Ripley is a city in Tippah County,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, United States. The population was 5,395 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Tippah County. Colonel William Clark Falkner, great-grandfather of authors

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

and

John Faulkner John Philip Faulkner (born 12 April 1954) is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1989 to 2015. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments. After his election to ...

, was a prominent resident of Ripley in the mid to late-19th century. W.C. Falkner's exploits in and around Ripley served as the model for Faulkner's character of Colonel John

Sartoris ''Sartoris'' is a Southern Gothic novel, first published in 1929, by the American author William Faulkner. It portrays the decay of the Mississippi aristocracy following the social upheaval of the American Civil War. The 1929 edition is an a ...

. Ripley is located in the Hills region of North Mississippi, an important region for the birth of American music. The area is known as the birthplace of the

hill country blues Hill country blues (also known as North Mississippi hill country blues or North Mississippi blues) is a regional style of country blues. It is characterized by a strong emphasis on rhythm and percussion, steady guitar riffs, few chord changes, ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.35%) is water.

Climate

Demographics

Tippah County Cooperative - NARA - 280388

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,462 people, 1,735 households, and 1,100 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 5,478 people, 2,174 households, and 1,441 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,334 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 75.65%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 19.90%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.20% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.34% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.91% of the population. There were 2,174 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,728, and the median income for a family was $31,174. Males had a median income of $26,275 versus $20,160 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,979. About 18.3% of families and 21.0% 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 ...

, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 21.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Ripley is served by the

South Tippah School District The South Tippah School District is a public school district based in Ripley, Mississippi (USA). In addition to Ripley, the district also serves the towns of Dumas and Blue Mountain as well as rural areas in southern Tippah County. Schools ...

. The Ripley school system includes Ripley Elementary School, Ripley Middle School and Ripley High School.

Culture

Historic district

The Ripley Historic District in central Ripley is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

First Monday Trade Day

Ripley is the home of the First Monday Trade Day held the weekend prior to the first Monday of every month. It is one of the oldest outdoor flea markets in the United States. It started around the turn of the 20th century at the old square but is now held south of Ripley along Highway 15 across from the Tippah County Fair Grounds. It has seen publicity by various news channels over the years for its tolerance of a controversial live animal market housed at the back edge of the trading grounds.

William Faulkner Festival

There is an annual walking tour of historic

sites during Ripley's annual Faulkner Festival in early November. But it is not celebrated widely throughout Ripley.

Notable people

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, lawyer, and former politician, known for his best-selling legal thrillers. According to the Academy of Achievement, American Academy of Achievement, Grisham has written 37 ...

: author who attended Ripley Elementary School * Jim Miller: American football punter * Carroll Roberson: Award-winning gospel music artist resides in Ripley * Kendall Simmons: offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers * Robert Bruce Smith, IV: ''

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal The ''Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal'' is the largest daily newspaper in northeast Mississippi, United States. It was first published in 1872. It is based in Tupelo, Mississippi Tupelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, ...

'' columnist * Thomas Spight: U.S. Representative * Lee Yancey: State Senator

References

External links

City of Ripley, Mississippi Website
{{authority control Cities in Mississippi Cities in Tippah County, Mississippi County seats in Mississippi