We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in Tennessee.
The city in Tennessee with the most number of Klaverns was Chattanooga with 5 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Estill Springs with 0.0005 Klaverns. There were historically 27 Klaverns in Tennessee, across 20 places in Tennessee with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in Tennessee based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in Tennessee
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in Tennessee
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in Tennessee
Harrison is a census-designated place in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,769 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan area. Harrison Bay State Park, the Hamilton County Landfill, Bear Trace Golf Course, a course designed by Jack Nicklaus, and Skull Island, a recreational area owned by TVA, are all located in Harrison.
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in Tennessee
Located in
Giles County, Tennessee
Pulaski is a city and county seat of Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census.It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Puaski. It is home to Martin Methodist College.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in Tennessee
Lenoir City is a city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,418 at the 2000 census and the population rose to 8,642 as of 2010. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area in the state’s eastern region, along the Tennessee River southwest of Knoxville. Fort Loudoun Dam is nearby.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in Tennessee
Located in
Henry County, Tennessee
Paris is a city in Henry County, Tennessee, 86 miles northwest of Nashville, on a fork of the West Sandy River and the Tennessee River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 10,156. It is the county seat of Henry County.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in Tennessee
Located in
Warren County, Tennessee
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in Tennessee
Located in
Dyer County, Tennessee
Dyersburg is a city and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, in the United States. It is located in northwest Tennessee, 79 miles northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 17,145 at the 2010 census. Dyersburg and Dyer County offer many amenities including quality schools, a low crime rate, moderate climate, low cost of living, and close proximity to area recreation. Dyersburg is a regional retail, medical, employment and cultural center for more than 300,000 people who live in Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in Tennessee
Located in
Franklin County, Tennessee
Tullahoma is a city in Coffee and Franklin counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 18,655 at the 2010 census. In 2014 the population was estimated to be 18,899. It is the principal city of the Tullahoma micropolitan area, which consists of Coffee, Franklin, and Moore counties and is the second largest micropolitan area in Tennessee.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in Tennessee
Located in
Bradley County, Tennessee
Cleveland is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,285 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Bradley County, and the principal city of the Cleveland, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Chattanooga-Cleveland-Dalton combined statistical area. Cleveland is the fourteenth largest city in Tennessee and the fifth-largest industrially with thirteen Fortune 500 manufacturers.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Tennessee’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Tennessee’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Volunteer State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In Tennessee
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estill Springs | 2,120 | 1 | 47 |
| 2 | Medina | 3,852 | 1 | 26 |
| 3 | Harrison | 7,595 | 1 | 13 |
| 4 | Pulaski | 7,734 | 1 | 13 |
| 5 | Lenoir City | 8,867 | 1 | 11 |
| 6 | Paris | 10,165 | 1 | 10 |
| 7 | McMinnville | 13,600 | 1 | 7 |
| 8 | Dyersburg | 16,998 | 1 | 6 |
| 9 | Tullahoma | 18,900 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | Cleveland | 42,331 | 2 | 5 |
| 11 | Bristol | 26,705 | 1 | 4 |
| 12 | Chattanooga | 171,863 | 5 | 3 |
| 13 | Columbia | 35,207 | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | Collierville | 46,780 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Kingsport | 52,835 | 1 | 2 |
| 16 | Jackson | 67,190 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Murfreesboro | 114,660 | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Knoxville | 181,759 | 1 | 1 |
| 19 | Memphis | 656,715 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | Nashville | 624,261 | 1 | 0 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 20 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In Tennessee
When you’re looking at the places in Tennessee with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in Tennessee with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Estill Springs, Medina, Harrison, Pulaski, Lenoir City, Paris, McMinnville, Dyersburg, Tullahoma, and Cleveland.
