Shannon, Mississippi
| Shannon, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Motto: Where good neighbors aren't hard to find | |
 Location of Shannon, Mississippi | |
  Shannon, Mississippi Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 34°7′1″N 88°42′5″W / 34.11694°N 88.70139°WCoordinates: 34°7′1″N 88°42′5″W / 34.11694°N 88.70139°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Lee |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ronnie Hallmark |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.1 sq mi (10.6 km2) |
| • Land | 4.1 sq mi (10.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 256 ft (78 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,753 |
| • Density | 430/sq mi (170/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 38868 |
| Area code(s) | 662 |
| FIPS code | 28-66720 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0677612 |
Shannon is a town in Lee County, Mississippi. The population was 1,753 at the 2010 Census.
Shannon is located on Mississippi Highway 145, west of U.S. Route 45. Chiwapa Creek flows south of the town.
History
The town is named for Samuel Shannon, who purchased land at that location from Chickasaw Chief Itawamba in the early 1800s, then built a cabin and a farm. More settlers arrived following the Treaty of Pontotoc, which ceding Chickasaw land in exchange for financial compensation.[2]
In the early 1800s, Constantine Shannon brought strawberry plants from Shannon to Plant City, Florida, enabling the creation of a multimillion-dollar industry in Plant City.[3]
A church was established in 1839.[2]
The original townsite was north of the present location, and was moved when the Mobile and Ohio Railroad was constructed through the community in the 1850s. Shannon was incorporated in 1860 and a post office was established. Shannon was originally part of Itawamba County, but became part of Lee county after that county formed in 1866.[2]
Commerce expanded in Shannon, and there was a corn elevator, grain elevator, and three cotton gins. Around 1915, Coca-Cola was bottled in Shannon.[2]
The old Francis Store, one of the town's original buildings, is now a restaurant owned by the Town of Shannon.[2]
Gay bar controversy
From 1998 until 2007, Shannon was home to Rumors, the gay bar featured in the Kevin Smith/Malcolm Ingram film Small Town Gay Bar.[4] In 2013, after a hiatus, local businesspeople tried to reopen the bar. The town refused. This refusal led to a lawsuit claiming the town had refused the application out of concern of having a gay bar in its jurisdiction.[5]
A message on the town's website reads: "we take pride in being on the quiet side of county with our relaxed country living where traditions of family, faith, and brotherly love make up who we are today."[6]
Geography
Shannon is located at 34°7′1″N 88°42′5″W / 34.11694°N 88.70139°W (34.116826, -88.701520).[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 232 | — | |
| 1890 | 329 | 41.8% | |
| 1900 | 434 | 31.9% | |
| 1910 | 564 | 30.0% | |
| 1920 | 498 | −11.7% | |
| 1930 | 524 | 5.2% | |
| 1940 | 615 | 17.4% | |
| 1950 | 520 | −15.4% | |
| 1960 | 554 | 6.5% | |
| 1970 | 575 | 3.8% | |
| 1980 | 680 | 18.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,419 | 108.7% | |
| 2000 | 1,657 | 16.8% | |
| 2010 | 1,753 | 5.8% | |
| Est. 2014 | 1,772 | [8] | 1.1% |
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 1,657 people, 632 households, and 437 families residing in the town. The population density was 403.5 people per square mile (155.7/km²). There were 691 housing units at an average density of 168.3 per square mile (64.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 44.42% White, 54.19% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.84% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.57% of the population.
There were 632 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 23.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.0% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $29,773, and the median income for a family was $30,848. Males had a median income of $25,313 versus $20,149 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,592. About 16.3% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 21.4% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
In 2005, General Atomics opened a $38 million manufacturing and test facility in Shannon. Much of the work at the facility is for the U.S. Navy, including advanced launch and recovery systems for aircraft carriers.[11]
The Natchez Trace Parkway RV Park is located in Shannon.[12]
Education
The Town of Shannon is served by the Lee County School District.
Notable people
- Cousins Bertha Barbee and Norma Barbee of The Velvelettes were born in Shannon.[13]
- Guy Bush, professional baseball player; retired to Shannon.[14]
- George Washington Forbes, co-founder of the Boston Guardian.[15]
References
- ↑ "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Shannon". Town of Shannon. Retrieved March 2014.
- ↑ Plant City. Arcadia. 2005.
- ↑ "How An 'Anti-Gay' Mississippi Town Stopped A Gay Bar From Opening". Huffington Post. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
- ↑ Mississippi Town Rejected Gay Bar Out Of Bias, Lawsuit Alleges, by Lila Shapiro, HuffingtonPost, 1 October 2013,
- ↑ "Welcome to Shannon". Town of Shannon. Retrieved March 2014.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Tupelo, Miss. Manufacturing Plant". General Atomics. Retrieved March 2014.
- ↑ "Natchez Trace Parkway RV Park". Visit Mississippi. Retrieved March 2014.
- ↑ Dahl, Bill (2011). Motown: The Golden Years: More than 100 Rare Photographs. Krause Publications.
- ↑ Wolf, Gregory H. "Guy Bush". SABR. Retrieved March 2014.
- ↑ Albrigh, Evan J. "A Slice of History". Amherst Magazine. Retrieved March 2014.
External links
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