Cannon

Formed January 31, 1836 (66^th county)

Cannon County (14,512), Woodbury (2,704)

The Colonial Revival red brick facility was constructed in 1935.  It is on a Public Square made up of Main, Tatum, Water, and Cannon streets.  United States Highway 70 South is Main Street.  George D. Waller is the architect.  The courthouse features a clock tower and veterans’ memorials.  There was an 1838 facility earlier in Woodbury, the only county seat.  The county was established on January 31, 1836 from parts of Rutherford, Smith, and Warren counties as the 66^th county.  Cannon County is named for Governor Newton Cannon.  The county seat is named for Secretary of the Navy Levi Woodbury. 

Cannon County government consists of a sheriff, a County Executive, and 10 Commissioners.  Three Circuit Court Judges, One Chancery Court Judge and One General Court Judge serve Cannon and Rutherford counties.  The county is in the central part of Tennessee.  Nashville, Tennessee is northwest and Chattanooga, Tennessee is southeast of the county.  The county center is 2.5 miles Southeast of Woodbury.  The county is surrounded clockwise by De Kalb, Warren, Coffee, Rutherford, and Wilson counties. 

The area of the county is 266 square miles.  It is 80 out of 95 in the state.  It ranks 79 out of 95 in population in the state.  It has a density of 54.6 persons per square mile making it 63 out of 95 in the state.  Cannon County has 20.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 70 South crosses through the county from east to west from Warren County to Rutherford County.  The county resembles a rocket.  Woodbury is located near the center of the county.  Woodbury is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.6% of the county population.  This county is in the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area.