 4th]] and [[Seventh Congressional District (Tennessee) | 7th]] United States Congressional Districts.<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_congressional_delegations_from_Tennessee Ballotpedia Contributors. "United States congressional delegations from Tennessee." ''Ballotpedia.'' Ballotpedia, Undated, Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Federal Courts====
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee as well as the United States Bankruptcy Court for Middle Tennessee both hold court sessions at the old U.S. Courthouse (815 S. Garden Street) in Columbia, though their administrative offices are in Nashville.<ref>[https://www.tnmd.uscourts.gov/content/columbia "Columbia | Middle District of Tennessee." United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Undated. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[http://www.tnmb.uscourts.gov/ "Middle District of Tennessee." United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Undated. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref> Appeals from the Middle District of Tennessee go to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.<ref>[https://ballotpedia.org/Maury_County,_Tennessee_(Judicial) Ballotpedia Contributors. "Maury County, Tennessee (Judicial)." ''Ballotpedia.'' Ballotepdia, Undated, Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Federal Agencies====
The United States Postal Service maintains the following post offices in Maury County<ref>''Your Hometown Community Directory 2019-2020.'' Columbia, Willow Advertising and Publishing, 2019, p. iii.</ref>:

* Columbia (417 West 7th Street; 931-388-6161)
* Culleoka (2349 Culleoka Highway; 831-987=2286)
* Hampshire (4116 Hampshire Pike; 931-285-2312)
* Mt. Pleasant (201 N. Main Street; 931-379-3285)
* Santa Fe (2581 Santa Fe Pike; 931-682-2594)
* Spring Hill (223 Town Center Parkway; 931-486-2629)
* Williamsport (3568 Williamsport Pike; 931-583-2562)

The Social Security Administration maintains an office at 1885 Shady Brook Street in Columbia.<ref>[https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp "Social Security Office Locator." Social Security Administration. Undated. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The United States Department of Agriculture maintains a service center at 803 Hatcher Lane in Columbia.<ref>[https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?service=page/ServiceCenterSummary&stateCode=47&cnty=119 "USDA Service Center Locator." United States Department of Agriculture. Undated. Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The United States Department of Defense has military recruiting stations in Maury County:<ref>''Your Hometown Community Directory 2019-2020.''</ref>

* Army / Navy - 800 S James M Campbell Blvd., Columbia.
* Air Force / Marine Corps - 807 Nashville Highway, Columbia.

===Politics in Maury County===

===Voting in Maury County===

===Public Finance===
''For a discussion of the Maury County budget, see the article "[[Maury County Budget]]."''
====Taxes====
Maury County has a local option sales and use tax of 2.75 percent. This was raised from 2.25 percent by voter referendum in 2020.<ref>[https://www.tn.gov/revenue/news/2020/3/31/important-notice--change-of-local-sales-tax-rate--maury-county---wilson-county.html "Important Notice: Change of Local Sales Tax Rate: Maury County & Wilson County." Tennessee Department of Revenue. 31 March 2020. Web (tn.gov). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref> This is in addition to the 7 percent statewide sales tax (on non-food items; a lower rate of 4 percent applies for food items) for a 9.75 combined sales tax rate.<ref>[https://revenue.support.tn.gov/hc/en-us/articles/202989425-What-are-the-state-and-local-sales-tax-rates-in-Tennessee "What are the state and local sales tax rates in Tennessee?" Tennessee Department of Revenue. 11 Dec. 2017. Web (tn.gov). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The property tax rate is currently $2.2364 per $100 of assessed value of taxable property (for residential property, this is 25 percent of the appraised value). For example, a home appraised value of $100,000 would pay $559 in county property tax annually (not including city tax).<ref>[http://forms.maurycounty-tn.gov/property_tax_calculator.htm "Property Tax Calculator." Maury County, Tennessee. Undated. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 28 Feb. 2021.]</reF><ref>[https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2962/Final-Budget-Packet-2020-2021?bidId= "Final Budget Package 2020-2021." Maury County, Tennessee. 2020. Web (maurycounty-tn.gov). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

====Public Debt====
As of June 30, 2020, Maury County had $165 million in outstanding debt principal.<ref>"Final Budget Package, 2020-2021" cited above.</ref> In December 2020, Moody's gave Maury County's 2020 bonds an Aa2 rating, calling the county's debt load "above-average but manageable." This is the same rating as Nashville-Davidson Metro but two ranks lower than neighboring Williamson County (Aaa).<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/maury-county-tn-moodys-assigns-180606207.html Moody's, "Maury (County of) TN -- Moody's assigns Aa2 to Maury County, TN's $7.8M GO School and Public Improvement Refunding Bonds, Series 2020." Yahoo! News. 4 Dec. 2020. Web (yahoo.com). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/a-a2.asp Kenton, Will. "Aa2." Investopedia. 10 Dec. 2020. Web (investopedia.com). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

==Economy and Major Businesses==
===Overview===
[[File:Unemployment in Maury County 1990-2021.png|thumb|right|Graph of annual unemployment rate in Maury County versus the annual average unemployment rate in Tennessee, 1990 - 2021. Source; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis / FRED Database.<ref>[https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TNMAUR0URN "Unemployment Rate in Maury County, Tennessee." FRED - Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.  Undated. Web (fred.stlouisfed.org). 22 Feb. 2021.]</ref>]]
Maury County produced $4.36 billion (current 2019 dollars) in goods and services in 2019, ranking 16th among Tennessee counties. Personal income was $4.26 billion, with $2.82 billion coming from net earnings (e.g. salaries, wages, and employee benefits), $939 million from current transfer receipts (e.g. Social Security and welfare payments), $869 million from retirement funds, and $504 million from dividends, interest payments or rent.

There were 54,221 paid jobs in Maury County in 2019. Of these, 40,103 are wage-earning jobs and 14,118 are proprietor jobs (i.e. self-employment). The largest sectors in Maury County by paid employment in 2019 were:
* Government (7,339 jobs, 5,704 of which were local government jobs)
* Manufacturing (7,137 jobs; note that this does not include mining or transportation)
* Retail trade (5,830 jobs)
* Health Care and Social Assistance (4,513 jobs)
* Accommodation and Food Services (4,008 jobs)
* Real Estate and Leasing (3,464 jobs)
* Administrative and support, etc. (3,270 jobs)
* Other services (3,264 jobs; those does not include professional/technical services or transportation services)
* Finance and insurance (2,942 jobs)
* Construction (2,889 jobs)

By payroll, the largest industries are:
* Manufacturing ($618 million)
* Government ($465 million)
* Health Care ($217 million)
* Finance ($163 million)
* Retail Trade ($157 million)
* Wholesale Trade ($129 million)
* Real Estate ($108 million)

Farm employment was approximately 1,553, with most of those being farm proprietors themselves; farm payroll was only $2.4 million.<ref>[https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-county-metro-and-other-areas "GDP by County, Metro, and Other Areas" (various tables). U.S. Department of Commerce - Bureau of Economic Analysis. 7 January 2021. Web (bea.gov). 22 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

Maury County had a civilian workforce of 51,206 and an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent (up from 2.8 percent in November 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; not seasonally-adjusted) in December 2020.<ref>[https://www.bls.gov/lau/ "Local Area Unemployment Statistics." U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics. Undated. 22 Feb. 2021.]</ref> Maury County had a slightly lower unemployment rate than the State of Tennessee for most of the 2010s.<ref>[https://tnecd.com/county-profiles/ "County Profile Tool." Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Undated. Web (tnecd.com). 22 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

According to Census Data from 2011-2015, about 15,834 Maury County residents commute to jobs outside the county and about 10,673 residents of other counties commute to Maury County places of employment. About 22,404 county residents hold jobs requiring a commute to somewhere else in Maury County. The top counties where Maury County residents commute to are Williamson (8,350), Nashville-Davidson (3,875), Marshall (905), and Rutherford (885). The top counties from which employees commute to Maury County include Williamson (2,838), Lawrence (1,775), Marshall (1,447), and Giles (804).<ref>[https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2015/demo/metro-micro/commuting-flows-2015.html "2011-2015 5-Year ACS Commuting Flows." U.S. Census Bureau. 24 Oct. 2019. Web (census.gov). 22 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

===Agriculture===
In 2017 (the most recent agricultural census), there were 2,592 farm operators and 1,583 farms. Of these farms, 98 percent were family farms. The average age of a farm operator was 58.8 years. Almost all (96 percent) of the farm operators in Maury County were white, with about 23 identifying as Hispanic (of any race) and 61 African-American farm operators. About 44 percent of farm operators worked off-site (either at another farm or in a non-farm job) more than 200 days of the year. Almost all farms were operated either by full or part landowners; only 19 farms were operated by tenants. Only about 18 percent of farms in Maury County hired laborers. <ref>[https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/CDQT/chapter/2/table/45/state/TN/county/119/year/2017 "Chapter 2, Table 45 - Selected Operation and Producer Characteristics." (2017 Agriculture Census tables). United States Department of Agriculture - National Agricultural Statistics Service. Undated (2017 Census data published in 2019). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/Tennessee/cp47119.pdf "2017 Census of Agriculture County Profile: Maury County, Tennessee." United States Department of Agriculture. Undated. Web (usda.gov). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The average farm size was 144 acres with a total of 227,179 acres in farms (about 58 percent of the total land area of Maury County). The median farm size was 56 acres. For farmland, 35 percent was used as cropland, 37 percent as pasture land, and 24 percent as woodland. 

The total market value of agricultural products sold was $45.6 million. The market value of agricultural products sold was split almost evenly between livestock and animal products (52 percent of sales) and crops (48 percent). Top products by value include grains and soybeans, cattle, and dairy products. Maury County ranked highly among Tennessee counties in hay production (10th), cattle and calves (6th), sheep and goats (9th), and cow milk production (6th). Horses, ponies, mules, and donkeys (the livestock often associated with Maury County's agricultural traditions) brought in only $254,000 in revenue in 2017, with Maury County placing 26th among Tennessee counties in sales. <ref>"2017 Census of Agriculture County Profile: Maury County, Tennessee" cited above.</ref>

Most farms in Maury County (57 percent) had less than $5,000 in sales in 2017, and only 5 percent had sales greater than $100,000. The average farm in Maury County had $29,115 in expenses and only $28,788 in sales. Nevertheless, the average farm netted $2,370 in farm income (though nearly 2/3rds - 1,047 farm operations - operated with a net loss) and farm income added $3.75 million to Maury County's economy. Countywide farm earnings outpaced expenses due largely to non-sale farm income and government subsidies; farmers in Maury County received over $2.4 million in government payments in 2017.<ref>"2017 Census of Agriculture County Profile: Maury County, Tennessee" cited above.</ref><ref>[https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/CDQT/chapter/2/table/45/state/TN/county/119/year/2017 "Chapter 2, Table 4 - Net Cash Farm Income of the Operations and Producers." (2017 Agriculture Census tables). United States Department of Agriculture - National Agricultural Statistics Service. Undated (2017 Census data published in 2019). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

Agriculture was traditionally an important part of Maury County's economy. However, in recent years it has been a shrinking sector. In the past 50 years, the number of farms has declined significantly; though in recent decades the number of farms has slightly rebounded. Still, the total amount of farmland has continued to decrease, resulting in smaller and less-profitable farms. In 1969, there were 2,286 farms and covering 330,055 acres; this decreased to 1,506 farms over 245,681 acres in 1992 (with an average size of 163 acres). In 1992, the average net cash income from the sale of agricultural products was $3,301 (in 1992 dollars; over $6,154 in 2021 dollars).<ref>[http://lib-usda-05.serverfarm.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1969/01/31/483/Table-01.pdf "Table 1: Farm, Land, Value." (Table from 1969 Agricultural Census). U.S. Census. 1972. Web (cornell.edu). 28 Feb. 2021.]</ref><ref>[http://lib-usda-05.serverfarm.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1992/01/42/1570/Table-01.pdf "Table 1. County Summary Highlights: 1992." (Table from 1992 Agricultural Census). U.S. Census. 1993. Web (cornell.edu). 28 Feb. 2021]</ref>

===Manufacturing and Mining===
===Professional Services===
===Retail===

==Schools==
====Maury County Public Schools====
====Columbia State Community College System====
====Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Spring Hill====
====Public Libraries====
====Columbia Academy====
====Other Private Schools====
====Historical Institutions====

==Health Care==
===Hospitals===
===Health Department===
===Health Statistics===

==Arts and Culture==
===Local Media===
====Newspapers====
====Radio====

===Events===
====Mule Day====
====County Fair====
====Sheriff's Rodeo====
====Spring Hill Art Walk====

===Parks===
''This list does not include city-owned parks.''
====Maury County Park====
====Chickasaw Trace Park====
====Hampshire Park====
====Jerry Erwin Park====
====Williams Spring Park====
====Yanahli Park====
====Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Scenic-Recreational Natural Area====
====Natchez Trace Parkway====

===Sports Clubs===
The Columbia Soccer Association is a non-profit organization that sponsors recreational soccer teams for both youths and adults as well as the Columbia Arsenal FC competitive team.<ref>[https://www.columbiasoccer.org/ "Home." Columbia Soccer Association (TN), 2021, Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

The Columbia American Little League baseball team is affiliated with Little League International.<ref>[https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2384902 "Columbia American Little League." Columbia American Little League, 2021, Web. 1 Feb. 2021.]</ref>

==Transportation==
===Highways===
===Railroads===
===Airports===

==Communications==
===ZIP Codes===
===Telephone===
Maury County is in area code 931. However, parts of [[Spring Hill, Tennessee | Spring Hill]] in [[Williamson County, Tennessee | Williamson County]] are in area code 615.<ref>''Your Hometown Community Directory 2019-2020.'' at p. 1.</ref>

The following landline telephone exchanges are in use <ref>''Your Hometown Community Directory 2019-2020.'' at p. 1.</ref>:

* Culleoka - 931-987-xxxx.
* Columbia - 931-380-xxxx, 931-381-xxxx, 931-388-xxxx, 931-490-xxxx, 931-540-xxxx, 931-840-xxxx.
* Hampshire - 931-285-xxxx.
* Mount Pleasant - 931-379-xxxx.
* Santa Fe - 931-659-xxxx.
* Spring Hill (Maury County side only) - 931-486-xxxx, 931-487-xxxx, 931-489-xxxx.
* Williamsport - 931-583-xxxx.
===Internet===
Spectrum and [[Columbia Power & Water Systems]] provide Internet services in Columbia.

==Notable People from Maury County==
===Politics===
* President [[James K. Polk]] spent his boyhood and early business and political career in Columbia.

===Military===
* [[Leonidas Polk]], a second-cousin of James K. Polk, Episcopal bishop, and Confederate general during the Civil War.
* [[Fran McKee]], the first woman to serve as a line officer in the United States Navy.

===Professional Sports===
* Professional football player [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaq_Mason Shaquille Olajuwon Mason] is from Columbia.

==References and Footnotes==
<references />

==External links==
* [https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/ Maury County (government website)]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maury_County,_Tennessee Maury County, Tennessee (Wikipedia article)]
* [https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/maury-county/ Maury County (Tennessee Encyclopedia article)]
* [https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Maury_County,_Tennessee_Genealogy Maury County Genealogy Sources]
* [https://mauryalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Elected-Officials-Guide-2019-SM.pdf Maury Alliance 2019 Elected Officials Guide.]
* [https://visitmaury.com/ Experience Maury (Maury County Convention & Visitors Bureau Website)]

==See Also==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Neighboring Counties
|- style="vertical-align:middle;"
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:left;" | [[Hickman County, Tennessee]]
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:center;" | [[Williamson County, Tennessee]]
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:right;" | [[Williamson County, Tennessee]]
|- style="vertical-align:middle;"
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:left;" | [[Lewis County, Tennessee]]
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:center;" | '''Maury County'''
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:right;" | [[Marshall County, Tennessee]]
|- style="vertical-align:middle;"
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:left;" | [[Lawrence County, Tennessee]]
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:center;" | [[Giles County, Tennessee]]
| style="height:100px; width:200px; text-align:right;" | [[Marshall County, Tennessee]]
|}