Atoka () is a

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

area with a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

Tipton County, Tennessee Tipton County is a County (United States), county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covingt ...

, United States. In 1888, Atoka was a stop on the Newport News & Mississippi Valley Railroad. Today the

City of New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

makes its daily route between New Orleans and Chicago, through Atoka. The population was 10,008 at the 2020 census, making the Town of Atoka the largest municipality in Tipton County. Historians and genealogists can trace the Town of Atoka's origins back to the 1838 charter of Portersville. Atoka adopted Portersville's charter as its own.

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient Sgt. Joseph B. Adkison lived in Atoka, and he is buried nearby. Five public parks exist within the town limits. The town has grown significantly since the 1990 census, at which time the population was only 659. Covington, the county seat, has the second largest population.

History

Origins

From the fiftieth anniversary of the ''Covington Leader'', 1886 to 1936:

The trading center for the Atoka area before the rise of the town was Portersville...
With the coming of the railroad in 1872 and opening of stores in Atoka, there grew up an intense rivalry between the two towns, but Atoka's advantage of the railroad proved to be too much, and Portersville gradually died out. Today not a store or store building remains in Portersville and it passes into history...

A peek into the life of John McLaughlin, a citizen of both towns, gives us some idea of what Portersville and Atoka were like:

Our subject received a collegiate education at Bellenyna College, Ireland and in 1852 came to America, landing at Charleston, S. C.; then immediately went to Chester, S. C., and spent three years learning the carriage-maker's trade, when he moved to Aberdeen, Miss., and established a factory of his own, and three years later moved to Portersville, Tipton County, and continued the business five years, then went into merchandising and farming, selling goods at Portersville two years, then moved to Atoka and continued the mercantile business over ten years, and since that time has given his attention exclusively to farming and running a steam cotton-gin, which he owns.

Atoka and Portersville in Tennessee, U.S.A.

:June 1, 1796 - The

Southwest Territory The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory or the old Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was ...

was admitted as the 16th state,

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. United States 1837-03-1838.png, alt=Map of the states and territories of the United States as it was from March 1837 to 1838., January 17, 1838 - Portersville incorporated. United States 1868-1876.png, alt=United States 1868-1876, March 24, 1875 - name of Portersville changed to Atoka. United States 1876-1884.png, alt= United States 1876-1884, March 19, 1883 - corporation of the town of Atoka repealed. :1911 - Atoka was reincorporated.

Railroad

If the dates are taken into account, "the coming of the railroad in 1872" and "the name of Portersville changed to Atoka in 1875". These two locations, Portersville and Atoka, existed simultaneously. The railroad came to Atoka first. Then the town of Atoka was incorporated. Atoka was an unincorporated location long before it was a chartered town. 1859c-Portersville.PNG, Map published c1859. Shows Porterville on Shelby and Tipton County Lines. Portersville charter was adopted by Atoka in 1875. 1872-Portersville.PNG, Map published 1872. Shows Portersville in Tipton County. 1876-GapBetweenCovington&Dyersburg.jpg, Map published in 1876. Shows gap between Covington and Dyersburg railroad connections. 1888 c1882-NewportNew&MississippiValleyRailroad.jpg, Map published in 1888. Shows Newport News & Mississippi Valley Railroad running through Tipton and Lauderdale Counties in Tennessee. 1893c-enlarged-Atoka.PNG, Map published in c1893, shows Atoka in

United States Postal Service, Rural Free Delivery in Atoka

The official stance of the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

, according to an article published by the Historian of the United States Postal Service in April 2008, is that Atoka was the first

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

with rural free delivery in

starting on January 11, 1897. But according to an article in Tipton County's local newspaper, published in 1936:

ATOKA ROUTE ONE IS THIRD IN UNITED STATES The first rural route established in the South and the third established in the United States was set up at Atoka in 1895. At that time the United States Post Office Department was experimenting with rural routes. They established one in the North, one in the East, and one in the South at Atoka... The first route, which was Atoka Route 1, was 16½ miles long... Route 1 was later combined with route 2, which covers the territory from Atoka to the Mississippi River.

Another article from 1936 describes more about the post office:

Atoka's first postmaster was D. Bowden. With the development of the United States' splendid rural delivery system in her post office department, the Atoka post office grew in importance. Today there are two rural routes reaching out from the town, serving that section from the Mississippi river on the west to Salem on the east. All mail for Munford, Drummonds, Richardson's Landing, Randolph and other communities passes through the post office at Atoka, whose postmaster is E. M. Quisenberry and whose rural carriers are J. E. McQuiston and R. S. McDill.

Town charter

June 24, 1911 - Atoka reincorporated 1911 Charter with amendments from 2006, 1977, 1973, and 1969. August 17, 2012 - AN ACT to amend Chapter 373, of the Private Acts of 1911. Current Charter Information - Town of Atoka, Tennessee.

Current zip code data for Atoka, Tennessee is 38004

The zip code for Atoka, Tennessee, is 38004. The current area of the Atoka 38004 is shown in th
Zip Code Data Maps

Parks, greenway, and recreational facilities in Town of Atoka

Atoka has five city parks: Adkison Park, Atoka Greenway Trail, Nancy Lane Park, Pioneer Park, and Walker Park. Each park has its own history and distinctive recreational facilities.

Adkison Park

Atoka's first park, Adkison Park, was established as a project for the Tennessee Homecoming '86 celebration. It is just over an acre in size. It has a 1/8th mile asphalt lighted walking track, a playground feature shaped like a train, picnic tables, benches, and a memorial plaza area. The memorial plaza area is a memorial area dedicated to the memory of Seargent Joseph B. Adkison. The Bobby McDill Scout Hut, home base of

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

Troop 60 of Atoka, is located within Adkison Park.

Atoka Greenway Trail

The Atoka Greenway Trail is a planned connection between Walker Park and Pioneer Park. "On June 25, 2013, Governor Bill Haslam announced that Atoka had received a $400,000 Transportation Alternatives grant to fund Phase I of the Atoka Greenway Trail project."

Nancy Lane Park

Nancy Lane Park is nearly 42 acres in size. It is named in honor of long-time Atoka resident, Alderman, and dedicated park supporter Nancy Lane. It has a full size caboose, a wooded nature trail, a large playground, pavilions, picnic tables, an 18-hole disc golf course, a 4 diamond softball complex with a concession stand, and restrooms. Nancy Lane Park is the home of the Atoka Dixie Youth Softball program and served as host for the 2014 Dixie Youth Softball World Series. Nancy Lane Park also holds cross country races under WTAC during the late summer. These races in 2023 were occupied by Lakeland XC, Brighton XC, Crest View XC, and Mumford XC. 2023 VARSITY BOYS winner Gabe Russel from Lakeland, JV boys winner Colin Freeman.

Pioneer Park

Pioneer Park is more than 6.5 acres. It has a 1/3 mile lighted walking track, a playground, picnic tables, and a fishing pond with a fountain. "A nearly 2 acre pond with fountain feature is the central focus of the park, with the walking trail ringing the pond."

Walker Park

Walker Park is more than 60 acres. It is named in honor of long-time Mayor Charles Walker. It has restrooms, a 1.15 mile walking track, a playground, pavilions, picnic tables, concession stand, splash pad, lighted athletic field, and sand volleyball courts.

Legal planning area of Town of Atoka

In the unincorporated area to the East of the city limits, the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and code enforcement office of the Town of Atoka has a certain amount

planning permission Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to buil ...

control over th
planning area

Transportation routes

Railroad

The

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...

is the current railroad company that owns the rails going through Atoka. This railroad runs from

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, U.S.A., to

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, U.S.A., and into

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The

, an

passenger

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

, still makes one trip to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and another trip back to New Orleans each day, through Atoka. The previous railway owner was

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

. To visitors, the railroad in Atoka may seem inactive, but the rail system is busy with regular traffic in 2019.

Highways

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south–north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Hi ...

passes through the western edge of the Town of Atoka, from Shelby County to the south and the town of

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

to the north. The City of Munford meets the Town of Atoka city limits to the west and in the center of Highway 51. Highway 51 is the route south to Millington, the downtown area of Memphis. and north through Covington, Ripley, and Dyersburg.Randolph

Tennessee State Route 14 State Route 14 (SR 14) is a south–north route from the Mississippi border in Memphis, Tennessee to an intersection with State Route 54 in Tipton County. Route description Shelby County SR 14 begins concurrent to US 61 at the Missi ...

or Highway 14 or Austin Peay Highway is west of Atoka. Highway 14 goes south into the Raleigh area where Methodist North is located. It runs north to help drivers get to Brownsville. South of Millington, or about a twenty-minute drive, is

Tennessee State Route 385 State Route 385 (SR 385) is the designation for two non-contiguous segments of east–west controlled-access highway in the Memphis metropolitan area in Shelby County, Tennessee, separated by a section of Interstate 269 (I-269). The ...

. Many of the areas in Shelby County can be reached from 385.

Mississippi River

Although Atoka is only about 19 minutes away from the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated com ...

, the closest bridge that allows a car to travel to Arkansas is almost 40 minutes away - the

Hernando de Soto Bridge The Hernando de Soto Bridge is a tied-arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. The design is a continuous cantilevered cable-stayed steel through arch, with beds ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

. The next closest bridge is located in Dyersburg.

Geography

The town of Atoka is located at (35.424740, -89.782652). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, in 2010 the municipality had a total area of . The total area of land was and the total of water was . Tipton County Tennessee incorporated and unincorporated areas Atoka highlighted

Tipton County Tennessee incorporated and unincorporated areas Atoka highlighted

Atoka, Tennessee is located in Tipton County, Tennessee. The County south of Tipton County is Shelby County where the city of Memphis, Tennessee is located. Tipton County is located in the Tennessee Grand Division of West Tennessee. The map of the United States gives a view of where Tennessee is located within the contiguous United States. Map of West Tennessee counties

The

defines the western border of the state of Tennessee. The Tennessee counties that have the Mississippi River as their western boundary are Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale, Dyer, and Lake Counties. Atoka is located just east of the Mississippi River.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,008 people, 2,942 households, and 2,395 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,235 people, 1,075 households, and 935 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,145 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.88%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 9.30%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.10% of the population. There were 1,075 households, out of which 49.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.0% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.24. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $58,583, and the median income for a family was $61,643. Males had a median income of $38,721 versus $24,487 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,644. About 3.0% of families and 4.4% 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 ...

, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Atoka Public Schools are part of Tipton County Schools. The Tipton County School District has eight elementary schools, five middle schools and four high schools. Atoka Elementary School, opened in 2008, is located in Atoka. Younger students in the Atoka area may attend any of various public schools. Dr. John Combs is the Director of Schools.

References

External links

*
Official site

Parks
{{Authority control Towns in Tipton County, Tennessee