Pulaski, Tennessee

{{Expand section|date=February 2023}}

Pulaski was founded in 1809. During the Civil War, after the Union took control of Tennessee in 1862, thousands of African Americans left plantations and farms to join their lines for refuge.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} The Army set up a contraband camp in Pulaski to help house the freedmen and their families, feed them, and put them to work. In addition, education classes were started.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} The vicinity of Pulaski was the site of a number of skirmishes during the Franklin–Nashville Campaign.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} Union troops occupied the state from 1862, and hundreds of African Americans left plantations even before the Emancipation Proclamation to join their lines.

In 1863, Confederate courier Sam Davis was hanged in Pulaski by the Union Army on suspicion of espionage.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}

After the war, in late 1865, six Tennessee veterans of the Confederate Army founded a secret society, later known as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). This was the first chapter. These men, John C. Lester, John B. Kennedy, James R. Crowe, Frank O. McCord, Richard R. Reed, and J. Calvin Jones, established the KKK on December 25, 1865. They created rules for a secret, hierarchical society devoted to suppressing freedmen and their white allies, and maintaining white supremacy.{{Cite book |title=Invisible Empire: The Story of the Ku Klux Klan, 1866–1871 |last=Horn |first=Stanley F. |year=1939 |publisher=Patterson Smith Publishing Corporation |location=Montclair, New Jersey |pages=9}}Fleming, Walter J., Ku Klux Klan: Its Origins, Growth and Disbandment, p. 27, 1905, Neale Publishing.

The white insurgents were determined to fight secretly against the political advancement of freedmen and of sympathetic whites. Chapters of the KKK quickly were organized in other parts of the state and the South. KKK members often attacked their victims at night, to increase the intimidation of threats and assaults. Other incidents of racial violence against blacks also took place. The Pulaski riot was a race riot initiated against blacks that took place in the city in the winter of 1868, following a heated election season.

Martin Methodist College was founded in Pulaski in 1870 as a private college for white students. Martin Methodist College was merged with the UT System in 2021 to become the new campus under the University of Tennessee System.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}} It is now known as University of Tennessee Southern and is a public university.{{Cite web|last=Kast|first=Monica|title=University of Tennessee adds fifth campus with Martin Methodist College merger|url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2021/06/25/university-tennessee-adds-new-campus-create-ut-southern/7600973002/|access-date=August 5, 2021|website=Knoxville News Sentinel|language=en-US}}

Pulaski is located in central Giles County at {{coord|35|11|45|N|87|2|4|W|type:city}} (35.195786, -87.034328).{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}} The downtown area is on the north side of Richland Creek, a southward-flowing tributary of the Elk River.

U.S. Route 31 passes through the center of Pulaski as First Street, leading north {{convert|30|mi}} to Columbia and southeast {{convert|19|mi}} to Ardmore at the Alabama border. U.S. Route 31 Alternate (E. Grigsby Street) leaves U.S. 31 in the north part of Pulaski and heads northeast {{convert|23|mi}} to Lewisburg. U.S. Route 64 passes south of Pulaski on a bypass route; it leads east {{convert|29|mi}} to Fayetteville and west {{convert|18|mi}} to Lawrenceburg.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|18.7|km2|order=flip}}, all land.

{{Weather box

|location = Pulaski, Tennessee (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1957–present)

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 76

|Feb record high F = 83

|Mar record high F = 86

|Apr record high F = 91

|May record high F = 96

|Jun record high F = 106

|Jul record high F = 105

|Aug record high F = 104

|Sep record high F = 100

|Oct record high F = 95

|Nov record high F = 86

|Dec record high F = 78

|year record high F = 106

|Jan avg record high F = 67.8

|Feb avg record high F = 71.4

|Mar avg record high F = 78.4

|Apr avg record high F = 83.1

|May avg record high F = 88.0

|Jun avg record high F = 92.8

|Jul avg record high F = 95.0

|Aug avg record high F = 94.7

|Sep avg record high F = 92.2

|Oct avg record high F = 85.4

|Nov avg record high F = 76.9

|Dec avg record high F = 67.9

|year avg record high F = 96.7

|Jan high F = 48.2

|Feb high F = 52.5

|Mar high F = 61.2

|Apr high F = 70.9

|May high F = 78.0

|Jun high F = 84.9

|Jul high F = 88.1

|Aug high F = 87.8

|Sep high F = 83.0

|Oct high F = 72.5

|Nov high F = 60.8

|Dec high F = 51.3

|year high F = 69.9

|Jan mean F = 36.8

|Feb mean F = 40.3

|Mar mean F = 48.2

|Apr mean F = 57.1

|May mean F = 65.3

|Jun mean F = 73.2

|Jul mean F = 76.8

|Aug mean F = 75.8

|Sep mean F = 69.7

|Oct mean F = 58.2

|Nov mean F = 47.0

|Dec mean F = 39.7

|year mean F = 57.3

|Jan low F = 25.4

|Feb low F = 28.1

|Mar low F = 35.2

|Apr low F = 43.3

|May low F = 52.6

|Jun low F = 61.4

|Jul low F = 65.5

|Aug low F = 63.8

|Sep low F = 56.4

|Oct low F = 43.9

|Nov low F = 33.2

|Dec low F = 28.2

|year low F = 44.8

|Jan avg record low F = 9.6

|Feb avg record low F = 14.3

|Mar avg record low F = 21.1

|Apr avg record low F = 29.5

|May avg record low F = 39.7

|Jun avg record low F = 52.0

|Jul avg record low F = 58.6

|Aug avg record low F = 56.2

|Sep avg record low F = 43.9

|Oct avg record low F = 30.1

|Nov avg record low F = 20.6

|Dec avg record low F = 15.3

|year avg record low F = 6.8

|Jan record low F = -16

|Feb record low F = -6

|Mar record low F = 3

|Apr record low F = 22

|May record low F = 30

|Jun record low F = 39

|Jul record low F = 49

|Aug record low F = 50

|Sep record low F = 32

|Oct record low F = 22

|Nov record low F = 10

|Dec record low F = −8

|year record low F = -16

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 5.29

|Feb precipitation inch = 5.66

|Mar precipitation inch = 5.48

|Apr precipitation inch = 5.13

|May precipitation inch = 4.57

|Jun precipitation inch = 4.78

|Jul precipitation inch = 4.83

|Aug precipitation inch = 4.37

|Sep precipitation inch = 4.12

|Oct precipitation inch = 3.81

|Nov precipitation inch = 4.26

|Dec precipitation inch = 6.28

|year precipitation inch = 58.58

|Jan snow inch = 1.0

|Feb snow inch = 0.4

|Mar snow inch = 0.3

|Apr snow inch = 0.0

|May snow inch = 0.0

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 0.0

|Nov snow inch = 0.0

|Dec snow inch = 0.2

|year snow inch = 1.9

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 10.8

|Feb precipitation days = 11.1

|Mar precipitation days = 11.6

|Apr precipitation days = 10.5

|May precipitation days = 10.6

|Jun precipitation days = 10.6

|Jul precipitation days = 10.1

|Aug precipitation days = 9.1

|Sep precipitation days = 7.2

|Oct precipitation days = 7.9

|Nov precipitation days = 9.1

|Dec precipitation days = 11.7

|year precipitation days = 120.3

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 0.5

|Feb snow days = 0.4

|Mar snow days = 0.3

|Apr snow days = 0.0

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 0.0

|Dec snow days = 0.2

|year snow days = 1.4

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

| url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=ohx

| title = NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = October 2, 2021}}

{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00407459&format=pdf

| title = Station: Pulaski WWTP, TN

| work = U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020)

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| access-date = October 2, 2021}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1850= 1137

|1870= 2070

|1880= 2089

|1890= 2274

|1900= 2838

|1910= 2928

|1920= 2780

|1930= 3367

|1940= 5314

|1950= 5762

|1960= 6616

|1970= 6989

|1980= 7184

|1990= 7895

|2000= 7871

|2010= 7870

|2020= 8397

|footnote=Sources:{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 4, 2012|title=Census of Population and Housing: Decennial Censuses}}{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=June 11, 2013}}{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}

}}

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,397 people, 3,189 households, and 1,746 families residing in the city.

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,871 people, 3,455 households, and 2,038 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,200.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,888 housing units at an average density of {{convert|593.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 70.40% White, 27.06% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.11% of the population.

There were 3,455 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,459, and the median income for a family was $37,219. Males had a median income of $30,400 versus $21,714 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,751. About 12.7% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

File:Abernathy Field.JPG

Abernathy Field is a public-use airport owned by the City of Pulaski and Giles County. It is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Pulaski.{{FAA-airport|ID=GZS|use=PU|own=PU|site=23160.*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective June 3, 2010.

The local newspaper is the Pulaski Citizen.

File:Martin Methodist College.JPG

Pulaski is home to two high schools, Giles County High School and Richland High School (Lynnville). Pulaski is also home to Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Pulaski (TCAT) and to University of Tennessee Southern.

In 1903, Pulaski was home to the Pulaski Baseball Club, an independent Minor League Baseball team that played in the Tennessee–Alabama League.{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Pulaski&state=TN&country=US|title=Pulaski, Tennessee Encyclopedia|work=Baseball-Reference|publisher=Sports Reference|access-date=May 23, 2020}}

The Diana Singing, near Pulaski in Cornersville, is home of the semi-annual Diana Singing, sponsored by the Churches of Christ. The event attracts over 3,000 people to the area in June and September.[http://dianasinging.com/ 2023 Singings]

The town was mentioned in the 1986 film Platoon by Chris Taylor, a character played by Charlie Sheen.{{Cite web |title=Platoon Quotes |url=https://www.quotes.net/movies/platoon_8869 |access-date=May 18, 2023 |website=www.quotes.net}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Sister project links|wikt=no|commons=Category:Pulaski, Tennessee|b=no|n=no|q=no|s=no|v=no|voy=no|species=no|d=Q1410885}}

• [http://www.pulaski-tn.com/ City of Pulaski official website]

{{Giles County, Tennessee}}

{{Tennessee county seats}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Tennessee

Category:Cities in Giles County, Tennessee

Category:County seats in Tennessee

Category:Populated places established in 1809

Category:1809 establishments in Tennessee