Shelby, Mississippi Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Shelby, Mississippi
City
Welcome sign
Nickname(s): Smoke Town
Motto(s): "City of Justice"
Location of Shelby, Mississippi
Shelby, Mississippi Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Bolivar
Area
• Total	2.74 sq mi (7.10 km²)
• Land	2.73 sq mi (7.07 km²)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km²)
Elevation	154 ft (47 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,021
• Density	740.02/sq mi (285.73/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38774
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-67040
GNIS feature ID	0677634

Shelby is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,229 at the 2010 census, down from 2,926 in 2000. The town of Shelby was established in 1853 by Tom Shelby, who had purchased a block of land there from the federal government.

Geography
Demographics
- 2020 census
- 2010 census
Education
Notable people
See also

Geography

Shelby is located at 33°56′57″N 90°45′55″W / 33.94917°N 90.76528°W / 33.94917; -90.76528 (33.949293, -90.765241).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.1 km²), of which 0.012 square miles (0.03 km²), or 0.39%, is water.

The rear entrance of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in unincorporated Sunflower County is about 10 miles (16 km) east of Shelby, along Mississippi Highway 32.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	645	—
1920	1,300	101.6%
1930	1,811	39.3%
1940	1,956	8.0%
1950	2,148	9.8%
1960	2,384	11.0%
1970	2,645	10.9%
1980	2,540	−4.0%
1990	2,806	10.5%
2000	2,926	4.3%
2010	2,229	−23.8%
2020	2,021	−9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

**Shelby, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	232	105	63	7.93%	4.71%	3.12%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,652	2,103	1,911	90.64%	94.35%	94.56%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	2	0	1	0.07%	0.00%	0.05%
Asian alone (NH)	3	0	0	0.10%	0.00%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	0	4	0.00%	0.00%	0.20%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	8	4	25	0.27%	0.18%	1.24%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	29	17	17	0.99%	0.76%	0.84%
Total	2,926	2,229	2,021	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 2,021 people, 649 households, and 442 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 2,229 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 94.3% Black, 4.7% White and 0.2% from two or more races. 0.8% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education

Shelby is served by the North Bolivar Consolidated School District, formerly known as the North Bolivar School District until it consolidated in 2014.

Students are zoned to Brooks Elementary School (in Duncan), as it belonged to the pre-consolidation North Bolivar School District, and Northside High School (the only secondary school in the district).

Northside High opened in 2018 after Broad Street High School in Shelby consolidated into it. Shelby Middle School closed in 2018.

Notable people

Walter Luzar "Choker" Campbell, musician
Dorsett Terrell Davis, football player
William S. Fischer, keyboardist, saxophonist, arranger, and composer
Erma Franklin, gospel and R&B singer, sister of the gospel and R&B singer Aretha Franklin
Hattie Littles, soul singer
Sonny Boy Nelson, blues musician
Vera B. Rison, Michigan state legislator
Mississippi Slim, blues musician
Delbert Tibbs, writer and anti-death penalty activist
Henry Townsend, blues singer most associated with St. Louis, Missouri, on the St. Louis Walk of Fame and a Mississippi Blues Trail marker
Gerald Wilson, jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger

Shelby, Mississippi facts for kids

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