Smithville is a town in
Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe:
* Monroe County, Alabama
*Monroe County, Arkansas
* Monroe County, Florida
* Monroe County, Georgia
*Monroe County, Illinois
*Monroe County, Indian ...
,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. The population was 509 at the
2020 census. Smithville is the birthplace of
Rod Brasfield
Rodney Leon Brasfield (August 22, 1910 – September 12, 1958) was an American comedian who was prominently featured on the Grand Ole Opry from 1947 until his death in 1958. In 1987, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Life and ...
, a member of the
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
.
History
Smithville is located on lands purchased from
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classified as ...
chief Che-lah-cha-chubby in 1836. The town is named for William Smith, an early settler who established a store at the site around 1840. The town was incorporated in 1845.
2011 tornado
On April 27, 2011, at approximately 3:45 p.m. CDT, an EF5 tornado struck the town with winds which were estimated to have peaked at .
[ A total of 16 people were killed, and 40 people were injured.][Public Information Statement]
29 April 2011, NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
-National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an Government agency, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weathe ...
Weather Forecast Office, Memphis, TN. Retrieved 1 May 2011 In total, 117 structures were destroyed and 50 more sustained major damage from the storm in Monroe County alone, before the tornado continued into Itawamba County. In Smithville, an SUV was lofted and thrown a half mile into the water tower, before being carried even further downwind. Other damage included the complete destruction of the city hall, post office, police station, and four churches, along with appliances and plumbing fixtures being shredded or ripped away from foundations and numerous granite tombstones being knocked down.
Geography
Smithville is located at (34.068605, -88.395486). The town is situated along the east bank of Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in northern Monroe County. The waterway's Glover Wilkins Lock is located just downstream. Mississippi Highway 25
Mississippi Highway 25 (MS 25) runs from Interstate 55, I-55 in Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi to the Tennessee state line north of Iuka, Mississippi, Iuka. The largely controlled-access part from Jackson to Starkville, Mississippi, St ...
traverses Smithville, connecting the town with Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
to the north and Amory to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (8.12%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 882 people, 365 households, and 243 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
602.1 people per square mile (233.2/km). There were 404 housing units at an average density of 275.8 per square mile (106.8/km). The racial makeup of the town is 97.62% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 1.59% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.11% Native American, 0.23% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.23% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 365 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who 65 years of age or older. The average household size 2.42 and the average family size 3.03.
In the town, the population spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town $32,583, and the median income for a family $38,750. Males had a median income of $30,294 versus $23,958 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town $14,030. About 7.1% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 18.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Town of Smithville is served by the Monroe County School District.
Sports
Smithville High School won two 1A football state championships in 1993 and 1998. The school previously vied for the title in 1989, losing to a Mt. Olive (MS) team quarterbacked by future NFL great Steve McNair
Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 – July 4, 2009),[Steve McNair Found Dead](_blank)
...
.
The Smithville High School softball team has won the 1A state championship in 2008, 2011, and 2012.
The Smithville High School Band has won two state Marching Championships.
References
External links
*
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Towns in Monroe County, Mississippi
Towns in Mississippi