New Albany is a city in and the county seat of Union County,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, the population was 7,626.

History

New Albany was founded in 1840 at the site of a grist mill and sawmill on the

Tallahatchie River The Tallahatchie River is a river in Mississippi which flows from Tippah County, through Tallahatchie County, to Leflore County, where it joins the Yalobusha River to form the Yazoo River, which ultimately meets the Mississippi River at Vic ...

near the intersection of two

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

trade trails. The town developed as a river port and as a regional center for agriculture and commerce. During the Civil War, the United States Cavalry under

Benjamin Grierson Benjamin Henry Grierson (July 8, 1826 – August 31, 1911) was a music teacher from Illinois who, although afraid of horses, volunteered for service in the Cavalry in the American Civil War, cavalry during the American Civil War, Civil War, ...

passed through New Albany on their way to raid Vicksburg, when they encountered Confederate troops attempting to destroy the bridge over the Tallahatchie. The Confederate troops fled and the bridge was preserved. Union County was formed from parts of neighboring Pontotoc, and Tippah Counties in 1870, with New Albany designated as county seat. In the late 1880s, two railroads (the

Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad is a historic railroad that operated in the southern United States. The company was created by consolidation in 1887 from a line of the same name (which was originally incorporated in Mississippi on F ...

and the

Gulf and Ship Island Railroad The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SI) was constructed in the state of Mississippi, USA, at the turn of the 20th century to open a vast expanse of southern yellow pine forests for commercial harvest. In spite of economic uncertainty, entrepren ...

) came to New Albany, about the time its population of 600 were rebuilding after a severe fire. In 2013, a section of railroad was paved to become the Tanglefoot Trail, following the path of a rail that was once operated by author

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

's grandfather. In 1925, L. Q. Ivy, a 17-year-old African American boy, was accused of beating and raping a 21-year old White woman. A crowd of 4,000 gathered in New Albany and despite efforts from the victim's father and US senator Hubert D. Stephens to prevent a

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

, the crowd gained control, torturing and killing Ivy.

Geography

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 ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.35%) is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,626 people, 2,971 households, and 1,911 families residing in the city.

2010 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 2010, there were 8,526 people, 3,049 households, and 3,027 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,329 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 63.98%

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 ...

, 32.98%

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 ...

, 0.17% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 1.54% from other races, and 0.97% 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 2.83% of the population. There were 3,049 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% 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, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,730, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $29,457 versus $20,579 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 city was $16,507. About 14.7% of families and 18.0% 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 22.0% of those under age 18 and 23.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

From its inception until 1964, a segregated school system was maintained, with one set of schools for White students and another for Black students. In 1901, the first school building dedicated entirely to public education was built with 18 classrooms. The only high school in Union County for Black students was Union County Training School in New Albany, which was founded in 1812. Like other schools for African-American students, the Training School was not government funded. In 1964, the school system began a slow process of integrating the races. Elementary schools were integrated first, then higher grades were added. Integration was completed in 1970, and at that time African American students made up 29 percent of the district's students and 20 percent of faculty. Almost all of the city of New Albany is served by the New Albany School District while small portions are in the Union County School District. The city is the location of a satellite campus of

Northeast Mississippi Community College Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC) is a public community college in Booneville, Mississippi. History The college was founded in 1948 as Northeast Mississippi Junior College'','' and became known primarily as an agricultural school a ...

located at 301 North Street. The New Albany High School Bulldogs boys basketball team won consecutive state Class 3A titles in 1985, 1986, and 1987. Former NBA player John Stroud coached the 1987 team.

Infrastructure

Transportation

New Albany is bisected by

Interstate 22 Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway ...

( US Highway 78). New Albany is connected to Ripley in the North and Pontotoc to the South by State Highway 15. Highway 30 connects New Albany and

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

to the West and Booneville to the Northeast, although when traveling from Oxford towards Booneville an alternate route must be taken within the city limits. New Albany is served by

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

(formerly St. Louis – San Francisco Railway) and the

Ripley and New Albany Railroad The Ripley & New Albany Railroad is a shortline railroad that runs from New Albany to Falkner, Mississippi, and previously extended from Houston, Mississippi, to Middleton, Tennessee, along former Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad trackage. R ...

(formerly Gulf, Mobile and Ohio). The two railroads cross downtown. A portion of rail has been paved to become the

Tanglefoot Trail The Tanglefoot Trail is an asphalt-covered rail trail in northeastern Mississippi. Ranging in the right-of-way of the Ripley and New Albany Railroad, it is the longest rail-trail in the state. It runs through three counties (Chickasaw, Pontotoc ...

, the longest rail-trail in Mississippi. New Albany was once a stop for Gulf, Mobile and Ohio's famous "

Rebel A rebel is a participant in a rebellion. Rebel or rebels may also refer to: People * Rebel (given name) * Rebel (surname) * Patriot (American Revolution), during the American Revolution * American Southerners, as a form of self-identification; ...

" streamlined passenger train. The town serves as the northern terminus of the

, a major

rail-trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corridor with active railways, li ...

within the state.

Notable people

* Bob Boyd, baseball player * Jack Carlisle, football coach * Milt Crain, football player * Sam Creekmore IV, politician *

Willie Daniel William Paul Daniel (November 10, 1937 – June 29, 2015) was an American football defensive back who played nine seasons in the NFL. Career Daniel was born in New Albany, Mississippi. He played high school football at Macon High School and in ...

, football player *

, Nobel Prize-winning author * Marcus Green, football player * Napoleon Hayes, musician * Bobby Hogue, politician * Doc Marshall, baseball player * Ronnie McNutt, U.S. Army Veteran * Ethan Paquin, poet * Steve Patterson, politician * John Pennebaker, politician *

Estus Pirkle Estus Washington Pirkle (March 12, 1930 – March 3, 2005) was an American Baptist minister, evangelist, and filmmaker. Early life Estus Washington Pirkle was born in Vienna, Georgia on March 12, 1930. He was one of eleven children to Grover W ...

, Baptist minister and filmmaker * Matthew Prater, musician * Mike Ratliff, basketball player * Stephanie Saul, journalist * Hubert D. Stephens, U.S. senator from Mississippi * John Stroud, basketball player * Channing Ward, football player * Eli Whiteside, catcher and coach for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

* Bettie Wilson, woman who lived to 115 * Mike Wilson, politician

References

{{authority control Cities in Mississippi Cities in Union County, Mississippi County seats in Mississippi