Atoka () is a

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

area with a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

charter in Tipton County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, United States. In 1888, Atoka was a stop on th
Newport News & Mississippi Valley Railroad
Today the

City of New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

passenger train makes its daily route between New Orleans and Chicago, through Atoka. The population was 10,008 at the 2020 census, making the Town of Atoka the largest municipality in Tipton County. Historians and genealogists can trace the Town of Atoka's origins back to the 1838 charter of Portersville. Atoka adopted Portersville's charter as its own.

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

recipient Sgt. Joseph B. Adkison lived in Atoka, and he is buried nearby. Five public parks exist within the town limits. The town has grown significantly since the 1990 census, at which time the population was only 659. Covington, the county seat, has the second largest population.

History

Origins

From the fiftieth anniversary of the ''Covington Leader'', 1886 to 1936:

The trading center for the Atoka area before the rise of the town was Portersville...
With the coming of the railroad in 1872 and opening of stores in Atoka, there grew up an intense rivalry between the two towns, but Atoka's advantage of the railroad proved to be too much, and Portersville gradually died out. Today not a store or store building remains in Portersville and it passes into history...

A peek into the life of John McLaughlin, a citizen of both towns, gives us some idea of what Portersville and Atoka were like:

Our subject received a collegiate education at Bellenyna College, Ireland and in 1852 came to America, landing at Charleston, S. C.; then immediately went to Chester, S. C., and spent three years learning the carriage-maker's trade, when he moved to Aberdeen, Miss., and established a factory of his own, and three years later moved to Portersville, Tipton County, and continued the business five years, then went into merchandising and farming, selling goods at Portersville two years, then moved to Atoka and continued the mercantile business over ten years, and since that time has given his attention exclusively to farming and running a steam cotton-gin, which he owns.

Atoka and Portersville in Tennessee, U.S.A.

:June 1, 1796 - The

Southwest Territory The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States a ...

was admitted as the 16th state,

. United States 1837-03-1838.png, alt=Map of the states and territories of the United States as it was from March 1837 to 1838., January 17, 1838 - Portersville incorporated. United States 1868-1876.png, alt=United States 1868-1876, March 24, 1875 - name of Portersville changed to Atoka. United States 1876-1884.png, alt= United States 1876-1884, March 19, 1883 - corporation of the town of Atoka repealed. :1911 - Atoka was reincorporated.

Railroad

If the dates are taken into account, "the coming of the railroad in 1872" and "the name of Portersville changed to Atoka in 1875". These two locations, Portersville and Atoka, existed simultaneously. The railroad came to Atoka first. Then the town of Atoka was incorporated. Atoka was an unincorporated location long before it was a chartered town. 1859c-Portersville.PNG, Map published c1859. Shows Porterville on Shelby and Tipton County Lines. Portersville charter was adopted by Atoka in 1875. 1872-Portersville.PNG, Map published 1872. Shows Portersville in Tipton County. 1876-GapBetweenCovington&Dyersburg.jpg, Map published in 1876. Shows gap between Covington and Dyersburg railroad connections. 1888 c1882-NewportNew&MississippiValleyRailroad.jpg, Map published in 1888. Shows Newport News & Mississippi Valley Railroad running through Tipton and Lauderdale Counties in Tennessee. 1893c-enlarged-Atoka.PNG, Map published in c1893, shows Atoka in

Tipton County, Tennessee Tipton County is a county located on the western end of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Mississippi Delta region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,970. Its county seat is Covington. Tipton County is part of the Memphis, TN-MS ...

United States Postal Service, Rural Free Delivery in Atoka

The official stance of the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

, according to an article published by the Historian of the United States Postal Service in April 2008, is that Atoka was the first

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

with rural free delivery in

starting on January 11, 1897. But according to an article in Tipton County's local newspaper, published in 1936:

ATOKA ROUTE ONE IS THIRD IN UNITED STATES The first rural route established in the South and the third established in the United States was set up at Atoka in 1895. At that time the United States Post Office Department was experimenting with rural routes. They established one in the North, one in the East, and one in the South at Atoka... The first route, which was Atoka Route 1, was 16½ miles long... Route 1 was later combined with route 2, which covers the territory from Atoka to the Mississippi River.

Another article from 1936 describes more about the post office:

Atoka's first postmaster was D. Bowden. With the development of the United States' splendid rural delivery system in her post office department, the Atoka post office grew in importance. Today there are two rural routes reaching out from the town, serving that section from the Mississippi river on the west to Salem on the east. All mail for Munford, Drummonds, Richardson's Landing, Randolph and other communities passes through the post office at Atoka, whose postmaster is E. M. Quisenberry and whose rural carriers are J. E. McQuiston and R. S. McDill.

Town charter

June 24, 1911 - Atoka reincorporated 1911 Charter with amendments from 2006, 1977, 1973, and 1969. August 17, 2012 - AN ACT to amend Chapter 373, of the Private Acts of 1911. Current Charter Information - Town of Atoka, Tennessee.

Current zip code data for Atoka, Tennessee is 38004

The zip code for Atoka, Tennessee, is 38004. The current area of the Atoka 38004 is shown in th
Zip Code Data Maps

Parks, greenway, and recreational facilities in Town of Atoka

Atoka has five city parks: Adkison Park, Atoka Greenway Trail, Nancy Lane Park, Pioneer Park, and Walker Park. Each park has its own history and distinctive recreational facilities.

Adkison Park

Atoka's first park, Adkison Park, was established as a project for the Tennessee Homecoming '86 celebration. It is just over an acre in size. It has a 1/8th mile asphalt lighted walking track, a playground feature shaped like a train, picnic tables, benches, and a memorial plaza area. The memorial plaza area is a memorial area dedicated to the memory of Seargent Joseph B. Adkison. The Bobby McDill Scout Hut, home base of

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

Troop 60 of Atoka, is located within Adkison Park.

Atoka Greenway Trail

The Atoka Greenway Trail is a planned connection between Walker Park and Pioneer Park. "On June 25, 2013, Governor Bill Haslam announced that Atoka had received a $400,000 Transportation Alternatives grant to fund Phase I of the Atoka Greenway Trail project."

Nancy Lane Park

Nancy Lane Park is nearly 42 acres in size. It is named in honor of long-time Atoka resident, Alderman, and dedicated park supporter Nancy Lane. It has a full size caboose, a wooded nature trail, a large playground, pavilions, picnic tables, an 18-hole disc golf course, a 4 diamond softball complex with a concession stand, and restrooms. Nancy Lane Park is the home of the Atoka Dixie Youth Softball program and served as host for the 2014 Dixie Youth Softball World Series.

Pioneer Park

Pioneer Park is more than 6.5 acres. It has a 1/3 mile lighted walking track, a playground, picnic tables, and a fishing pond with a fountain. "A nearly 2 acre pond with fountain feature is the central focus of the park, with the walking trail ringing the pond."

Walker Park

Walker Park is more than 60 acres. It is named in honor of long-time Mayor Charles Walker. It has restrooms, a 1.15 mile walking track, a playground, pavilions, picnic tables, concession stand, splash pad, lighted athletic field, and sand volleyball courts.

Legal planning area of Town of Atoka

In the unincorporated area to the East of the city limits, the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and code enforcement office of the Town of Atoka has a certain amount

planning permission Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building per ...

control over th
planning area

Transportation routes

Railroad

The Canadian National Railway is the current railroad company that owns the rails going through Atoka. This railroad runs from

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, U.S.A., to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, U.S.A., and into

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The

City of New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

passenger

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...

, still makes one trip to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

and another trip back to New Orleans each day, through Atoka. The previous railway owner was

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

. To visitors, the railroad in Atoka may seem inactive, but the rail system is busy with regular traffic in 2019.

Highways

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Highw ...

passes through the western edge of the Town of Atoka, from Shelby County to the south and the town of Brighton to the north. The City of Munford meets the Town of Atoka city limits to the west and in the center of Highway 51. Highway 51 is the route south to Millington, the downtown area of Memphis. and north through Covington, Ripley, and Dyersburg.Randolph Tennessee State Route 14 or Highway 14 or Austin Peay Highway is west of Atoka. Highway 14 goes south into the Raleigh area where Methodist North is located. It runs north to help drivers get to Brownsville. South of Millington, or about a twenty-minute drive, is

Tennessee State Route 385 State Route 385 (SR 385) is the designation for two separate segments of state highway in the Memphis Metropolitan Area in Shelby County in West Tennessee, which with Interstate 269 (I-269) forms a semicircle around and through the Me ...

. Many of the areas in Shelby County can be reached from 385.

Mississippi River

Although Atoka is only about 19 minutes away from the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

at Randolph, the closest bridge that allows a car to travel to Arkansas is almost 40 minutes away - the

Hernando de Soto Bridge The Hernando de Soto Bridge is a tied-arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. The design is a continuous cantilevered cable-stayed steel through arch, with beds ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

. The next closest bridge is located in Dyersburg.

Geography

The town of Atoka is located at (35.424740, -89.782652). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, in 2010 the municipality had a total area of . The total area of land was and the total of water was . Tipton County Tennessee incorporated and unincorporated areas Atoka highlighted

Tipton County Tennessee incorporated and unincorporated areas Atoka highlighted

Atoka, Tennessee is located in Tipton County, Tennessee. The County south of Tipton County is Shelby County where the city of Memphis, Tennessee is located. Tipton County is located in the Tennessee Grand Division of West Tennessee. The map of the United States gives a view of where Tennessee is located within the contiguous United States. Map of West Tennessee counties

The

defines the western border of the state of Tennessee. The Tennessee counties that have the Mississippi River as their western boundary are Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale, Dyer, and Lake Counties. Atoka is located just east of the Mississippi River.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 10,008 people, 2,942 households, and 2,395 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 3,235 people, 1,075 households, and 935 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 485.0 people per square mile (187.3/km²). There were 1,145 housing units at an average density of 171.7 per square mile (66.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.88%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 9.30%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.31% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.67% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.10% of the population. There were 1,075 households, out of which 49.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.6% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.0% were non-families. 11.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.24. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $58,583, and the median income for a family was $61,643. Males had a median income of $38,721 versus $24,487 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $19,644. About 3.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Atoka Public Schools are part of Tipton County Schools. The Tipton County School District has eight elementary schools, five middle schools and four high schools. Atoka Elementary School, opened in 2008, is located in Atoka. Younger students in the Atoka area may attend any of various public schools. Dr. John Combs is the Director of Schools.

References

External links

*
Official site

Parks
{{Authority control Towns in Tipton County, Tennessee