Senatobia, Mississippi

Senatobia, Mississippi
City
Motto:  The Five Star City
Location of Senatobia, Mississippi
Senatobia, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 34°36′59″N89°58′10″W / 34.61639°N 89.96944°W / 34.61639; -89.96944
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Tate
Chartered	1860
Government
• Mayor	Greg Graves
Area [1]
• Total	15.64 sq mi (40.51 km2)
• Land	15.56 sq mi (40.30 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation	289 ft (88 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,354
• Density	536.96/sq mi (207.32/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38668
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-66440
GNIS feature ID	0677513
Highways
Website	http://www.cityofsenatobia.com

Senatobia is a city in and the county seat of Tate County, Mississippi, United States, ^[2] and is the 16th largest municipality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area. The population was 8,165 at the 2010 census. Senatobia is home to Northwest Mississippi Community College, a state community college providing two-year academic and technical degree programs. Also located in Senatobia is the Baddour Center, a residential care facility for intellectually disabled adults.

History

On April 13, 1834, early settler James Peters purchased two sections of land from the Chickasaw Nation for the sum of $1.25 per acre. This land was later developed as the town of Senatobia. The community took its name from Senatobia Creek. ^[3]

The Downtown Senatobia Historic District, the core of Senatobia's central business district developed in 1856 after the opening of the Tennessee and Mississippi Railroad. ^[4] Two nearby settlements, Tatumsville and Tatesville were both abandoned, with those populations moving to Senatobia in favor of easier transportation. ^[4]

Senatobia received its charter as a municipality in 1860. During the Civil War, the town's business section was burned twice by Federal troops. Tate County was organized in 1873, during the Reconstruction era, with Senatobia becoming the county seat in 1873 for the newly formed county.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.8 square miles (28 km²), of which 10.8 square miles (28 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.28%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	935		—
1890	1,077		15.2%
1900	1,156		7.3%
1910	1,275		10.3%
1920	1,126		−11.7%
1930	1,264		12.3%
1940	1,757		39.0%
1950	2,108		20.0%
1960	3,259		54.6%
1970	4,247		30.3%
1980	5,013		18.0%
1990	4,772		−4.8%
2000	6,682		40.0%
2010	8,165		22.2%
2020	8,354		2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

2020 census

Senatobia Racial Composition ^[6]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	4,467	53.47%
Black or African American	3,367	40.3%
Native American	10	0.12%
Asian	31	0.37%
Other/Mixed	255	3.05%
Hispanic or Latino	224	2.68%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 8,354 people, 2,470 households, and 1,639 families residing in the city.

2010 and 2000 censuses

As of the census ^[7] of 2010, there were 8,165 people, 2,554 households, and 1,826 families residing in the city, up from 6,682 people, 2,137 households, and 1,498 families recorded in the census of 2000. The population density was 621.7 inhabitants per square mile (240.0/km²). There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of 208.3 per square mile (80.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.1% non-Hispanic White, 35.0% non-Hispanic African American, 2.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 1.6% in other racial/ethnic categories. In the 2000 census, the distribution had been 68.03% White, 30.51% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races, while Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.

There were 2,137 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 20.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,698, and the median income for a family was $43,088. Males had a median income of $34,022 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,434. About 13.0% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Senatobia is served by the Senatobia Municipal School District and Magnolia Heights School.

In popular culture

The Client (1994) and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) were partially filmed in Senatobia.^{[ citation needed ]}

Notable people

• JoJo Billingsley (1952–2010), rock and roll vocalist
• Aron Burton (1938–2016), blues bass guitarist ^[8]
• William J. East (1854–1933), Mississippi state legislator ^[9]
• James "Kamala" Harris (1950–2020), wrestler ^[10]
• Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), an American actor, with conflicted stories about his hometown ^[11]
• O. B. McClinton (1940–1987), country and R&B singer/songwriter
• Dan A. Sullivan, Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Jonesboro, Arkansas; former Senatobia resident.
• Elise Varner Winter (1926–2021), First Lady of Mississippi ^[12]
• Sid Hemphill (1876-1963), bandleader ^[13]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 91. ISBN   978-1-60473-483-6.
4. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Downtown Senatobia Historic District". National Park Service . Retrieved May 14, 2023. With accompanying pictures
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2003). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 89. ISBN   978-0-87930-736-3.
9. Rowland, Dunbar (1908). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. pp. 1019–1020.
10. Traub, Alex (August 12, 2020). "James Harris, Towering Wrestler Known as Kamala, Dies at 70". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 2, 2023.
11. Stearns, David Patrick (December 1, 2006). "Robert Earl Jones: US actor rooted in the Harlem renaissance". The Guardian . London. Retrieved January 26, 2007.
12. Today, Mississippi (July 18, 2021). "Elise Varner Winter, former first lady and community activist, dies at 95". Mississippi Today.
13. "Senatobia I 9/59". archive.culturalequity.org. Retrieved October 6, 2023.

External links

• Official website