Gainesboro is a town in Jackson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 962 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County.
Gainesboro is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.
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![]() Jackson County Courthouse in Gainesboro
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Location of Gainesboro, Tennessee |
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Coordinates: 36°21′35″N 85°39′17″W |
The Gainesboro vicinity was a popular destination for long hunters as early as the 1770s, as natural salt licks drew rich game to the area. In the 1790s,Avery's Trace passed nearby, with travellers along the road lodging at Fort Blount about 10 miles to the west. Gainesboro was named after General Edmund Pendleton Gaines (1777–1849). It has been the seat of Jackson County since 1820.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Gainesboro is located approximately 15 miles northwest of Cookeville and has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2), of which 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) are land and 0.3-square-mile (0.78 km2) (14.29%) is water.