North Mississippi Communities

Alcorn County
Did You Know? Borroum’s Drug Store was founded in 1865 and is Mississippi’s oldest continuously operated drug store, where sodas are still prepared the old-fashioned way.

Benton County
Did You Know? Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest of Civil War fame was reared in Benton County and was pronounced by military historians and critics alike to be the foremost cavalry officer ever produced in America.

Calhoun County
Did You Know? Vardaman is the Sweet Potato Capital of the world. Each year in November the Sweet Potato Festival is held in Vardaman.

Chickasaw County (Chickasaw Development Foundation and Okolona Area Chamber of Commerce)
Did You Know? Chickasaw County was named for the great Indian tribe that occupied the northern part of Mississippi.

Choctaw County
Did You Know? Ackerman is ranked 20th nationally in the best places to raise kids for less.

Clay County
Did You Know? The first national bird dog field trials in America were held in February, 1896, at historic Waverley Plantation (ca. 1852) on the Tombigbee River (now the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway) in Clay County.

DeSoto County
Did You Know? The former Pigeon Roost Road (now Hwy 178) near Olive Branch was named for the millions of the now-extinct carrier pigeons that nested along the Nonconnah River bottoms.

Grenada County
Did You Know? Grenada Lake, at 36,000 acres, is the largest man-made body of water in Mississippi.

Itawamba County
Did You Know? This county was named for the Chickasaw leader Levi Colbert who was also known as Itawamba.

Kemper County
Did You Know? Longtime U.S. Senator John C. Stennis (1947-1989) was born in Kemper County.

Lafayette County
Did You Know? The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and the City of Oxford hosted the first presidential debate for the 2008 national election, the first U.S. election in which an African-American has been a candidate for the presidency.

Lee County
Did You Know? Tupelo is the birthplace of the “King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis Presley.

Lowndes County
Did You Know? Columbus and Lowndes County claim many firsts. The first Memorial Day took place in Columbus. The city is home to Mississippi's first public school and the first public institution of higher education for women. Lowndes County is the first home of playwright Tennessee Williams and of running back Jerry Rice.

Marshall County
Did You Know? Marshall County is named for United States Chief Justice John Marshall.

Monroe County
Did You Know? In the 1830s the legislature gave most of the Chickasaw lands to Monroe County, making it the largest county in the state and known as “Mother Monroe.”   Twenty-five counties would later be formed from it.

Neshoba County
Did You Know? The oldest field game in America is stickball, played by the Choctaw Indians of Mississippi. Demonstrations of this sport can be seen each year at the annual Choctaw Indian Fair held in July on the Choctaw Indian Reservation in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Noxubee County
Did You Know? Macon, the county seat, was founded on February 9, 1833, as Taladega. The name was changed to Macon on August 10, 1835.

Oktibbeha County
Did You Know? The John Grisham Room at Mississippi State University in Starkville houses the only complete collection in America of this Mississippi authors’ papers and publications, including signed works, international editions, and manuscripts.

Panola County
Did You Know? The South Panola Tigers, also known as the University of South Panola in Batesville, Mississippi, held the 3rd-longest winning streak record in 5A high school football in the nation at 89-0.

Pontotoc County
Did You Know? Famous outlaws Jesse and Frank James and their notorious gang once hid at an old house that was used as a Union Army Hospital during the Battle of Harrisburg. The house was located at a crossroads in eastern Pontotoc County.

Prentiss County
Did You Know? The Cunningham House located in Booneville, MS, is the actual house where General Nathan Bedford Forrest planned the Battle of Brice’s Crossroads, which took place on June 10, 1864.

Tallahatchie County
Did You Know? Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman currently resides in Charleston, MS.

Tate County
Did You Know? Actor James Earl Jones, famous for being the voice of Darth Vader, was born in Tate County.

Tippah County
Did You Know? First Monday Trade Days Flea Market is the oldest continuously running outdoor flea market in the United States.  It began in July, 1893, and has never missed a month since it started more than 115 years ago.  It is also the 5th largest flea market in the U.S. and is attended by an average of 40,000 people each month.

Tishomingo County
Did You Know? Aqua Yacht Harbor is America's third largest freshwater marina. Aqua was number one until 2007.

Union County
Did You Know? New Albany is the birthplace of the celebrated Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner.

Webster County
Did You Know? Webster County residents seeking to further their education can take advantage of financial assistance provided by the E. H. Summers Foundation. One of Mississippi's largest privately funded foundations for support of higher education, the trust provides financial aid for undergraduate, graduate, and even continuing education studies.

Winston County
Did You Know? Winston County is named for the military leader Louis Winston.

Yalobusha County
Did You Know? Water Valley is the watermelon capital of the world.