Fayette County, Tennessee

Fayette County
Fayette County Courthouse in Somerville
Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°11′N 89°25′W / 35.19°N 89.41°W / 35.19; -89.41
Country United States
State Tennessee
FoundedSeptember 29, 1824
Named afterMarquis de Lafayette
SeatSomerville
Largest townOakland
Area
  Total
706 sq mi (1,830 km2)
  Land705 sq mi (1,830 km2)
  Water1.5 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
41,990
  Density56.8/sq mi (21.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitefayettetn.us

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