Collierville, Tennessee

History

The second oldest town in Shelby County, Collierville was laid out in 1836 and named after 19th century businessman Jesse R. Collier, who bought land and advertised it as "The Town of Collier". The original town was chartered in 1850 during the Richard Ramsey mayoral administration.

American Civil War

Main article: First Battle of Collierville

Two significant battles were fought at Collierville during the American Civil War. The first came on October 11, 1863, when Confederate Brigadier-General James Chalmers's division of 3,000 cavalrymen attacked the U.S. federal garrison protecting the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. The garrison, defended by U.S. Army Major-General William T. Sherman, successfully repulsed the Confederates.

Main article: Second Battle of Collierville

The second battle was fought on November 3, 1863, when Chalmers was again repulsed, this time by Colonel Edward Hatch. Chalmers withdrew a second time to North Mississippi. The railroad remained open to Tuscumbia, Alabama, for federal troop movements. Estimated casualties were 60 on the side of the Union and 95 on the side of the Confederacy. Because of Sherman's participation in the first engagement, his monument in Washington, D.C. lists "Colliersville" as one of his battles. Federal commanders referred to the settlement as "Colliersville" in official reports.

Collierville sustained severe damage during the American Civil War and the original settlement was completely destroyed. Rechartered in 1870 during the James B. Abington mayoral administration; Collierville's population increased with help from the cotton, dairy, and manufacturing industries.

Kroger incident

Main article: Collierville Kroger shooting

On September 23, 2021, thirteen people were shot and two killed, including the gunman, in a mass shooting at a local Kroger store. Collierville Police Chief Dale Lane labeled it "the most horrific event that's occurred in Collierville history."

Geography

Collierville is located at (35.054366, -89.682306). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.6 sqmi, of which 24.5 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi, or 0.41%, is water.

Major thoroughfares

• Interstate 269
• Nonconnah/Bill Morris Parkway (State Route 385)
• U. S. Route 72 (Poplar Avenue)/Tennessee State Route 86
• State Route 57 (Poplar Avenue)
• State Route 175 (Byhalia Road, Collierville Road, S Houston Levee Road, and E Shelby Drive)
• State Route 205 (Collierville-Arlington Road)

Climate

Collierville has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons. The summer months (late May to late September) are persistently hot (between 68 °F and 95 °F) and humid due to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico. Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent during some summers, but usually brief, lasting no longer than an hour. Early Autumn is pleasantly drier and mild, but can remain hot until late October.

Abrupt but short-lived cold snaps are common. Late Autumn is rainy and colder, with December being the third rainiest month of the year. Fall foliage becomes especially vibrant after the first frost, typically November, and lasts until early December. Winters are mild, but cold snaps can occur. The official all-time record low temperature was -13.0 °F (-25.0 °C), which occurred on December 24, 1963. Mild spells are sometimes warm with temperatures as high as 75 °F (23 °C) during January and February. Snowfall is not abundant but does occur during most winters, with an annual average of 5.7 inches (14.4 cm) at the airport.

Spring often begins in late February or early March, following the onset of a sharp warmup. This season is also known as "severe weather season" due to the higher frequency of tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorms producing winds greater than 58 mph (93 km/h). Collierville is above the Tennessee state average for Tornado activity, and 188% of the average for the US. Historically, April is the month with the highest frequency of tornadoes, though tornadoes have occurred every month of the year.

Collierville is sunny approximately 64% of the time. Average rainfall is slightly higher during the spring months than the rest of the year, but not to any noticeable extent. Collierville receives around 55 inches of rainfall every year.

|Jan record high F = 76 |Feb record high F = 79 |Mar record high F = 86 |Apr record high F = 93 |May record high F = 95 |Jun record high F = 101 |Jul record high F = 103 |Aug record high F = 106 |Sep record high F = 100 |Oct record high F = 97 |Nov record high F = 87 |Dec record high F = 78

|Jan avg record high F = 68.9 |Feb avg record high F = 72.3 |Mar avg record high F = 80.7 |Apr avg record high F = 86.1 |May avg record high F = 90.9 |Jun avg record high F = 95.3 |Jul avg record high F = 97.4 |Aug avg record high F = 98.1 |Sep avg record high F = 94.1 |Oct avg record high F = 88.9 |Nov avg record high F = 78.3 |Dec avg record high F = 71.9 |year avg record high F = 99.3

|Jan avg record low F = 13.7 |Feb avg record low F = 17.8 |Mar avg record low F = 23.9 |Apr avg record low F = 34.0 |May avg record low F = 44.9 |Jun avg record low F = 57.5 |Jul avg record low F = 62.3 |Aug avg record low F = 60.2 |Sep avg record low F = 49.9 |Oct avg record low F = 33.6 |Nov avg record low F = 24.3 |Dec avg record low F = 18.9 |year avg record low F = 11.7

|Jan record low F = 5 |Feb record low F = 8 |Mar record low F = 12 |Apr record low F = 26 |May record low F = 37 |Jun record low F = 47 |Jul record low F = 58 |Aug record low F = 50 |Sep record low F = 38 |Oct record low F = 28 |Nov record low F = 15 |Dec record low F = 12

|access-date = May 10, 2023 |access-date = May 10, 2023

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 51,324 people, 17,204 households, and 14,078 families residing in the town.

2019

According to the Census Bureau's population estimates, there were 50,086 people residing in Collierville in 2019, up from 31,872 people in 2000. The racial makeup of the town was 72.7% White, 13.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, and 9.3% Asian, with small amounts of Pacific Islander, other races, and people from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 17,204 occupied housing units in 2019, out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 20 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

Economy

Collierville is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metropolitan area. As such, the town's economy is highly interconnected with the greater Memphis region. Notable employers include regional leaders like FedEx, while local manufacturing facilities, such as Carrier, bring workers to the town. Approximately 67.2% of the town's population is in the civilian labor force (i.e., the share of the town's population over the age of 16 that is employed or unemployed but searching for employment), and about 3.9% of the town's population lived below the poverty line in 2019.

Household Income

In 2019, approximately 56.6% of the town's population earned more than $100,000, with 23.9% earning between $100,000 and $149,999, 14.1% earning between $150,000 and $199,999, and 18.2% earning above $200,000.

Housing

The average value of housing in Collierville, TN in 2017 was estimated to be $286,700, whereas market listings in 2021 estimate a value of approximately $433,000 following a steep increase in housing prices.

Education

Of residents 25 years of age and older, 96% have a high school diploma or higher, 51.8% have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 18.2% have a graduate or professional degree. Of current students, 95.6% attend public schools and 4.4% attend private schools. Public schools have been under the jurisdiction of Collierville Schools since 2014, before which Collierville was served by Shelby County Schools until an August 2012 vote that passed with 10,615 (87%) votes to 1,519 (13%) laid the foundation for an independent district. Private schools include St. George's Independent School, the Goddard School, Central Learning Center, Collierville Methodist Preschool, and Incarnation Catholic School. In higher education, the University of Memphis formerly had a Collierville branch located on Poplar Avenue.

Elementary schools

• Bailey Station Elementary School
• Collierville Elementary School
• Crosswind Elementary School
• Sycamore Elementary School
• Tara Oaks Elementary School
• Schilling Farms Elementary School

Middle schools

• Collierville Middle School
• West Collierville Middle School

High schools

• Collierville High School

Culture

Collierville's downtown area and town square have been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1990, The Collierville Farmers Market has assembled in the parking lot of Collierville United Methodist Church since 2009.

The Collierville Burch Library—officially the Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch Jr. Library—is the town's municipal library. Collierville's first library opened in 1956 with three thousand books, but despite expansions, the facility could not keep pace with its growing book collection. The current library campus, adjacent to the town hall, opened in March 2001. The Harrell Theatre—under the authority of the Collierville Arts Council, founded in 1987—is the local center for performing arts. The city whitewashes its role it had in owning up to its own racial past. It was a rail hub for farmers to get to the river or Corinth. Thousands of slaves worked loading and unloading train cars. They were finally paid after Union troops liberated the area from the Southern Democrat traitors.

Notable people

• Emery Adams, pitcher for the Memphis Red Sox
• Hunter Bradley, former NFL long snapper for the Green Bay Packers
• Morgan Cox, NFL long snapper for the Tennessee Titans, Super Bowl XLVII champion
• Zack Cozart, former MLB shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds
• Bill Dance, professional fisherman, Outdoor Channel TV host
• Nick Marable, folkstyle and freestyle wrestler, represented USA at 2014 World Wrestling Championships
• Nikki McCray, former WNBA basketball player and coach, Old Dominion
• Ben McDaniel, missing scuba diver
• J. Washington Moore, lawyer and politician
• Major Owens, New York politician
• Drew Pomeranz, MLB pitcher for many teams, including San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox
• Olan Rogers, comedian
• Marv Throneberry, former MLB first baseman for the New York Mets

References

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