Pontotoc

Formed February 9, 1836 (53^rd county)

Pontotoc County (31,192), Pontotoc (5,634)

The governmental tan brick and masonry Classical Revival courthouse was constructed in 1915 and is on Washington Street between Liberty and Main streets.  Mississippi State Highway 41 is Main Street.  Noah Webster Overstreet and Associates are the building architects.  The structure features columns and was renovated in 2003 and restored in 2006.  There was an 1849 version earlier in Pontotoc, the only county seat.  Pontotoc County was founded on February 9, 1836 from Monroe County as the 53^rd county.  The county and county seat names come from the Native American for “land of hanging grapes.” 

The area of the county is 497 square miles.  It is 50 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 25 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 62.8 persons per square mile making it 23 out of 82 in the state.  Pontotoc County has 27.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 78 clips the northeast corner of the county from Union County, north, to Lee County, east.  United States Highway 278 goes east to west from Lee County to Lafayette County.  The county is a rectangle with the northeast corner cut out.  The City of Pontotoc is slightly north and east of center in the county.  Pontotoc is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.1% of the county population. 

Pontotoc County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Four Chancery Court Judges serve Pontotoc, Alcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Prentiss, Tishomingo, and Union counties, Four District Court Judges serve Pontotoc, Alcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe, Prentiss, and Tishomingo counties and a court clerk serves Pontotoc County (judicial.) The county is in northeast Mississippi.  Memphis, Tennessee is northwest and Jackson, Mississippi is southwest of the county.  The county center is in Pontotoc 1.7 miles Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Union, Lee, Chickasaw, Calhoun, and Lafayette counties.  The county and county seat are pronounced PON-TOE-TOK.  This county is in the Tupelo Micropolitan Statistical Area.