Senatobia is a city in and the county seat of Tate County, Mississippi, United States, and is the 16th largest municipality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, Senatobia had a population of 8,354. Senatobia is home to Northwest Mississippi Community College, a state community college providing two-year academic and technical degree programs. Also located in Senatobia is the Baddour Center, a residential care facility for intellectually disabled adults.
History
On April 13, 1834, early settler James Peters purchased two sections of land from the Chickasaw Nation for the sum of $1.25 per acre. This land was later developed as the town of Senatobia. The community took its name from Senatobia Creek.
The Downtown Senatobia Historic District, the core of Senatobia's central business district developed in 1856 after the opening of the Tennessee and Mississippi Railroad. Two nearby settlements, Tatumsville and Tatesville were both abandoned, with those populations moving to Senatobia in favor of easier transportation.
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Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Senatobia had a population of 8,354. The median age was 29.8 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.6 males age 18 and over.
81.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 18.4% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,692 households in Senatobia, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.7% were married-couple households, 16.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|White
|4,467
|53.47%
|-
|Black or African American
|3,367
|40.3%
|-
|Native American
|10
|0.12%
|-
|Asian
|31
|0.37%
|-
|Other/Mixed
|255
|3.05%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|224
|2.68%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,165 people, 2,554 households, and 1,826 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,239 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.1% non-Hispanic White, 35.0% non-Hispanic African American, 2.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 1.6% in other racial/ethnic categories.
2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 6,682 people, 2,137 households, and 1,498 families residing in the city. In the 2000 census, the racial distribution was 68.03% White, 30.51% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races, while Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.85% of the population.
There were 2,137 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 20.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,698, and the median income for a family was $43,088. Males had a median income of $34,022 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,434. About 13.0% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.
Education
All of Senatobia is within the Senatobia Municipal School District.
There is a private school, Magnolia Heights School.
Notable people
- JoJo Billingsley (1952–2010), rock and roll vocalist
- Aron Burton (1938–2016), blues bass guitarist
- William J. East (1854–1933), Mississippi state legislator, Mayor of Senatobia (1887–1888)
- Steve Hale (born 1954), Mississippi state senator, Mayor of Senatobia (1993–2001)
- James "Kamala" Harris (1950–2020), wrestler
- Sid Hemphill (1876-1963), bandleader
- Robert Earl Jones (1910–2006), an American actor, with conflicted stories about his hometown
- O. B. McClinton (1940–1987), country and R&B singer/songwriter
- Jacob Buehler Snider (1886–1966), 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, Mayor of Senatobia (1925–1928)
- Dan A. Sullivan, member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from Jonesboro, Arkansas
- Elise Varner Winter (1926–2021), First Lady of Mississippi