Collierville, Tennessee

Collierville, Tennessee
Town
Collierville Town Square
Location of Collierville in Shelby County, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°3′16″N 89°40′56″W / 35.05444°N 89.68222°W / 35.05444; -89.68222
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Shelby
Government
• Mayor	Stan Joyner (R)
• Town Administrator	James Lewellen
Area [1]
• Total	36.39 sq mi (94.26 km2)
• Land	36.32 sq mi (94.06 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation	381 ft (116 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	43,965
• Estimate  (2019)[5]	51,040
• Density	1,405.44/sq mi (542.65/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	38017, 38027
Area code(s)	901
FIPS code	47-16420[3]
GNIS feature ID	1280985[4]
Website	www.collierville.com

Collierville is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. It had a population of 43,965 in the 2010 census,^[6]

Collierville has changed significantly since 2000, with population growth exceeding that of many other communities in the Memphis region, as well as Tennessee as a whole. The 21st century has brought to Collierville notable retail expansion and many new housing developments. Though many of these developments have been in less populated areas of the town, in recent years Collierville's historic town square has seen renewed interest from retirees and families alike. Some industry, notably Pepsi and Carrier, still dots the areas located south of Poplar Avenue. The town is also home to the Avenue at Carriage Crossing, an 800,000+ sq ft shopping center that opened in October 2005. Baptist Hospital, Collierville, serves the medical needs of the town's residents. Collierville will become part of the Interstate 69 highway plan integrating Bill Morris Parkway (SR 385) as Interstate 269, part of this USDOT project linking Canada and Mexico with the United States.

Collierville was chosen as one of Relocate-America's Top 100 Places to Live in 2008.^[7] In 2014, Collierville's historic town square was ranked by Parade Magazine as the "Best Main Street" in America.^[8]

History[]

Battle of Collierville[]

Collierville, TN is the second oldest town in Shelby County, east of Memphis. The original town of Collierville was laid out in 1836 and was named after Jesse R. Collier (an entrepreneur), who bought land and advertised it as "The Town of Collier", and later around 1850 the town was incorporated.^[9] The first town was burned to the ground during the Civil War. The town was bought again in 1867 and restored in 1870.^[10]

There were two battles and two small skirmishes of the American Civil War that occurred late in 1863 at Collierville in Shelby County. The first Battle of Collierville occurred on October 11, 1863. Collierville was one of the garrisons established to protect the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. For the Confederates, the Union garrison was a source of fresh supplies. Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers' division of 3000 men attacked the garrison and earthworks defended by 550 men, including Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman.

The Battle of Collierville on November 3 was the second Confederate cavalry raid that attempted to break up the Memphis and Charleston Railroad behind Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's XV Army Corps, then in the process of marching to the relief of Chattanooga. When Brig. Gen. James R. Chalmers, leading a cavalry division riding up from Mississippi, learned that only two Union regiments defended Collierville, he decided to attack. Union Col. Edward Hatch possessed more men than Chalmers supposed, stationed at Collierville and at Germantown, 5 miles (8 km) to the west. Scouts warned Hatch of Chalmers's approach from the south, so he ordered Collierville's defenders to be prepared and rode from Germantown with cavalry reinforcements. Chalmers, as he had done only three weeks earlier, attacked from the south. Col. Hatch arrived with help. Surprised by the unexpected appearance of the enemy on his flanks, Chalmers concluded that he was outnumbered, called off the battle, and, to ward off Union pursuit, withdrew back to Mississippi. The Memphis & Charleston Railroad remained open to Tuscumbia, Alabama, for Union troop movements. Estimated casualties were 60 for the Union and 95 for the Confederacy for a total of 155.^[11]

Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman participated in the battle of October 11, and his monument in Washington, D.C. lists "Colliersville" as one of his battles. The Union commanders referred to it as "Colliersville" in the official reports.

Geography[]

Collierville is located at

35°3′16″N 89°40′56″W / 35.05444°N 89.68222°W / 35.05444; -89.68222 (35.054366, -89.682306).^[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.6 square miles (64 km²), of which 24.5 square miles (63 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²), or 0.41%, is water.

Major thoroughfares[]

• Interstate 269
• Nonconnah/Bill Morris Parkway (State Route 385)
• U. S. Route 72 (Poplar Avenue)/Tennessee State Route 86
• State Route 57 (Poplar Avenue)
• State Route 175 (Byhalia Road, Collierville Road, S Houston Levee Road, and E Shelby Drive)^[13]
• State Route 205 (Collierville-Arlington Road)
• Winchester Boulevard

Climate[]

Collierville has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons. The summer months (late May to late September) are persistently hot (between 68 °F (20 °C) and 95 °F (35 °C)) and humid due to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico. Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent during some summers, but usually brief, lasting no longer than an hour. Early Autumn is pleasantly drier and mild, but can remain hot until late October.

Abrupt but short-lived cold snaps are common. Late Autumn is rainy and colder, December being the third rainiest month of the year. Fall foliage becomes especially vibrant after the first frost, typically November, and lasts until early December. Winters are mild, but cold snaps can occur. The official all-time record low temperature was -13.0 °F (-25.0 °C), which occurred on December 24, 1963. Mild spells are sometimes warm with temperatures as high as 75 °F (23 °C) during January and February. Snowfall is not abundant but does occur during most winters, with an annual average of 5.7 inches (14.4 cm) at the airport.

Spring often begins in late February or early March, following the onset of a sharp warmup. This season is also known as "severe weather season" due to the higher frequency of tornadoes, hail, and thunderstorms producing winds greater than 58 mph (93 km/h). Collierville is above the Tennessee state average for Tornado activity, and 188% of the average for the US.^[14] Historically, April is the month with the highest frequency of tornadoes, though tornadoes have occurred every month of the year.

Collierville is sunny approximately 64% of the time. Average rainfall is slightly higher during the spring months than the rest of the year, but not to any noticeable extent. Collierville receives around 55 inches of rainfall every year.^[15]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	236		—
1870	274		—
1880	753		174.8%
1890	696		−7.6%
1900	829		19.1%
1910	802		−3.3%
1920	989		23.3%
1930	1,008		1.9%
1940	1,042		3.4%
1950	1,153		10.7%
1960	2,020		75.2%
1970	3,651		80.7%
1980	7,839		114.7%
1990	14,427		84.0%
2000	31,872		120.9%
2010	43,965		37.9%
2019 (est.)	51,040	[5]	16.1%
Sources:[16][17]

According to the Census Bureau's population estimates, there were 50,086 people residing in Collierville in 2019, up from 31,872 people in 2000.^[18] The racial makeup of the town was 72.7% White, 13.7% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, and 9.3% Asian, with small amounts of Pacific Islander, other races, and people from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 17,204 occupied housing units in 2019, out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 16.2% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 20 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

Economy[]

Collierville is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metropolitan area. As such, the town's economy is highly interconnected with the greater Memphis region. Notable employers include regional leaders like FedEx, while local manufacturing facilities, such as Carrier, bring workers to the town. Approximately 67.2% of the town's population is in the civilian labor force (i.e., the share of the town's population over the age of 16 that is employed or unemployed but searching for employment),^[19] and about 3.9% of the town's population lived below the poverty line in 2019.^[20]

Household Income[]

Median Income in Collierville^[21]

Year	Median Income ($)	Margin of error (±$)
2013	101,000	4,051
2014	106,783	5,316
2015	110,084	6,175
2016	110,591	6,205
2017	113,957	6,842
2019	113,996	4,551

In 2019, approximately 56.6% of the town's population earned more than $100,000, with 23.9% earning between $100,000 and $149,999, 14.1% earning between $150,000 and $199,999, and 18.2% earning above $200,000.

Housing[]

The average value of housing in Collierville, TN in 2017 was estimated to be $286,700,^[22] whereas market listings in 2019 estimate a value of $345,000, with a predicted increase to approximately $356,000 in 2020.^[23]

Education[]

Of residents 25 years of age and older, 96% have a high school diploma or higher, 51.8% have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 18.2% have a graduate or professional degree.^[24] Of current students, 95.6% attend public schools, 4.4% attend private schools.^[25]

Until 2014, Collierville was served by the Shelby County School District, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Several private schools are also located in the town.

On August 2, 2012, voters in the town overwhelmingly passed an ordinance establishing a separate school district for the town beginning in the 2013-2014 school year.^[26] It passed 10,615 (87%) to 1,519 (13%).

Collierville Schools is the new municipal school district serving the city of Collierville as of 2018.

Collierville Schools[]

Elementary schools:

• Bailey Station Elementary
• Collierville Elementary
• Crosswind Elementary
• Sycamore Elementary
• Tara Oaks Elementary
• Schilling Farms Elementary School^[27]

Middle schools:

• Collierville Middle School
• West Collierville Middle School^[28]

High schools:

• Collierville High School (named one of America's top high schools by Newsweek and US News)^[29]
• Some students may continue to be served by Houston High School (located in Germantown), which is in the Germantown Municipal School District

Private schools[]

• Collierville Christian Academy
• Incarnation Catholic School Pre-K thru 8th Grade
• St. George's Independent School - Collierville

Private schools outside of Collierville Schools[]

Central Day School^[30]

Collierville Methodist Preschool^[30]

The Goddard School^[30]

Colleges and Universities[]

• University of Memphis - Collierville Center ^[31][32]

Libraries and Performing Arts Centers[]

• Lucius E. and Elsie C. Burch, Jr. Library ^[33]
• The Harrell Performing Arts Theatre ^[34]
• New Day Children's Theatre^[35]
• The Orpheum Theatre^[35]

Museums[]

• Morton Museum of Collierville ^[36]
• Museum of Biblical History ^[37]

Culture[]

Collierville's traditional destination for visitors is the Historic Square, in the center of downtown. This quaint shopping destination boasts trendy shops, fun eateries, and a tree-lined park, all overlooking the old train depot from which the town grew.

Fair on the Square and the annual Symphony in the Rose Garden both take place every May in Collierville.^[38][39] The Summer concert series at the historic Collierville town square kicks off the first week of June and lasts through the end of July.^[39] Collierville's Farmers Market^[40] is located in the parking lot of Collierville United Methodist Church at their 454 W Poplar Ave location.

Notable people[]

• Emery Adams, baseball player
• Hunter Bradley, NFL Player
• Morgan Cox, football player, Baltimore Ravens
• Zack Cozart, shortstop, Los Angeles Angels
• Bill Dance, professional fisherman, Outdoor Channel TV host
• Barrett Jones, offensive lineman, St. Louis Rams
• Nick Marable, competed in 2014 World Wrestling Championships
• Nikki McCray, basketball player, WNBA, and coach, Old Dominion
• Ben McDaniel, missing scuba diver
• J. Washington Moore, lawyer and politician^[41]
• Major Owens, New York politician
• Drew Pomeranz, pitcher, Boston Red Sox
• Richard Ray, musician, Rockabilly Hall of Fame
• Olan Rogers, comedian
• Marv Throneberry, first baseman, New York Mets

See also[]

• Battle of Collierville for description of both battles of 1863, with links to commanders and units that fought there.

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Collierville, Tennessee.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Collierville, Tennessee.

• Town of Collierville official website
• Collierville Chamber of Commerce
• Collierville Historic Town Square (Main Street Collierville)
• Collierville Police Department
• Collierville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts
• Town charter

Coordinates: 35°03′16″N 89°40′56″W / 35.054366°N 89.682306°W / 35.054366; -89.682306