Founded in 1846, the city's namesake is former United States Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Walker Gilmer. Gilmer is located on the Old Cherokee Trace, a trail used by the Cherokee Indians in their travels. To this day arrowheads and other Native American artifacts can be found with little to no digging. Sam Houston, when he lived with the Cherokee, travelled the Trace through here. The location of Gilmer was determined by a flood on Little Cypress Creek. First located near the creek, residents decided to change locations because of frequent floods. The historic Trail of Tears came through this region. On July 24, 1919, Chilton Jennings was arrested for assaulting a white woman. A mob of about 1000 white people stormed the jail and brought him out. Once outside a noose was placed around his neck and he was dragged several blocks before he was hung in the town square.
Geography
Gilmer is located at 32°43'57" North, 94°56'49" West. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.6 mi2, all of it land. Four miles west of Gilmer is Lake Gilmer, which opened September 29, 2001. Gilmer is part of a larger area known as the "Piney Woods". The city and the surrounding area boast a number of impressive specimens.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, 4,799 people, 1,926 households, and 1,300 families resided in the city. The population density was 1,038.5 people per square mile. The 2,214 housing units averaged 479.1 per mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 75.91% White, 20.23% African American, 0.35% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 4.42% of the population. Of the 1,926 households, 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were not families. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was distributed as 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,487, and for a family was $39,688. Males had a median income of $32,437 versus $17,910 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,823. About 15.9% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under the age of 18 and 21.0% of those 65 and older.
Notable people
In music
Don Henley, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and founding member of the Eagles
