Snow Lake Shores is a town in
Benton County,
Mississippi, United States. The population was 319 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Snow Lake Shores is located at (34.823963, -89.241555)
along
Mississippi Highway 4
Mississippi Highway 4 (MS 4) runs east–west from an intersection in the community of Fox Island west of Tunica, Mississippi, near the border with Arkansas, to MS 25 in Tishomingo County, Mississippi. It travels a distance of , serving Tun ...
in west-central Benton County, approximately west of
Ashland and northeast of
Holly Springs.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 24.13%, is water.
The town consists of homes built around Snow Lake, an impoundment on Big Snow Creek, a tributary of the
Tippah River
Tippah River is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is a tributary of the Tallahatchie River.
''Tippah'' is a name derived from the Choctaw language
The Choctaw language (Choctaw: ), spoken by the Choctaw, an Indigenous people of th ...
and ultimately the
Tallahatchie River.
History
The first
Anglo settlers in the area were John M. Ferrell and his wife, who moved from
Tennessee to a site west of present-day Snow Lake Shores in 1839. One of their ten children, Emaline, married an Englishman – Joe Shone. They built a house two miles east of the Ferrell homestead that became known as Shone's Pond.
The area around Shone's Pond consisted mostly of marsh and cypress swamps. The names Shone's Mill and Shone's Mill Pond were sometimes applied to the area in its early years.
In 1947,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
er Walter Utley moved to neighboring
Marshall County with plans to build a resort-style development in the area. Big Snow Creek with its three forks looked to be a good prospect. Around 1956, a partnership of three men – including Utley – organized to develop a residential subdivision that became known as Snow Lake Shores. In 1957,
Big Snow Lake
Big Snow Lake is a freshwater lake located on the northern slope of Big Snow Mountain, west of Dutch Miller Gap, in King County, Washington. Big Snow Lake shares the ridge with Snowflake Lake and is a short distance from Myrtle Lake, to the West ...
was created by building a dam on a local stream.
Snow Lake Shores was established in 1958 as a private, restricted resort community.
It was marketed as a safe, family-friendly place for people to both vacation and live year-round. A volunteer fire department was created in 1974.
After 38 years of existence, Snow Lake Shores was incorporated as a town in 1996.
Incorporation meant that the town would be eligible to receive grants for paving roads and installing a new water system.
Eddie Koen was appointed as the first mayor of Snow Lake Shores along with five aldermen who served as the new town's governing body until municipal elections were held in October 1996.
Although the permanent resident population of Snow Lake Shores stands at around 300, that figure can grow to over 900 during the summer months as seasonal residents and vacationers come to the community.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 306 people, 192 households, and 98 families residing in the town.
2000 census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 300 people, 147 households, and 105 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 297 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.00%
White, 2.00%
African American, 0.67% from
other races, and 0.33% from two or more races.
Hispanic 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 1.33% of the population.
There were 147 households, out of which 12.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.39.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 10.0% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 40.3% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,625, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $28,250 versus $20,556 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $19,603. About 6.8% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 19.2% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.
Education
Snow Lake Shores is served by the
Benton County School District.
References
External links
Town of Snow Lake Shores official website
{{authority control
Towns in Benton County, Mississippi
Towns in Mississippi