Ripley, Tennessee
Location of Ripley, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°44′35″N 89°32′2″W / 35.74306, -89.53389
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Lauderdale
Area
- Total	12.8 sq mi (33.3 km²)
- Land	12.8 sq mi (33.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	446 ft (136 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	7,844
- Density	612.3/sq mi (236.4/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	38063
Area code(s)	731
FIPS code	47-63340[1]
GNIS feature ID	1299470[2]

Ripley is a city in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,844 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County^[3]. The current mayor is Jon Pavletic.

Geography

Ripley is located at 35°44′35″N, 89°32′2″W (35.743115, -89.533872)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33.3 km²), of which, 12.8 square miles (33.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.31%) is water.

Ripley is situated on the southeastern edge of the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area with a high earthquake risk.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 7,844 people, 3,142 households, and 2,054 families residing in the city. The population density was 612.3 people per square mile (236.4/km²). There were 3,397 housing units at an average density of 265.2/sq mi (102.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 51.56% White, 46.81% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

There were 3,142 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,662, and the median income for a family was $34,183. Males had a median income of $31,321 versus $20,661 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,710. About 22.1% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.1% of those under age 18 and 27.5% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Logo of the Lauderdale County Tomato Festival

Lauderdale County Tomato Festival

The Lauderdale County Tomato Festival is an annual celebration of the tomato in Ripley, Lauderdale County which attracts much attention in the Mid-South.

Other Annual Events

Ripley is also home to the annual Labor Day, Memorial Day, and Christmas parades.

Civic services

Ripley Parks & Recreation

Ripley Park (Ripley Pool And Waterslide)

Facilities include: pool with waterslide, playground equipment, four rentable pavilions, grills, restrooms, baseball field, large grassy areas with well-kept fauna, jogging trail, park office, ample parking, soda machines, and public telephones. The park is located at 200 Mary Robert.

East side of Ripley Park shortly after the Lauderdale County Fair.

TKS Fitness Center

TKS Fitness Center is Ripley's sole, membership required fitness center. The fitness center is located at 200 Knee Street, near Ripley High School.

Notable natives

• Sleepy John Estes, blues guitarist, born in Ripley.
• Speech, rapper and hip-hop artist, raised in Ripley.
• Peetie Wheatstraw, blues artist, born in Ripley.
• Aisha Raison, spoken word artist and radio personality, raised in Ripley.

Churches

• Grace Baptist Church
• Mary's Chapel Baptist Church
• First Baptist Church
• Calvary Hill Baptist Church
• New Beginnings Christian Center
• Holly Grove Baptist Church

Local Schools

• Ripley Primary School
• Ripley Elementary School
• Lauderdale Middle School
• Ripley High School
• Gateway Christian School
• Abundant Life Christian School
• First Apostolic Academy

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
4. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Ripley, Tennessee is at coordinates 35°44′35″N 89°32′02″W / 35.743115, -89.533872 (Ripley, Tennessee)Coordinates: 35°44′35″N 89°32′02″W / 35.743115, -89.533872 (Ripley, Tennessee)

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