Smithville

History

Smithville is located on lands purchased from Chickasaw chief Che-lah-cha-chubby in 1836. The town is named for William Smith, an early settler who established a store at the site around 1840. The town was incorporated in 1845. On April 27, 2011, at approximately 3:45 p.m. CDT, an EF5 tornado struck the town with winds which were estimated to have peaked at . and 40 people were injured. In total, 117 structures were destroyed and 50 more sustained major damage from the storm in Monroe County alone, before the tornado continued into Itawamba County. In Smithville, an SUV was lofted and thrown a half mile into the water tower, making a dent, before being carried even further downwind. Other damage included the destruction of the city hall, post office, police station, and four churches, along with appliances and plumbing fixtures being shredded or ripped away from foundations and numerous granite tombstones being knocked down.

Geography

Smithville is located in northern Monroe County at (34.068605, -88.395486). The town is situated along the east bank of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The waterway's Glover Wilkins Lock is located just downstream (west). Mississippi Highway 25 traverses Smithville, connecting the town with Fulton to the north and Amory to the south. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 7.71%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  138
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  130
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  130
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  114
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  110
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  98
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  93
• Eastern Towhee

  Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  92

Largest nearby schools

• HATLEY HIGH SCHOOL
  Other · AMORY · 972 students · 12.5:1 ratio
• SMITHVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
  Other · SMITHVILLE · 540 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• AMORY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · Amory · 456 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• EAST AMORY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Amory · 372 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• WEST AMORY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Amory · 359 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• AMORY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · Amory · 331 students · 12.7:1 ratio
• AMORY CAREER TECHNICAL CENTER
  High · Amory

Most recent

• M 2.52 — 2022-12-24
  5 km ENE of Booneville, Mississippi
• M 2.55 — 2020-10-15
  1 km W of Belk, Alabama
• M 2.87 — 2020-06-25
  4 km NNW of Berry, Alabama
• M 2.79 — 2018-07-06
  0 km WSW of Muscle Shoals, Alabama
• M 2.62 — 2016-01-15
  8 km ENE of Natural Bridge, Alabama
• M 2.7 — 2013-03-02
  7 km NNW of Oakman, Alabama