Macon County is a county in Tennessee, United States, on the Kentucky state line in the northeastern Highland Rim. It had a population of 25,216 at the 2020 census and covers 307 square miles (800 km2) centred near 36°32′N 86°01′W.
Lafayette is the county seat, and its postal code is 37083. The county has two incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities, and sits in the Central time zone. Macon County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metropolitan area.
Towns & Villages in Macon County
Macon County has two incorporated cities — Lafayette, the seat, and the historic springs town of Red Boiling Springs — plus a scatter of unincorporated crossroads communities across its hilly, hollow-cut terrain. None of the unincorporated places has its own ZIP code; residents there use one of the county’s two post offices, at Lafayette or Red Boiling Springs.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette | City · seat | 5,584 | 37083 |
| Red Boiling Springs | City | 1,205 | 37150 |
| Beech Bottom | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beech Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hillsdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Siloam | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Webbtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Willette | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Bluff | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cross Roads | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Enon | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gap of the Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Green Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Greenwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gum Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Long Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Maple Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Harmony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Zion | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Oakdale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Prosperity | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sunrise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sycamore Valley | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Walnut Shade | Unincorp. | — | — |
| White Oak | Unincorp. | — | — |
The old list carried several near-duplicate spellings and unmapped names, dropped here: Hayesville (duplicate of Haysville, itself unmapped), Barefoot, Brattontown, Browns, Cross Lanes, Days Crossroads, Drapers Crossroads, Eulia, Frog Pond, Galen, Gibbs Crossroads, Goose Horn, Green Valley, Horsleys, Kirby, Meadorville, Mill Town, Olio, Pumpkintown, Rocky Mound, Russell Hill, Smith Chapel, Spivey, Underwood, Williams, Winklers Crossroads and Wixtown — none of these could be independently confirmed as current place names, so they are omitted rather than guessed at.
ZIP Codes
- 37083 — Lafayette (also serves most of the county’s unincorporated northern and central communities)
- 37150 — Red Boiling Springs (also serves the county’s southeastern communities)
Macon County is served by just these two ZIP codes, both centred on its two incorporated towns.
Geography
Macon County sits in the northeastern Highland Rim, a rugged, hilly landscape cut by creek hollows rather than the flatter basin land found closer to Nashville. The county is entirely land except for a sliver of water (0.1 square miles); its main watercourses are Long Creek and Peyton Creek, tributaries of the Cumberland River system to the south.
Macon County borders Allen County, Kentucky and Monroe County, Kentucky to the north, Clay County to the east (unlinked, ambiguous slug), Jackson County to the southeast, Smith County to the south, Trousdale County to the southwest, and Sumner County to the west.
Demographics
Macon County had a population of 25,216 at the 2020 census, up from earlier decades. Its two largest communities are Lafayette (5,584) and Red Boiling Springs (1,205), together home to about a quarter of the county’s residents; the rest live across the unincorporated countryside. Median household income runs below the Tennessee median of $67,631, reflecting the county’s rural, agricultural economic base. Population density is roughly 82 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, particularly tobacco and cattle farming, has long anchored Macon County’s economy alongside small manufacturing and healthcare and retail jobs centred in Lafayette. Red Boiling Springs, once a nationally known mineral-springs resort town in the 1920s and 1930s, still draws visitors to its restored spring hotels and hosts an annual Folk Medicine Festival celebrating that heritage.
History
Macon County was organized in 1842 from parts of Smith and Sumner counties and named for Nathaniel Macon, a Revolutionary War veteran and United States senator from North Carolina. Unlike most of its Middle Tennessee neighbors, Macon County was pro-Union sentiment territory and voted against secession ahead of the Civil War.
Getting There
State Routes 52 and 10 are the county’s main highways, connecting Lafayette to the surrounding region.
- Nashville — 55 miles southwest
- Gallatin — 30 miles west
- Cookeville — 40 miles southeast
- Bowling Green, Kentucky — 35 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Nashville International Airport (BNA).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Macon County, Tennessee?
It is in the northeastern Highland Rim of Middle Tennessee, on the Kentucky state line north of Nashville.
What is the population of Macon County?
25,216 as of the 2020 census.
How big is Macon County?
307 square miles (800 km2), almost entirely land.
What is the county seat of Macon County?
Lafayette is the county seat.
How many towns are in Macon County?
Two incorporated cities, Lafayette and Red Boiling Springs, plus numerous unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Macon County?
37083 (Lafayette) and 37150 (Red Boiling Springs).
What was Red Boiling Springs known for?
It was a nationally known mineral-springs health resort in the 1920s and 1930s and still hosts an annual Folk Medicine Festival.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Tennessee.