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History · Tunica

Tunica’s post office opened in 1860, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 121 buildings. Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 1890.

1860first post office
1on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Tunica began

When was Tunica founded?

1860

The Tunica post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 198 in 18902020 census: 1,026166 years
Founding year: the first Tunica post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Tunica’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Tunica Historic District takes in 121 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Tunica are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,685 in 1970; 1,026 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 121 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
121
each building in a district counts
first listed
2006
Tunica Historic District
Tunica Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Colonial Revival1
Tudor Revival1
Romanesque Revival1
Bungalow1
All 1 listings
Tunica Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2006

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Tunica’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tunica’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Tunica, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,8001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,685

Peaked at 1,685 in 1970; 1,026 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Tunica’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Tunica came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Tunica.

Read it all →

The community derives its name from the Tunica Indians which once were numerous in the area. Tunica is the fourth community to serve as county seat of Tunica County, succeeding earlier county seats at Commerce (1839–1842, 1842–1847), Peyton (1842, temporary) and Austin (1847–1888).

Tunica gained national attention for its deprived neighborhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open sewer located there. Its fortunes have improved since development of a gambling resort area nearby during the early 1990s. While population growth has taken place mostly outside Tunica, the major casinos employ numerous locals. They attract visitors from nearby Memphis, Tennessee, West Memphis, Arkansas and all over the Southeastern United States.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Tunica, 1860 to 1992

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1860Post officeThe Tunica post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1925Born hereDoctor Ross is born here
  5. 1935Born hereJames Cotton is born here
  6. 1939On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1951Born hereCharlaine Harris is born here
  8. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,685
  9. 1992Born hereBenardrick McKinney is born here
By decade

Tunica, decade by decade

Today18 recent
A series of gaudy casinos light up the night in what, in daylight, would appear to be an unremarkable and remote corner…2016A series of gaudy casinos light up the night in what,…Sign at the welcome station2016Sign at the welcome stationThe 1894 Tunica County jail2016The 1894 Tunica County jailA farm vehicle kicks up dust in a field near Tunica, Mississippi2016A farm vehicle kicks up dust in a field near Tunica, …The Blue & White Restaurant after dark2016The Blue & White Restaurant after darkA golfer prepares to putt at a Tunica National Golf and Tennis Club green2016A golfer prepares to putt at a Tunica National Golf a…The Commerce Boulevard Christian Church2016The Commerce Boulevard Christian ChurchTunica County Courthouse2016Tunica County CourthouseTunicaMSTownSign2016TunicaMSTownSignCrenshaw MS 0192012Crenshaw MS 019Tunica MS 05 Antique Tunica Police Car2009Tunica MS 05 Antique Tunica Police CarTunica MS 04 Antique Tunica Police Car2009Tunica MS 04 Antique Tunica Police CarTunica MS 03 Antique Tunica Police Car2009Tunica MS 03 Antique Tunica Police CarTunica MS 02 Historic Downtown Park2009Tunica MS 02 Historic Downtown ParkTunica MS 01 Historic Downtown Park2009Tunica MS 01 Historic Downtown ParkTUNICA HISTORIC DISTRICT, TUNICA COUNTY, MS2008TUNICA HISTORIC DISTRICT, TUNICA COUNTY, MSIdolandstevens2003IdolandstevensBooker T. & the M.G.'s Tunica, Mississippi 20022002Booker T. & the M.G.'s Tunica, Mississippi 2002
On the map

Tunica on the map, 1939 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Tunica. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Tunica on the 1939 USGS mapTunica on the 1955 USGS mapTunica on the 1975 USGS mapTunica on the 1981 USGS map1939Clayton sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Tunica.

Every building

Tunica, building by building, 1918

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Tunica fire insurance map, 1918, sheet 11918Sheet 1 of 3
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Tunica

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Charlaine HarrisAmerican writer · b. 1951
James CottonAmerican blues singer-songwriter · b. 1935
D
Doctor RossAmerican blues singer, guitarist, harmonica pla… · b. 1925
Benardrick McKinneyAmerican football player · b. 1992
C
Clara BurnettAmerican politician · b. 1941
Vivian CarterAmerican businesswoman · b. 1921
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

North TunicaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Tunica’s history

What year was Tunica founded?

The Tunica post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Tunica?

One place: the Tunica Historic District (listed 2006).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (8), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.