Amory, Mississippi

History

Amory was the first planned city in Mississippi. The Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad needed a midpoint between Memphis, Tennessee and Birmingham, Alabama for their locomotives, and they laid out the new town of Amory in 1887. People from nearby Cotton Gin Port on the Tombigbee River abandoned their town and moved to Amory.

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.

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.

Economy

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

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,316 people residing 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.

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,956 people, 2,876 households, and 1,903 families residing in the city. The population density was 927.2 people per square mile (358.1/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.

Education

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

Culture and events

In honor of its cultural and historical heritage, the city of Amory holds an annual festival each April known as the "Railroad Festival" in Frisco Park in downtown Amory. Among other attractions, the Railroad 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. Although the time of year—April—often results in rain during one or more days of 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, in September of every other year, Amory is host to "Entertainment for Education", also known as "Stars Over Mississippi", in which a number of celebrities and entertainers host a benefit concert to raise funds for local scholarships. Past performers and attendees have 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.

Notable people

In popular culture