| Official Name: | White Bluff, Tennessee |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Mapsize: | 250x200px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Tennessee |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Dickson |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Linda Hayes[1] |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1806 |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1869[2] |
| Named For: | Bluffs overlooking Turnbull Creek[3] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [4] |
| Area Total Km2: | 16.56 |
| Area Land Km2: | 16.56 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 6.39 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 6.39 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3862 |
| Population Density Km2: | 233.28 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 604.19 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation Ft: | 833 |
| Coordinates: | 36.1081°N -87.2203°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 37187 |
| Area Code: | 615 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 47-79980[5] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 1304517 |
White Bluff is a town in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,862 at the 2020 census and 3,206 at the 2010 census.[6] The community name derives from the White Bluff Iron Forge.
A fort was constructed at White Bluff in 1806, and an iron forge shortly afterward. The current town, which grew out of a Civil War-era Union Army encampment, was platted in 1867, and within a few years had grown to include several mercantile businesses and a planing mill.[7]
White Bluff is located in eastern Dickson County at 36.1081°N -87.2203°W (36.107971, -87.220300).[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.4km2, all land.[6]
White Bluff is located on U.S. Route 70 at its junction with State Route 47. US 70 leads east to Nashville and west 10miles to Dickson. TN 47 leads southwest 7miles to Burns before continuing to Dickson, and northwest 9miles to Charlotte, the Dickson County seat.
White Bluff is east of Montgomery Bell State Park.
| Number | Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 3,485 | 90.24% | |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 24 | 0.62% | |
| Native American | 20 | 0.52% | |
| Asian | 15 | 0.39% | |
| Other/Mixed | 184 | 4.76% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 134 | 3.47% |
At the 2000 census, there were 2,142 people, 881 households and 604 families residing in the town. The population density was 536.9sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 947 housing units at an average density of 237.4sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 98.13% White, 0.65% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.
There were 881 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96.
24.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median household income was $34,107 and the median family income was $39,219. Males had a median income of $31,509 versus $25,260 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,229. About 6.1% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
There have been several public and private schools in the area. The first public school was destroyed by fire in 1879. White Bluff now has White Bluff Elementary School and Williams James School. The original William James was built in 1923 on land donated by Colonel William James, a Spanish–American War officer from whom it gets its team sports name, the Colonels, and who is entombed within the current building. (The 1923 building was demolished after the 1971–1972 school year.) It was a high school (for many years all twelve grades were on the site) until 1972 when it became a junior high school (grades 7–9). In the 1999–2000 school year, the school was changed to a middle school (grades 6–8) as part of a district-wide realignment, hence its current name, William James Middle School.