Lake Conditions:  Fair - 30° / Lake Temperature  58° - 356.37'
Lynnhurst
Lynnhurst
Lynnhurst

Camden, Tennessee Community Profile

Including Big Sandy, Eva & Birdsong Creek

Our Camden, Tennessee Area section of ExploreKentuckyLake.com covers the city of Camden, Big Sandy, Eva, Holladay and Birdsong Creek.

Camden is a town of about 3,600 people located about five minutes from Kentucky Lake.  Nearby you will also find Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park and Natchez Trace State Park. 

A Closer Look at Benton County, Tennessee

Transportation

Major highways in Benton County include Interstate 40, U.S. 70, U.S. 641 and State Highway 69. The Benton County Airport services the Big Sandy Area although no passenger airlines operate at this airport. The nearest passenger service is in Nashville. The Benton County airport is located south of Camden off US 641 at 275 Airport Drive. 

Demographics

Benton County is situated on the western shore of Kentucky Lake and consists of 436 square miles.  The population as of 2013 was 16,290.  Benton County has two incorporated cities, Camden, which is the county seat, and Big Sandy.  Other populated places include Holladay and Eva, which is located on the banks of Kentucky Lake and is home of the Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. 

The economy of Benton County is a mix of agriculture and tourism.

Education & Healthcare

Benton County School District serves nearly 2500 students with eight different schools serving pre-K through 12th grade.

Big Sandy School is K-12 with 334 students.  Holladay Elementary is PK-8.  Camden Elementary School is PK-2 with Briarwood in Camden being 3-5.  Camden Junior High is 6-8 and Camden Central High School is 9-12.

Camden General Hospital is a 25-bed community hospital serving primary and acute care patients. The hospital features emergency medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, lab, skilled nursing facility and much more.

Government

The Benton County Government is governed by a County Mayor and county commissioners.  They meet on the third Tuesday of each month usually at 6:00 p.m. at the Benton County Courthouse.

The courthouse is located at 1 Court Square in Camden.

Camden, Tennessee is the county seat and one of two incorporated cities in Benton County.  The city is governed by a mayor and five alderman.  They meet on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at Camden City Hall. 

The city of Big Sandy is located on the Big Sandy River in northern Benton County.  This small town is governed by a mayor and city alderman.