Southaven surpassed Bartlett, TN as largest suburb with a population of 56,851 according to 2023 census estimates.

The city's name derives from the fact that Southaven is located south of Whitehaven, a neighborhood in Memphis.

Southaven began as a village when Memphis homebuilder Kemmons Wilson (founder of Holiday Inn) wished to develop a few residential subdivisions featuring small starter homes just across the Mississippi border from what was then Whitehaven, Tennessee, an unincorporated area just a few miles south of the Memphis city limits.

[citation needed] In just 20 years, Southaven doubled its land area, while its population tripled.

The construction of Interstate 55 through Southaven in the 1970s helped to promote growth and make for easier access to the city from Memphis, Jackson, St. Louis, and Chicago.

In November 2006, Baptist DeSoto opened an eleven-story hospital tower that added 140 beds to the facility, allowing it to offer all private rooms.

The exponential growth of Memphis International Airport (2 miles north of the city limits) in the 1980s led to increased air traffic over Southaven.

The mall, located near I-55/I-69 and Church Road, includes 70 outlet stores and outparcels of restaurants.

Southaven was the boyhood home of noted novelist John Grisham, who also practiced law there for almost a decade, and of singer-songwriter Cory Branan.

[13] Southaven experiences a humid subtropical climate, with average annual precipitation of nearly 55 inches (1,400 mm), which is well distributed throughout the year.

The team relocated from Memphis prior to the 2000–01 season and was the main tenant of the Landers Center for most of their time in Southaven.