Shelby, Mississippi

Shelby, Mississippi
City
Welcome sign
Nickname:  Smoke Town
Motto:  "City of Justice"
Location of Shelby, Mississippi
Shelby, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°56′57″N90°45′55″W / 33.94917°N 90.76528°W / 33.94917; -90.76528
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Bolivar
Government
• Mayor	Robert L. Scott
Area [1]
• Total	2.74 sq mi (7.10 km2)
• Land	2.73 sq mi (7.07 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	154 ft (47 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,021
• Density	740.02/sq mi (285.73/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38774
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-67040
GNIS feature ID	0677634
Website	cityofshelbyms.com

Shelby is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,229 at the 2010 census, ^[2] down from 2,926 in 2000. The town of Shelby was established in 1853 by Tom Shelby, who had purchased a block of land there from the federal government.

Geography

Shelby is located at 33°56′57″N90°45′55″W / 33.94917°N 90.76528°W / 33.94917; -90.76528 (33.949293, -90.765241). ^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.1 km²), of which 0.012 square miles (0.03 km²), or 0.39%, is water. ^[2]

The rear entrance of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in unincorporated Sunflower County is about 10 miles (16 km) east of Shelby, along Mississippi Highway 32. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	645		—
1920	1,300		101.6%
1930	1,811		39.3%
1940	1,956		8.0%
1950	2,148		9.8%
1960	2,384		11.0%
1970	2,645		10.9%
1980	2,540		−4.0%
1990	2,806		10.5%
2000	2,926		4.3%
2010	2,229		−23.8%
2020	2,021		−9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

2020 census

Shelby, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000 [6]	Pop 2010 [7]	Pop 2020 [8]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	232	105	63	7.93%	4.71%	3.12%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,652	2,103	1,911	90.64%	94.35%	94.56%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	2	0	1	0.07%	0.00%	0.05%
Asian alone (NH)	3	0	0	0.10%	0.00%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	0	4	0.00%	0.00%	0.20%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	8	4	25	0.27%	0.18%	1.24%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	29	17	17	0.99%	0.76%	0.84%
Total	2,926	2,229	2,021	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 2,021 people, 649 households, and 442 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, ^[9] there were 2,229 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 94.3% Black, 4.7% White and 0.2% from two or more races. 0.8% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census ^[10] of 2000, there were 2,926 people, 919 households, and 677 families living in the city. The population density was 1,079.5 inhabitants per square mile (416.8/km²). There were 963 housing units at an average density of 355.3 per square mile (137.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 7.93% White, 91.08% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.

There were 919 households, out of which 43.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.3% were married couples living together, 41.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 3.60.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 37.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 15.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $17,798, and the median income for a family was $20,368. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $19,554 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,567. About 39.9% of families and 44.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 56.5% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Shelby is served by the North Bolivar Consolidated School District, ^[11] formerly known as the North Bolivar School District until it consolidated in 2014. ^{[12] [13]}

Students are zoned to Brooks Elementary School (in Duncan), as it belonged to the pre-consolidation North Bolivar School District, ^[14] and Northside High School (the only secondary school in the district). ^[15]

Northside High opened in 2018 after Broad Street High School in Shelby consolidated into it. ^[16] Shelby Middle School closed in 2018. ^[17]

Notable people

• Walter Luzar "Choker" Campbell, musician
• Dorsett Terrell Davis, football player
• William S. Fischer, keyboardist, saxophonist, arranger, and composer ^[18]
• Erma Franklin, gospel and R&B singer, sister of the gospel and R&B singer Aretha Franklin ^[19]
• Hattie Littles, soul singer
• Sonny Boy Nelson, blues musician ^[20]
• Vera B. Rison, Michigan state legislator
• Mississippi Slim, blues musician
• Delbert Tibbs, writer and anti-death penalty activist ^[21]
• Henry Townsend, blues singer most associated with St. Louis, Missouri, on the St. Louis Walk of Fame and a Mississippi Blues Trail marker ^[22]
• Gerald Wilson, jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger

References

• Mississippi portal

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Shelby city, Mississippi". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. Cross, Robert."A prison's family plan." Chicago Tribune . October 2, 1985. D1. Retrieved on September 23, 2010. "Ten miles east of Shelby, the sprightly cotton fields along Miss. Hwy. 32 begin to recede, and parched weeds on the shoulder squeeze the road down to a single lane of potholes. Highway 32 continues for a few more yards. Then a steel barricade, flanked by a guard tower, cuts it off."
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Shelby city, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau .
7. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Shelby city, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau .
8. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Shelby city, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau .
9. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved October 14, 2016.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bolivar County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
12. "School District Consolidation in Mississippi Archived 2017-07-02 at the Wayback Machine ." Mississippi Professional Educators. December 2016. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. Page 2 (PDF p. 3/6).
13. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Bolivar County, MS." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 25, 2018. Note that the map is from 2010; the Mound Bayou and North Bolivar districts merged in 2014. This map shows Shelby was in the pre-merger North Bolivar district.
14. "Home". North Bolivar School District. November 12, 2005. Archived from the original on November 12, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
15. "North Bolivar Consolidated School District". Nbcsd.k12.ms.us.
16. "Students staying home to protest high school consolidation". The Clarion Ledger . Associated Press. August 23, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
17. Davis Betz, Kelsey (January 24, 2018). "Mound Bayou school one of two in Delta to close as enrollment, funds dwindle". Mississippi Today . Retrieved May 12, 2021.
18. Woodwind Music of Black Composers. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1990. p. 21. ISBN   978-0-313-27265-3.
19. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 490. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
20. "EUGENE POWELL/Sonny Boy Nelson". Thebluestrail.com.
21. Weber, Bruce (December 7, 2013). "Delbert Tibbs, Who Left Death Row and Fought Against It, Dies at 74". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
22. "Henry Townsend - Shelby". Msbluestrail.org. December 4, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2010.

External links

• City of Shelby official website