Tunica, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Tunica is a town in Tunica County
Tunica County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,227 people, 3,258 households, and 2,192 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 3,705 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...

, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located near the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

. Until the early 1990s the town was one of the most impoverished places in the United States, semi-famous for the particularly deprived neighbourhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open sewer located there. The town now lies on the fringe of a growing gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 resort area, with major casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

s attracting visitors from nearby Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 27,666 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 28,181 in 2005, and 31,329 in 2011 ranking it as the state's 11th largest city, behind Hot Springs...

 and all over the Southeast
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....

.

The town is the fourth community to serve as county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Tunica County
Tunica County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,227 people, 3,258 households, and 2,192 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 3,705 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...

, succeeding earlier county seats at Commerce (1839–1842, 1842–1847), Peyton (1842, temporary) and Austin
Austin, Mississippi
Austin is an unincorporated community in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States.Austin was the third community to serve as county seat of Tunica County, from 1847-1888. In 1888, Tunica became the fourth and current seat of Tunica County. Earlier county seats were Commerce and Peyton ....

 (1847–1888).

Geography

Tunica is located at 34°41′20"N 90°22′50"W (34.688797, -90.380587).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,132 people, 537 households, and 254 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,588.4 people per square mile (615.6/km²). There were 592 housing units at an average density of 830.7 per square mile (321.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 67.84% White, 29.42% African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.88% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.30% of the population.

There were 537 households out of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.7% were non-families. 48.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,607, and the median income for a family was $54,583. Males had a median income of $30,208 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $20,114. About 17.1% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Tunica is served by the Tunica County School District
Tunica County School District
The Tunica County School District is a public school district based in Tunica, Mississippi . The district's boundaries parallel that of Tunica County.-Schools:*Rosa Fort High School...

. Zoned schools include Tunica Elementary School, Tunica Middle School, and Rosa Fort High School.

Tunica Academy
Tunica Academy
Tunica Academy is a K-12 non-denominational Christian private school located in unincorporated Tunica County, Mississippi, near Tunica.Tunica Academy is an accredited member of the Mississippi Private School Association.-External links:*...

 is located in an unincorporated area
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 in Tunica County
Tunica County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,227 people, 3,258 households, and 2,192 families residing in the county. The population density was 20 people per square mile . There were 3,705 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...

, near Tunica.

Casino economy

The Tunica area is now the third-largest gaming region in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

http://www.ssrc.msstate.edu/Publications/srrs99-2.pdf, after Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...

 and Atlantic City. Its booming effect on the local economy has spurred population growth in unincorporated parts of the county outside Tunica proper. Since 1990, the town's name has been popularly associated with multiple casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...

s in proximity to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

. However, the current group of casinos actually starts in the community of Tunica Resorts
Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
Tunica Resorts is an unincorporated community located in northern Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, north of the county seat of Tunica. The community was originally named Robinsonville, but the name was changed in 2003. Locals still refer to the town by this name. The community is situated...

 some ten miles north of the town of Tunica, and extending to the DeSoto County
DeSoto County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2005 estimate, there were 137,004 people, 38,792 households, and 30,102 families residing in the county. The population density was 224 people per square mile . There were 40,795 housing units at an average density of 85 per square mile...

 line. Tunica Resorts was originally named "Robinsonville", but the name was changed in 2005 to eliminate confusion over the location of the casinos, which have always used the name "Tunica" in reference to their location. Success of these gaming houses in northern Tunica County came at the expense of the area's first group of casinos in the early 1990s, located just northwest of Tunica proper, in an area known as Mhoon Landing
Mhoon Landing, Mississippi
Mhoon Landing is an unincorporated community located on the Mississippi River in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States. Mhoon Landing is approximately northwest of North Tunica and approximately southwest of Tunica Resorts.-References:...

 — much of what comprises the current census designated place of North Tunica
North Tunica, Mississippi
North Tunica is a census-designated place in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2000 census.-Geography:North Tunica is located at ....

. These casinos were closed or moved as larger resorts opened closer to Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

.

Unlike the area including casinos along Mississippi's Gulf Coast region, Tunica was not in the path of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

. As a result, some of the regular Gulf Coast customer traffic from casinos has drifted northward to Tunica County.

Though the casinos lie outside the town limits, the effects of tax revenue generated are felt inside the town. Major improvements to the public school system and downtown district are currently among the most visible aspects; long-term effects include major highway improvements on U.S. Highway 61 and a much-discussed potential expansion of Tunica Municipal Airport
Tunica Municipal Airport
Tunica Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located east of the central business district of Tunica, a town in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States...

.

As of 2007, some Tunica Resorts residents are trying to incorporate their community into a separate town government http://www.tunicaresortsms.org/index.htm, rather than exist under the jurisdiction of Tunica County or move toward annexation into the town of Tunica. If Tunica Resorts incorporates, the new town government would be a direct beneficiary of casino tax revenue, enabling construction of municipal government offices. Depending on population and revenue growth, fire and police stations, libraries and other public infrastructure could be other likely additions. Potential effects on the existing town of Tunica are unclear.

External links

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