Shannon is a town in
Lee 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 ...
. The population was 1,496 at the
2020 Census.
Shannon is located on
Mississippi Highway 145
Mississippi Highway 145 (MS 145) is the designation for the parts of the old U.S. Route 45 (US 45) roadbed that the state continues to maintain or has designated. Those ten sections travel through Waynesboro, near Boice, ...
, 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
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 ...
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.
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.
A church was established in 1839.
The original townsite was north of the present location, and was moved when the
Mobile and Ohio Railroad
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* Mobile County, Alabama
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Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
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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.
Commerce expanded in Shannon, and there was a corn elevator, grain elevator, and three cotton gins. Around 1915, Coca-Cola was bottled in Shannon.
The old Francis Store, one of the town's original buildings, is now a restaurant owned by the Town of Shannon.
1963 Tornado
On April 29, 1963 A powerful and devastating F4 Tornado struck the center Destroying 27 structures killing 3 and injuring 20 more. It is reported that asphalt from highway 45 was ripped off from the ground
2025 Tornado
At 10:10 CST on February 10, 2025, a relatively small EF-1 tornado struck south of the city. No injuries were reported.
Gay bar controversy
From 1998 until 2007, Shannon was home to Rumors, a gay bar featured in the
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...
/
Malcolm Ingram film ''
Small Town Gay Bar''. 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.
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."
Geography
Shannon is located at (34.116826, -88.701520).
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 town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,496 people, 700 households, and 416 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 1,657 people, 632 households, and 437 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 691 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 44.42%
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 ...
, 54.19%
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 ...
, 0.06%
Native American, 0.12%
Asian, 0.84% from
other races, and 0.36% 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 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
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, 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
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 $13,592. About 16.3% of families and 18.4% 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 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.
The Natchez Trace Parkway RV Park is located in Shannon.
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.
*
Guy Bush, professional baseball player; retired to Shannon.
*
George Washington Forbes, co-founder of the ''
Boston Guardian''.
*
Romaro Miller, former
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
*
Rickey W. Thompson, member of the
Mississippi House of Representatives
The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...
References
External links
Town of Shannon
{{authority control
Towns in Lee County, Mississippi
Towns in Mississippi
Towns in Tupelo micropolitan area
2013 in LGBTQ history