Fulton is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Itawamba County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, United States. The population was 3,961 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Tupelo Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Fulton was established in 1837 as a county seat for the newly created Itawamba County. It is named for

Robert Fulton Robert Fulton (November 14, 1765 – February 24, 1815) was an American engineer and inventor who is widely credited with developing the world's first commercially successful steamboat, the (also known as ''Clermont''). In 1807, that steamboa ...

, inventor of the steamboat. File:Fulton, Mississippi, United States - c. 1890s.jpg, Fulton, c. 1890s File:Lion Service Station - NARA - 280566.jpg, Fulton, 1938

Geography

Fulton is located west of the center of Itawamba County at (34.266110, -88.401358). It is bordered to the west by the

Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway The Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway (popularly known as the Tenn-Tom) is a artificial U.S. waterway built in the 20th century from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system near Demopolis, Alabama. The Tenne ...

Interstate 22 Interstate 22 (I-22) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of Mississippi and Alabama, connecting I-269 near Byhalia, Mississippi, to I-65 near Birmingham, Alabama. I-22 is also Corridor X of the Appalachian Development Highway System. ...

/ U.S. Route 78 passes through the southern part of the city, with access from Exit 104 (S. Adams Street). I-22 leads west to

Tupelo Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...

and east to Hamilton, Alabama.

Mississippi Highway 25 Mississippi Highway 25 (MS 25) runs from I-55 in Jackson, Mississippi to the Tennessee state line north of Iuka. The largely controlled-access part from Jackson to Starkville connects the state capital with the main campus of Mississippi State ...

passes through the southeastern part of Fulton, leading south to Smithville and north to Belmont. 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 ...

, Fulton has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.46%, are water.

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 4,542 people, 1,255 households, and 797 families residing in the city.

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 3,882 people, 1,357 households, and 891 families residing in the city. 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 450.3 people per square mile (173.9/km²). There were 1,508 housing units at an average density of 174.9 per square mile (67.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.69%

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 ...

, 14.61%

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.28% 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 0.67% 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 ...

or Latino of any race were 1.26% of the population. There were 1,357 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.7% under the age of 18, 21.3% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 82.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,449, and the median income for a family was $42,287. Males had a median income of $33,490 versus $23,278 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 city was $15,540. About 9.7% of families and 16.9% 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 21.4% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Fulton is served by the

Itawamba County School District The Itawamba County School District is a public school district based in Fulton, Mississippi, United States. The district's boundaries parallel that of Itawamba County. Schools *Tremont Attendance Center (grades K-12), Former Principal Dawn R ...

Media

* W39CA-D Channel 39 TV is a

Unity Broadcasting Network The Unity Broadcasting Network is an over-the-air religious television network. The company is headquartered in Booneville, Mississippi, and individual transmitter stations are located in Mississippi and Tennessee. Programming The Unity Broadcasti ...

station.

Infrastructure

The

Mississippian Railway The Mississippian Railway is a short line railroad operating from Amory, Mississippi, to Fulton, Mississippi. It is owned and operated by the Itawamba County Railroad Authority. The MSRW interchanges with the BNSF Railway at Amory, Mississip ...

provides rail service to local companies. The

provides water transportation for industries in Fulton.

Notable people

* Donnie Bell, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives *

Brian Dozier James Brian Dozier (;born May 15, 1987) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. The Minnesota Twins selected Dozier in the eighth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2012 and he played in ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

infielder * Roy Gregory, former head football coach for Austin Peay State University *

Jimmie Lunceford James Melvin Lunceford (June 6, 1902 – July 12, 1947) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era. Early life Lunceford was born on a farm in the Evergreen community, west of the Tombigbee River, near Fulton, Mi ...

, jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era * Ally Ewing (nee McDonald), professional golfer on LPGA Tour * Maikhail Miller, former American football quarterback *

Vernon Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

, father of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

* Chad Ramey, professional golfer who plays on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

* Lyonel Thomas Senter Jr., U.S. federal judge * Samuel M. Taylor, congressman from

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

* Peggy Welch, member of the Indiana House of Representatives

References

{{authority control Cities in Mississippi Cities in Itawamba County, Mississippi County seats in Mississippi Cities in Tupelo micropolitan area