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Tunica County, Mississippi facts for kids

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Tunica County
Tunica County Courthouse in Tunica
Tunica County Courthouse in Tunica
Map of Mississippi highlighting Tunica County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Mississippi
Founded 1836
Named for Tunica-Biloxi tribe
Seat Tunica
Largest town Tunica Resorts
Area
 • Total 481 sq mi (1,250 km2)
 • Land 455 sq mi (1,180 km2)
 • Water 26 sq mi (70 km2)  5.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 9,782
 • Density 20.337/sq mi (7.852/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Tunica County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,782. Its county seat is Tunica. The county is named for the Tunica Native Americans. Most migrated to central Louisiana during the colonial period.

Tunica County is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Mississippi Delta region.

Since the late 20th century, it is known for Tunica Resorts (formerly Robinsonville), an unincorporated community that is the site of six casino resorts. It is one of the top six destinations in the country in terms of gambling revenues.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 481 square miles (1,250 km2), of which 455 square miles (1,180 km2) is land and 26 square miles (67 km2) (5.4%) is water.

Major highways

  • I-69.svg Interstate 69
  • US 61.svg U.S. Route 61
  • Circle sign 3.svg Mississippi Highway 3
  • Circle sign 4.svg Mississippi Highway 4

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 821
1850 1,314 60.0%
1860 4,366 232.3%
1870 5,358 22.7%
1880 8,461 57.9%
1890 12,158 43.7%
1900 16,479 35.5%
1910 18,646 13.2%
1920 20,386 9.3%
1930 21,233 4.2%
1940 22,610 6.5%
1950 21,664 −4.2%
1960 16,826 −22.3%
1970 11,854 −29.5%
1980 9,652 −18.6%
1990 8,164 −15.4%
2000 9,227 13.0%
2010 10,778 16.8%
2020 9,782 −9.2%
2023 (est.) 9,234 −14.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013
Tunica County MS sign 002 2012-03-31

2020 census

Tunica County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
Black or African American 7,316 76.35%
White 1,853 19.34%
Native American 13 0.14%
Asian 27 0.28%
Other/Mixed 182 1.9%
Hispanic or Latino 191 1.99%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 9,782 people, 3,930 households, and 2,347 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 10,778 people living in the county. 73.5% were Black or African American, 23.7% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.2% of some other race and 0.9% of two or more races. 2.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

Economy

GreenTech Automotive received $6 million of incentive financing from the state of Mississippi and Tunica County to build an automotive plant in the county. The facility was shut down in January 2017. GreenTech had promised to invest $60 million in the manufacturing plant, but it produced few cars if any. A Mississippi state auditor's review begun in 2016 found documentation reflecting only $3 million spent by GreenTech on automotive assembly equipment and parts. While the company had promised to create 350 full-time jobs, it was found to never have created more than 94 active, full-time jobs in Mississippi at any time.

In July 2017, the Mississippi state auditor demanded that GreenTech and its CEO Charlie Wang pay Mississippi $6 million because Greentech had not lived up to its promises to invest $60 million and create 350 jobs in Tunica County. The auditor said: "I would venture that there isn’t really much of an operation in Tunica at all. This appears to have been a game of smoke and mirrors, and a corporate entity that never had any intention to deliver on the promises it made." In November 2017, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood sued the company for $3 million, plus forfeiture of land used for the Tunica factory.

GreenTech declared bankruptcy in February 2018. In a 2020 final settlement, it paid Mississippi and Tunica County only $575,000.

Education

  • Public School Districts
    • Tunica County School District (the school district for the entire county)
  • Private Schools

Notable people

Communities

Town

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Tunica para niños

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