Sparta, Tennessee
Sparta is a city of 4,939 people in White County, Tennessee, founded in 1809.
Why visit Sparta
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 1 park or trail, 14 places to eat and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Sparta Drive-in, Dibrell Mountain, Community Building and Sparta Rock House.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 28°F.
Weather in Sparta
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Sparta
Sparta is a city in and the county seat of White County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,001 in 2020.
From the Wikipedia article Sparta, Tennessee (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks4
Community Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
Listed on the NRHP in Tennessee
Sparta Rock House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.0 mi
Building in Tennessee, United States
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Sperry-Smith House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Historic house in Sparta, Tennessee, U.S.
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes14
Brothers Tavern
Restaurant · Regional · 0.8 mi
1 East Maple Street, Sparta
Tu-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00; Su 11:00-16:00
Yanni's Grille
Restaurant · Italian
19 South Spring Street, Sparta
We-Th 11:00-20:30; Fr-Sa 11:00-21:00; Su 11:00-15:00
Casa Luna
Restaurant · Pizza, Italian · 0.7 mi
184 Churchill Drive, Sparta
Mo-Sa 11:00-21:00
Frank's
Diner · American · 0.7 mi
194 Churchill Drive, Sparta
Su-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-22:00
Pizza Hut
Restaurant · Pizza · 1.0 mi
220 Mose Drive, Sparta
Mo-Su 11:00-22:00
Marioochi's Pizzeria
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.8 mi
Mo-We 14:00-20:00; Th-Sa 11:00-20:00
Arby's
Fast food · Sandwich · 0.8 mi
681 Roosevelt Drive, Sparta
Mo-We 09:30-23:00; Th-Sa 09:30-24:00; Su 09:30-23:00
CH Donuts
Fast food · Donut · 0.4 mi
154 East Bockman Way, Sparta
Tu-Fr 05:00-14:00; Sa 05:00-13:00; Su 06:00-12:00
2 more on the map.
History
Sparta was established in 1809 as a county seat for White County, which had been created in 1806. The city was named after the ancient Greek city-state Sparta.
Sparta nearly became the capital of the state of Tennessee, as, early in the history of Tennessee, the state legislature voted to choose a location for the permanent state capital. The final vote resulted in a near tie between Sparta and Nashville. Sparta lost to Nashville by one vote.
Sparta grew quickly due to its location along the stage road between Knoxville and Nashville. In the 1830s, brothers Barlow and Madison Fisk built the Sparta Rock House, which served as an inn along the stage road. The Rock House, strategically situated in an area where the Cumberland Plateau gives way to the Calfkiller valley, was a common stopover for figures important to the early history of the state, including Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston. The building is now a state historic site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sparta is notable as a place where two renowned airmen lost their lives. Hawthorne C. Gray, an aviation record holder, died in a balloon-basket mishap over Sparta in 1927, and Lansing Colton Holden Jr., a World War I flying ace, crashed his plane near Sparta in 1938.
From the History section of Sparta, Tennessee on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship8
West Sparta Church of Christ
Church · Church Of Christ · 0.4 mi
100 Hampton Drive, Sparta
Shopping4
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries10
Healthcare3
Map of Sparta
50 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°F | 28°F | 5.1 in | 1.5 in |
| Feb | 52°F | 30°F | 5.1 in | 2.5 in |
| Mar | 61°F | 37°F | 5.6 in | 0.5 in |
| Apr | 70°F | 45°F | 5.3 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 78°F | 54°F | 5.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 63°F | 5.5 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 67°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 87°F | 65°F | 4.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 82°F | 59°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 72°F | 46°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 60°F | 36°F | 4.5 in | 0.1 in |
| Dec | 51°F | 31°F | 6.0 in | 0.4 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Sparta Wastewater Plant (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
White County has had 9 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2026-02-06: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2026-01-24: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2025-04-02: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2023-05-17: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornado (Severe Storm)
- 2020-04-02: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Crossville Memorial Airport (CSV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 22 miles away.
- Cookeville 15 mi north, about 24 min by car
- Algood 18 mi north, about 30 min by car
- Baxter 18 mi northwest, about 28 min by car
- Monterey 19 mi northeast, about 30 min by car
- Smithville 20 mi west, about 32 min by car
- McMinnville 24 mi southwest, about 39 min by car
- Crossville 25 mi east, about 40 min by car
- Pikeville 27 mi southeast, about 44 min by car
- Livingston 32 mi north, about 52 min by car
- Fairfield Glade 34 mi east, about 55 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- White-county-courthouse-tn2, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
- Sparta caves entrance - panoramio (1), ernie2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sparta,TN caves - panoramio, ernie2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sparta caves entrance - panoramio, ernie2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sparta,TN caves - panoramio (1), ernie2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sparta caves entrance - panoramio (2), ernie2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Inside of sparta caves - panoramio, ernie2004, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Sparta-community-building-tn1, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
- Sparta-rock-house-tn3, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
- Sperry-smith-house-tn1, Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
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