Senatobia, Mississippi

Senatobia is a city in and the county seat of Tate County, Mississippi, and is the 15th largest municipality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area. The population was 8,165 at the 2010 census.

Senatobia is the home of Northwest Mississippi Community College, a state community college that provides two-year academic and technical degree programs. Northwest's system-wide enrollment exceeds 8,000 on three campuses in Senatobia, Southaven and Oxford. Also located in Senatobia is the Baddour Center, a residential care facility for intellectually disabled adults.

History

On April 13, 1834 early settler James Peters purchased two sections of land from the Chickasaw Nation for the sum of $1.25 per acre. This land was later developed as the town of Senatobia. The name Senatobia, given by Charles Meriweather, was derived from the Indian word Senatohoba, which means “White Sycamore”—a symbol of "rest for the weary."

Senatobia received its charter as a municipality in 1860. Tate County was organized in 1873, during the Reconstruction era. During the Civil War, the town's business section was burned twice by Federal troops.