Coffee

Formed January 8, 1836 (65^th county)

Coffee County (57,882), Manchester (12,208), Tullahoma (20,335)

The red brick Modern Justice Center was constructed as a school in 1981 at Hillsboro and Ramsey streets.  United States Highway 41 is Hillsboro Street.  The architect is unknown.  There were 1837 and 1871 courthouses also in Manchester, the only county seat.  The 1837 courthouse still functions on the square at Main, Spring, Fort, and Irwin streets.  It is constructed of light brown bricks.  A fountain and veterans’ memorials are on the grounds and the facility has a tower.  The architect is unknown.  The county was established on January 8, 1836 from parts of Bedford, Warren, and Franklin counties as the 65^th county.  Coffee County is named for War of 1812 General John Coffee.  The county seat is named for Manchester, England. 

Coffee County government consists of a sheriff, a County Mayor, and 21 Commissioners.  Two Circuit Court Judges, One Chancery Court Judge, and Two General Court Judges serve Coffee County.  The county is in southern Tennessee.  Chattanooga, Tennessee is southeast and Nashville, Tennessee is northwest of the county.  The county center is in Manchester 2.6 miles Northeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Cannon, Warren, Grundy, Franklin, Moore, Bedford, and Rutherford counties. 

The area of the county is 429 square miles.  It is 54 out of 95 in the state.  It ranks 24 out of 95 in population in the state.  It has a density of 134.9 persons per square mile making it 26 out of 95 in the state.  Coffee County has 53.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 24 crosses the county from northwest to southeast from Bedford County to Grundy County.  United States Highway 41 parallels Interstate Highway 24 from Bedford to Grundy counties.  United States Highway 41 Alternate cuts the southwest corner from Bedford County, southwest, to Franklin County, south.  The county resembles an upside down ice cream cone.  Manchester is located in the southern third of the county.  Tullahoma is on the southwest border of the county and extends into Franklin County.  Manchester is the county seat and Tullahoma is the largest city.  Manchester is 21.1% of the county population while Tullahoma is 35.1% of the county population.  This county is in the Tullahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area.