Walls, Mississippi

Infobox Settlement


mapsize = 175px
map_caption = Location of Walls in the State of Mississippi
official_name = Walls, Mississippi
nickname = Where the Delta Meets the Bluff
motto =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = Mississippi
subdivision_name2 = DeSoto
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Gene Alday
established_title = Town
established_date = 2003
area_magnitude =
TotalArea_sq_mi =
area_total =
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area_land =
WaterArea_sq_mi =
area_water =
population_as_of = 2005 estimate
population_note =
population_total = 452
population_urban =
population_density =
population_density_mi2 =
timezone = CST
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
latd= |latm= |lats= |latNS=
longd= |longm=11 |longs= |longEW=
elevation =
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website = http://www.townofwalls.com
footnotes = Walls, is a town located in northwest DeSoto County, Mississippi near the Mississippi River, part of the larger region known as "The Delta", and known for its rich, dark soil.

History

A relatively young community, Walls was originally named Alpika, an old Chickasaw Indian word. The name was changed to Walls in 1906.

Walls was named after Captain June Walls who served in the Civil War. Captain Walls was an early settler and merchant of the region in the 1880s.

The historic trail of Hernando de Soto leads through DeSoto County to Walls.

Today, Walls is a community rich in agriculture. Cotton, soybeans, rice and corn are planted each spring. The railroad played a big part in the growth of the area in the early to mid 1900s. The mechanical revolution of the 1950s and 60's changed Walls. With the advent of tractors and modern farming equipment, the face of this community was changed forever.

The town is home to noted blues singer Memphis Minnie, who came from Algiers, Louisiana to play the Memphis Beale Street circuit in 1904. She won top female vocalist in the first "Blue's Unlimited" Reader's Poll in 1973. In 1980, she was elected to the Hall of Fame at the inaugural W.C. Handy Awards. Memphis Minnie died August 6, 1973 and is buried in New Hope Cemetery in Walls. Her headstone was made possible by contributions from Bonnie Raitt and John Fogerty.

A significant part of the community is the Sacred Heart League, operator of the Sacred Heart School in Walls. The league raised funds through the sale of a famous statue of Jesus Christ. In the 1960s, the statue could be found on the dashboards of vehicles across America.

The Town of Walls, which has been a community since the early 1900s, is inexorably connected to the tiny village of Memphis which was incorporated in the early 1970s and is located just south of the Walls community. In 2003, the Village of Memphis annexed a large portion of the Walls area, thereby giving the Town of Walls the official status of a municipality. Today Walls is experiencing a population and economic resurgence under the leadership of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen.

Geography

Average Temperatures:January = 39.4 FJuly = 81.1 F

ubdivisions

*Kaitlin Ridge
*Mallard Park
*Encore
*Holly Hills
*The Landing
*Lake Forest
*Twin Lakes
*Delta Bluffs

Neighboring Cities

*Memphis, Tennessee
*Horn Lake, Mississippi
*Robinsonville, Mississippi (Tunica)
*Lynchburg, Mississippi

Education

The Town of Walls is served by the DeSoto County School District.

econdary Schools

*Lake Cormorant Middle School
*Lake Cormorant High School (expected by 2009)

Elementary Schools

*Walls Elementary
*Lake Cormorant Elementary

Growth and Expansion

Riverbend Crossing Development

Planned to include a convert|200|acre|km2|sing=on MGM entertainment district, three hotels, four golf courses, a convert|600|acre|km2|sing=on lake, 6,750 single family houses and 2,750 multi-family housing units including townhouses, apartments and condominiums; and a convert|300|acre|km2|sing=on technology/light industrial park.
* [http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2007/06/04/news/news09.txt PROJECT UPDATE]

Leatherman Development

The Leatherman family has begun to develop industrial, commercial and residential projects in the middle of Walls. The first industrial tenant, Sigma Supply Co. is moving into a new convert|254000|sqft|m2|sing=on building off US 61 and Star Landing Road in the Leatherman convert|325|acre|km2|sing=on industrial park. Sigma Supply is a distributor of industrial and packaging equipment and facilities supplies. The convert|1900|acre|km2|sing=on Leatherman Planned Unit Development in Walls also touts a new elementary school with 900 students, which is scheduled to open in August 2008, joining Lake Cormorant middle school that currently has 700 students. A high school is scheduled to open in 2009. A residential development of 117 single-family homes by Sweeney Bronze LLC , a joint venture between developers Jeff Bronze and Jeff Sweeney is under way and will be open in the fall of 2007. The homes will range in price from around $160,000 to $200,000 and will be located off Star Landing Road adjoining Lake Cormorant Elementary. ^[2]

References

1. http://www.townofwalls.com
2. http://www.memphisdailynews.com/Editorial/StoryFocus.aspx?&id=90813

External links

* [http://www.riverbendcrossing.net/ Riverbend Crossing] , Official Riverbend Crossing Site
* [http://www.townofwalls.com/ Town of Walls] , Official Website
* [http://www.wallsfiredept.org/ Walls Fire Dept] , Official Website
* [http://www.desoto.k12.ms.us/ DeSoto County Schools]
* [http://www.goDeSoto.com/ Go DeSoto] , DeSoto County's premier online community portal
* [http://www.desotoms.com/ http://www.desotoms.com] , official DeSoto County website