Perry County, Tennessee

Perry County, Tennessee
Perry County Courthouse in Linden
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	November 14, 1819
Named for	Oliver Hazard Perry
Seat	Linden
Largest town	Linden
Area
• Total	423 sq mi (1,096 km2)
• Land	415 sq mi (1,075 km2)
• Water	8.1 sq mi (21 km2), 1.9%
Population
• (2010)	7,915
• Density	19/sq mi (7/km²)
Congressional district	7th
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,915. Its county seat is Linden. The county was named after the War of 1812 naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry.

Perry County is served by Perry County Airport near Linden. Mousetail Landing State Park is located in the county.

Perry County was formed in 1819 from parts of Humphreys and Hickman counties. It is named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819), American War of 1812 naval officer who, after his flagship was severely damaged, continued the fight from another ship and forced the surrender of the British fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie.Decatur County was formed from the portions of Perry County west of the Tennessee River. The first settlements in the county were along Toms Creek near the Tennessee River, with the first known birth in the area occurring in 1818. This is the first written date involving the area that would become Perry County, but it is evident that the area had some European permanent settlement prior to this. The seat of government and courts were originally located in a small town known as Harrisburg approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the current seat of Linden. The county seat was transferred to its current location in Linden in 1848, where the current courthouse stands today. Harrisburg no longer exists as a municipal entity or recognized location.

Perry County was severely impacted by the economic recession of 2008 and 2009. Unemployment reached 27%, making it the highest in the state of Tennessee, and one of the highest in the United States. The massive amount of unemployment was due to the closure of a major automotive parts plant that employed a significant portion of the county's residents.