Amory, Mississippi

Amory is a city in Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 6,666 at the 2020 census, down from 7,316 at the 2010 census. Located in the northeastern part of the state near the Alabama border, it was founded in 1887 as a railroad town by the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad. As a result, Cotton Gin Port, along the Tombigbee River to the east, was abandoned as businesses and people moved for railroad access.

Amory, Mississippi
City
Frisco Park (2005)
Frisco Park (2005)
Location within Monroe County and Mississippi
Location within Monroe County and Mississippi
Coordinates: 33°59′14″N 88°29′2″W
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyMonroe
Area
[1]
 • Total13.14 sq mi (34.03 km2)
 • Land12.53 sq mi (32.46 km2)
 • Water0.61 sq mi (1.58 km2)
Elevation
240 ft (70 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total6,666
 • Density531.96/sq mi (205.39/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
38821
Area code662
FIPS code28-01260
GNIS ID666246
Websitecityofamoryms.com

History

Amory was founded as a planned railroad town. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad was expanding in the South and needed a midpoint between Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama, to service their locomotives. They laid out the new town of Amory, Mississippi, near the Alabama border, in 1887.

Believing railroad access to be critical, people from nearby Cotton Gin Port, about 1.5 miles away and located along the Tombigbee River, abandoned their town and moved to Amory. All that remains of the former Cotton Gin Port are the ruins of buildings and an old cemetery.

Two field recordings were made at Monroe County Training School in Amory.[2]

2023 tornado
See also: Tornado outbreak of March 24–27, 2023

On the evening of Friday, March 24, 2023, Amory was struck by a fast-moving EF3 tornado, resulting in significant residential damage, as well as multiple injuries and two fatalities.[3] At Amory High School, cameras caught the tornado damaging the building, ripping the roof off the building and flying debris impacted the schools' athletic facility.[4] The same tornado also impacted Egypt prior, and Wren thereafter.[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.0 square miles (21 km2), of which 7.5 square miles (19 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (6.37%) is water.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890739—
19001,21163.9%
19102,12275.2%
19202,86134.8%
19303,21412.3%
19403,72716.0%
19504,99033.9%
19606,47429.7%
19707,23611.8%
19807,3071.0%
19907,093−2.9%
20006,956−1.9%
20107,3165.2%
20206,666−8.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

2020 census
Amory Racial Composition[7]
Race Num. Perc.
White 4,524 67.87%
Black or African American 1,764 26.46%
Native American 16 0.24%
Asian 19 0.29%
Pacific Islander 1 0.02%
Other/Mixed 190 2.85%
Hispanic or Latino 152 2.28%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 6,666 people, 2,900 households, and 1,666 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,316 people living in the city. 69.5% were White, 29.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from some other race and 0.7% of two or more races. 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 6,956 people, 2,876 households, and 1,903 families living in the city. The population density was 927.2 inhabitants per square mile (358.0/km2). There were 3,147 housing units at an average density of 419.5 per square mile (162.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 69.85% White, 29.18% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.

There were 2,876 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,789, and the median income for a family was $37,891. Males had a median income of $30,913 versus $21,356 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,092. About 17.1% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.6% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Gilmore Memorial Hospital is well regarded as having one of the better maternity wards in northeast Mississippi. Other business sectors include sports equipment manufacturing, wood pulp processing, and the furniture and textile industries.

Arts and culture
Frisco Park (2005)

In honor of its cultural and historical heritage, the city of Amory holds the annual "Railroad Festival" in April in Frisco Park in downtown. Among other attractions, the Festival includes southern foods—such as fried catfish, barbecue, and apple fritters— rides, arts and crafts, and live music, most notably the local band The Gents who have brought fans out for years with their Motown, Blues Brothers, and classic oldies show. While spring rains are possible during the 3-day festival, turnout is generally quite large, with as many as 40,000 visiting the festival over the period of a weekend.

In addition to the annual Railroad Festival, Amory held "Entertainment for Education", also known as "Stars Over Mississippi", an event in which a number of celebrities and entertainers hosted a benefit concert to raise funds for local scholarships. Past performers and attendees included Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, Nell Carter, Sandi Patty, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kathy Ireland, Brad Paisley, Brooks and Dunn, Ray Romano, Tony Danza, Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Garrett, and Prince Edward.

Education

Most of Amory is served by the Amory School District, while a small portion is served by the Monroe County School District.[9]

Amory Christian Academy is a private school also located in Amory, MS.

Infrastructure
Amory Lock
BNSF Railway bridge over Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, Amory, Mississippi

Transportation

Road transport is served by US 278, Mississippi Highway 6, and Mississippi Highway 25. Rail transport is offered by BNSF Railway, the Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway, and the Mississippian Railway. Ship transport can be accommodated on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. "Various - Field Recordings - Volume 8: Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi (1934-1947)". Discogs.
  3. Barnes, Joey (March 25, 2023). "Amory, Monroe County areas hit hard by severe storms". WCBI-TV. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  4. Brinkmann, Heather (March 26, 2023). "Video inside Amory school shows moments Mississippi tornado hit". FOX Weather. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. "ArcGIS Web Application". apps.dat.noaa.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  9. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Monroe County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  10. Who's who in the South and Southwest. Marquis Who's Who. 2005. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-8379-0835-9.
  11. Cleveland, Rick (January 26, 2023). "Joe Burrow has deep roots (and quite the gene pool) in Amory, Mississippi". MIssissippi Today. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  12. Gray, Jeremy (November 8, 2012). "Tuskegee Airman retired Lt. Col. Herbert Carter died today, reports state". AL.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  13. "David Hadley Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  14. "Obituaries". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. February 20, 2002. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  15. "Tevin Jones". gotigersgo.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  16. "Johnathan Ray Lancaster". billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  17. Riggs, Drake. "Morning Report: Matt Schnell passionately defends UFC fighter pay". MMAfighting.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  18. "About Amory". visitamory.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  19. "Shaquille Vance". United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  20. "Marcus West". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  21. "Grateful Dead Family Discography: Blue Suede Shoes". Deaddisc.com. January 1, 1956. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amory, Mississippi.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.