Editing New Albany, Mississippi

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = New Albany, Mississippi
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| nickname           = "The Fair and Friendly City"
| motto              = 
| image_skyline      = NewAlbanyMississippiWelcomeSign.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_map          = Union_County_Mississippi_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_New_Albany_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of New Albany, Mississippi
| pushpin_map        = USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Mississippi]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Mississippi|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Union County, Mississippi|Union]]
<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Tim Kent ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-26 |title=NA Mayor Tim Kent switches to Republican Party |url=https://nemiss.news/kent-switches-to-republican/ |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=NEMiss.news |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CITY OFFICIALS |url=https://www.visitnewalbany.com/team-4 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Visit New Albany |language=en}}</ref>
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = 1840
<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_28.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 47.35
| area_land_km2      = 47.22
| area_water_km2     = 0.13
| area_total_sq_mi   = 18.28
| area_land_sq_mi    = 18.23
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.05
<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 7,626
| population_density_km2 = 161.49
| population_density_sq_mi = 418.25
<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 345
| coordinates        = {{coord|34|29|32|N|89|00|34|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 38652
| area_code          = [[Area code 662|662]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 28-51000
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2404357<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2404357}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|http://www.visitnewalbany.com/|City website}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''New Albany''' is a city in and the county seat of [[Union County, Mississippi|Union County]], [[Mississippi]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> According to the [[2020 United States census]], the population was 7,626.

==History==
New Albany was founded in 1840 at the site of a grist mill and sawmill on the [[Tallahatchie River]] near the intersection of two [[Chickasaw]] trade trails. The town developed as a river port and as a regional center for agriculture and commerce.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://hillcountryhistory.org/2015/10/01/hill-country-new-albany-1840/ | title=New Albany (1840) | date=October 2015 }}</ref>

During the Civil War, the United States Cavalry under [[Benjamin Grierson]] passed through New Albany on their way [[Grierson's Raid|to raid Vicksburg]], when they encountered Confederate troops attempting to destroy the bridge over the Tallahatchie. The Confederate troops fled and the bridge was preserved.<ref name="DeForest">{{cite web |last1=DeForest |first1=Tim |title=GRIERSON'S RAID DURING THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN |url=https://www.historynet.com/griersons-raid-during-the-vicksburg-campaign/ |access-date=16 February 2023 |date=June 12, 2006}}</ref>

Union County was formed from parts of neighboring Pontotoc, and Tippah Counties in 1870, with New Albany designated as county seat.<ref name="MSE">{{cite web |title=Union County |url=https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/union-county/ |website=Mississippi Encyclopedia |access-date=16 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.msgw.org/union/ | title=Union County Mississippi USGenWeb Index Page }}</ref> In the late 1880s, two railroads (the [[Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad]] and the [[Gulf and Ship Island Railroad]]) came to New Albany, about the time its population of 600 were rebuilding after a severe fire.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spying Out The Goodly Land |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/584961155/ |access-date=22 June 2023 |work=Newspapers.com |publisher=Memphis Avalanche |date=27 Sep 1887 |page=5 |language=en |quote=...the next stopping place was New Albany, the county seat of Union county, Miss., located on the crossing of the Ship Island and Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham roads. It has a population of 600, and is surrounded by good country. It suffered a severe loss by fire sometime since, but the merchants are rebuilding as rapidly as possible...}}</ref> In 2013, a section of railroad was paved to become the Tanglefoot Trail, following the path of a rail that was once operated by author [[William Faulkner]]'s grandfather.<ref name="Upholt Spotlight">{{cite web |last1=Upholt |first1=Boyce |title=SMALL TOWN SPOTLIGHT: New Albany |url=https://www.mismag.com/small-town-spotlight-new-albany/ |website=Mississippi Magazine |date=17 July 2018 |access-date=16 February 2023}}</ref>

In 1925, [[Lynching of L. Q. Ivy|L. Q. Ivy]], a 17-year-old African American boy, was accused of beating and raping a 21-year old White woman.<ref name="AJA">{{cite web |last1=Prince |first1=David |title=The Fiction of Atticus Finch Meets the Reality of James PrinceThe Fiction of Atticus Finch Meets the Reality of James Prince |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1687&context=ajacourtreview |website=University of Nebraska-Lincoln |publisher=American Judges Association |access-date=February 7, 2023}}</ref>
A crowd of 4,000 gathered in New Albany and despite efforts from the victim's father and US senator [[Hubert D. Stephens]] to prevent a [[Lynching in the United States|lynching]], the crowd gained control, torturing and killing Ivy.<ref name="Ivy">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45672625/negro-confesses-to-attacking-girl-and/
|title=Negro Confesses to Attacking Girl and is Burned at Stake
|date=September 21, 1925
|newspaper=The Bristol Herald Courier
|location=Bristol, Tennessee
|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="LQIvy">{{cite news|url=http://www.lareecarucker.com/pages/lynching.htm
|title=The Lynching of L.Q. Ivy
|date=October 18, 2000
|newspaper=New Albany Gazette
|location=New Albany, Mississippi}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]],{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} the city has a total area of {{convert|17.1|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|17.0|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (0.35%) is water.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 250
|1890= 548
|1900= 1033
|1910= 2032
|1920= 2531
|1930= 3187
|1940= 3602
|1950= 3680
|1960= 5151
|1970= 6426
|1980= 7072
|1990= 6775
|2000= 7607
|2010= 8034
|2020= 7626
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+New Albany Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2851000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-08|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|4,319
|56.64%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|2,229
|29.23%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|11
|0.14%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|69
|0.9%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|276
|3.62%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|722
|9.47%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 7,626 people, 2,971 households, and 1,911 families residing in the city.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, there were 8,526 people, 3,049 households, and 3,027 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|476.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,329 housing units at an average density of {{convert|195.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 63.98% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 32.98% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.17% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.35% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.54% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.97% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.83% of the population.

There were 3,049 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,730, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $29,457 versus $20,579 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,507. About 14.7% of families and 18.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 23.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
From its inception until 1964, a segregated school system was maintained, with one set of schools for White students and another for Black students. In 1901, the first school building dedicated entirely to public education was built with 18 classrooms. The only high school in Union County for Black students was [[Union County Training School]] in New Albany, which was founded in 1812.<ref name=preservation>{{cite web |title=Former Union County Training School |url=https://misspreservation.com/2014/08/19/suzassippis-mississippi-former-union-county-training-school/ |access-date=16 April 2023 |date=August 19, 2014}}</ref> Like other schools for African-American students, the Training School was not government funded. In 1964, the school system began a slow process of integrating the races. Elementary schools were integrated first, then higher grades were added. Integration was completed in 1970, and at that time African American students made up 29 percent of the district's students and 20 percent of faculty.<ref name="Desegregation MCR Project">{{cite web |title=SCHOOL DESEGREGATION IN UNION COUNTY |url=https://mscivilrightsproject.org/union/event-union/school-desegregation-in-union-county/ |publisher=Mississippi Civil Rights Project |access-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220701173207/https://mscivilrightsproject.org/union/event-union/school-desegregation-in-union-county/ |archive-date=July 1, 2022 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Almost all of the city of New Albany is served by the [[New Albany School District]] while small portions are in the [[Union County School District (Mississippi)|Union County School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28145_union/DC20SD_C28145.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801032004/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28145_union/DC20SD_C28145.pdf |archive-date=2022-08-01 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Union County, MS|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2022-07-31}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28145_union/DC20SD_C28145_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref>

The city is the location of a satellite campus of [[Northeast Mississippi Community College]] located at 301 North Street.

The New Albany High School Bulldogs boys basketball team won consecutive state Class 3A titles in 1985,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Spencer |first1=Bill |title=New Albany captures 3A crown |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/181640027 |access-date=3 September 2022 |work=Clarion-Ledger |date=10 Mar 1985 |page=D1 |language=en}}</ref> 1986,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Harden |first1=Clay |title=New Albany makes Stroud proud |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/181733169 |access-date=3 September 2022 |work=Clarion-Ledger |date=9 Mar 1986 |page=9D |language=en}}</ref> and 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barber |first1=Doug |title=New Albany gives Stone a hot Foote |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/743822437 |work=Sun Herald |date=15 Mar 1987 |page=D1 |language=en}}</ref> Former NBA player [[John Stroud]] coached the 1987 team.<ref>{{cite news |title=East Mississippi (h)ires John Stroud |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/743725946 |access-date=3 September 2022 |work=Sun Herald |date=30 Apr 1988 |page=D4 |language=en |quote=East Mississippi Junior College in Scooba announced Friday the hiring of John Stroud as the new head basketball coach. Stroud has been coach at New Albany High School for the past three years, two of which he carried his team to the state Class 3-A basketball finals.}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
=== Transportation ===
New Albany is bisected by [[Interstate 22]] ([[US Highway 78]]).

New Albany is connected to [[Ripley, Mississippi|Ripley]] in the North and [[Pontotoc, Mississippi|Pontotoc]] to the South by State Highway 15. Highway 30 connects New Albany and [[Oxford, Mississippi|Oxford]] to the West and [[Booneville, Mississippi|Booneville]] to the Northeast, although when traveling from Oxford towards Booneville an alternate route must be taken within the city limits.

New Albany is served by [[BNSF Railway]] (formerly [[St. Louis – San Francisco Railway]]) and the [[Ripley and New Albany Railroad]] (formerly [[Gulf, Mobile and Ohio]]). The two railroads cross downtown. A portion of rail has been paved to become the [[Tanglefoot Trail]], the longest rail-trail in Mississippi.

New Albany was once a stop for [[Gulf, Mobile and Ohio]]'s famous "[[Rebel (train)|Rebel]]" streamlined passenger train.

The town serves as the northern terminus of the [[Tanglefoot Trail]], a major [[rail-trail]] within the state.

==Notable people==
*[[Bob Boyd (baseball)|Bob Boyd]], baseball player
*[[Jack Carlisle]], football coach
*[[Milt Crain]], football player
*[[Sam Creekmore IV]], politician
*[[Willie Daniel]], football player
*[[William Faulkner]], Nobel Prize-winning author
*[[Marcus Green (wide receiver)|Marcus Green]], football player
*[[Prater & Hayes|Napoleon Hayes]], musician
*[[Bobby Hogue (politician)|Bobby Hogue]], politician
*[[Doc Marshall (infielder)|Doc Marshall]], baseball player
*[[Ronnie McNutt]], U.S. Army Veteran
*[[Ethan Paquin]], poet
*[[Steve Patterson (politician)|Steve Patterson]], politician
*[[John Pennebaker]], politician
*[[Estus Pirkle]], Baptist minister and filmmaker
*[[Prater & Hayes|Matthew Prater]], musician
*[[Mike Ratliff]], basketball player
*[[Stephanie Saul]], journalist
*[[Hubert D. Stephens]], U.S. senator from Mississippi
*[[John Stroud]], basketball player
*[[Channing Ward]], football player
*[[Eli Whiteside]], catcher and coach for the [[San Francisco Giants]]
*[[Bettie Wilson]], woman who lived to 115
*[[Mike Wilson (Kentucky politician)|Mike Wilson]], politician

==See also==
* [[Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield]]

==References==
<references />

{{Union County, Mississippi}}
{{Mississippi county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Cities in Union County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:County seats in Mississippi]]