Walls, Mississippi

Coordinates: 34°58′N 90°09′W / 34.96°N 90.15°W / 34.96; -90.15
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Walls, Mississippi
Town
Nickname: 
"Where the Delta Meets the Bluff"
Walls, Mississippi is located in Mississippi
Walls, Mississippi
Walls, Mississippi
Walls, Mississippi is located in the United States
Walls, Mississippi
Walls, Mississippi
Coordinates: 34°58′N 90°09′W / 34.96°N 90.15°W / 34.96; -90.15
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyDeSoto
Town2003
Government
 • MayorKiedron Henderson[1]
Area
[2]
 • Total11.96 sq mi (30.98 km2)
 • Land11.84 sq mi (30.66 km2)
 • Water0.13 sq mi (0.33 km2)
Elevation
211 ft (64 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,351
 • Density114.13/sq mi (44.07/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code28-77400
Websitewww.townofwalls.com

Walls is a town located in northern DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River, part of the larger region known as "The Delta", and known for its rich, dark soil. As it is in the upper northwest corner of Mississippi, it is in the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. Its ZIP code is 38680.[3] As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,162,[4] with an estimated population of 1,463 in 2018.[5]

History[edit]

A relatively young community, Walls was originally named "Alpika", an old Chickasaw Native American word. The name was changed to Walls in 1906.

Walls was named after Captain June Walls, who served in the Civil War. Captain Walls was an early settler and merchant of the region in the 1880s.

A Mississippian culture village site near Walls, the Walls Site, gives its name to the Walls phase, the last prehistoric cultural expression before European contact.[6] The historic trail of Hernando de Soto leads through DeSoto County to near Walls.

Today, Walls is a community rich in agriculture. Cotton, soybeans, rice and corn are planted each spring. The railroad played a vital part in the growth of the area in the early to mid 1900s. The mechanical revolution of the 1950s and 1960s changed Walls, as well as many other Delta communities.

A significant part of the community is the Sacred Heart League, operator of the Sacred Heart School in Walls. The league raised funds through the sale of a famous statue of Jesus Christ. In the 1960s, the statue could be found on the dashboards of vehicles across America.

The town of Walls, which has been a community since the early 1900s, was connected to the tiny village of Memphis which was incorporated in the early 1970s and was located just south of the Walls community. In 2003/2004, the village of Memphis was annexed, thereby giving the town of Walls the official status of a municipality.

Geography[edit]

Average temperatures: January = 39.4 F July = 81.1 F

Subdivisions (in the city limits)[edit]

  • Kaitlin Ridge
  • Mallard Park
  • Encore

Neighboring cities[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
20101,162—
20201,35116.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

2020 census[edit]

Walls Racial Composition[8]
Race Num. Perc.
White 416 30.79%
Black or African American 813 60.18%
Asian 19 1.41%
Pacific Islander 2 0.15%
Other/Mixed 53 3.92%
Hispanic or Latino 48 3.55%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 1,351 people, 445 households, and 325 families residing in the town.

Transportation[edit]

Amtrak’s City of New Orleans, which operates between New Orleans and Chicago, passes through the town on CN tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest station is located in Memphis, 15 miles (24 km) to the north.

Education[edit]

Walls is served by the DeSoto County School District.

Secondary schools[edit]

Elementary schools[edit]

  • Walls Elementary
  • Lake Cormorant Elementary

Growth and expansion[edit]

Leatherman Development[edit]

The Leatherman family has begun to develop industrial, commercial and residential projects within the town limits of Walls. The first industrial tenant, Sigma Supply Co., has moved into a new 254,000-square-foot (23,600 m2) building off US 61 and Star Landing Road in the Leatherman 325-acre (1.32 km2) industrial park. Sigma Supply is a distributor of industrial and packaging equipment and facilities supplies. The 1,900-acre (7.7 km2) Leatherman Planned Unit Development in Walls touts a new elementary school with 900 students, which opened in August 2008, joining Lake Cormorant Middle School that currently has 700 students. Lake Cormorant High School opened in 2011.[9]

Notable people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "First black mayor in DeSoto County leads Town of Walls". June 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  3. ^ "ZIP Code™ Lookup | USPS". tools.usps.com.
  4. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Walls town, Mississippi". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  5. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Smith, Gerald P. (1990). "The Walls Phase and its Neighbors". In David H. Dye; Sheryl Ann Cox (eds.). Towns and Temples Along the Mississippi. University of Alabama Press. p. 136. ISBN 0-8173-0455-X.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  9. ^ "Unique Mixed-Use Development Planned for DeSoto". Memphis Daily News.
  10. ^ Maxey, Ron (October 10, 2016). "Former Mississippi Rep. Gene Alday dies". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  11. ^ "Former City Political Leader Dies". The Commercial Appeal. May 2, 1973. p. 44. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  12. ^ "Martaveous McKnight". Itawamba Community College Athletics. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  13. ^ Deardorff, Michelle. "Leslie Burl McLemore". Mississippi Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Lizzie "Kid" Douglas, "Memphis Minnie" - Memphis School". National Public Radio. Retrieved August 19, 2018.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walls, Mississippi.
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