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Sparta, Tennessee

Sparta is a city in and the county seat of White County,[5] Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,001 in 2020.[6]

Sparta, Tennessee

United States

6.72 sq mi (17.41 km2)

6.72 sq mi (17.41 km2)

0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)

919 ft (280 m)

4,998

743.42/sq mi (287.05/km2)

UTC-5 (CDT)

38583

47-70180[4]

1269179[2]

The Calfkiller River flows through the city. Seven sites in Sparta are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography[edit]

Sparta is located at 35°55′56″N 85°28′11″W / 35.93222°N 85.46972°W / 35.93222; -85.46972 (35.932335, -85.469837),[10] approximately fifteen miles south of Cookeville. The city is situated on the Highland Rim, near the western base of the Cumberland Plateau. The Calfkiller River traverses Sparta north-to-south en route to its confluence with the Caney Fork several miles to the south.


Sparta is traditionally concentrated around its courthouse square along U.S. Route 70 (signed locally as Bockman Way), which connects Sparta with Crossville to the east and Smithville to the west. State Route 111, which traverses the western part of Sparta, connects the city with Cookeville to the north and Spencer to the south. A modern commercial area has developed around the intersection of US 70 and SR 111. State Route 84 winds its away up the Calfkiller Valley, connecting Sparta with Monterey atop the Plateau to the northeast. U.S. Route 70S connects Sparta with McMinnville to the southwest.


The Upper Cumberland Regional Airport is 11 mi (18 km) north of Sparta.


According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2), all land.

U.S. Congressman[16]

Foster V. Brown

NFL coach[17]

David Culley

newspaperman and politician

John D. Defrees

Civil War general (Confederate) and U.S. Congressman[16]

George Gibbs Dibrell

bluegrass musician in the Foggy Mountain Boys

Lester Flatt

U.S. Congressman [18]

John C. Floyd

Missing teenagers

Erin Foster and Jeremy Bechtel

politician and judge who served in the Confederate States Congress and Tennessee House of Representatives; lived his adult life in Sparta[19]

Erasmus Lee Gardenhire

former player and head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team; grew up in Sparta[20]

Kellie Harper

bluegrass musician who invented the eight string fiddle[21]

Benny Martin

Major League Baseball pitcher

Ethan Roberts

Major League Baseball pitcher

Tom Rogers

U.S. Congressman; uncle of Henry C. Snodgrass[22]

Charles Edward Snodgrass

U.S. Congressman[23]

Henry C. Snodgrass

Major League Baseball pitcher[24]

Lefty Stewart

12th Governor of Texas and U.S. Congressman[25]

James W. Throckmorton

Major League Baseball outfielder

Earl Webb

City of Sparta - Official Website

Sparta - White County Chamber of Commerce

White County High School

White County Sheriff's Office

Sparta Expositor Official Site

White County Elections Office