Tupelo is the smallest city in the United States that is the headquarters of more than one bank with over $10 billion in assets.

[10] Tupelo has a deep connection to Mississippi's music history, being known as the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

[12] Indigenous peoples, including the Chickasaw and Choctaw, occupied the area prior to European settlement.

In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act and authorized the relocation of all the Southeast Native Americans to federal territory west of the Mississippi River, which was completed by the end of the 1830s.

In the early years of settlement, European-Americans named this town "Gum Pond", supposedly due to its numerous tupelo trees, known locally as "blackgum".

In addition, the Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield, about ten miles north, commemorates another American Civil War battle.

After the war, a cross-state railroad for northern Mississippi was constructed through the town, which encouraged industry and growth.

[15] By the early twentieth century the town had become a site of cotton textile mills, which provided new jobs for residents of the rural area.

[23][24][25][26] The Frisco's Southland ceased running on December 9, 1967, marking the last passenger train in northeast Mississippi.

[27][28] In 2007, the nearby village of Blue Springs was selected as the site for Toyota's 11th automobile manufacturing plant in the United States.

He held a campaign rally for Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith on November 26, 2018, at the Tupelo Regional Airport.

[30] Nearly one year later, the president returned to Tupelo to hold another rally (this time for Governor Tate Reeves) on November 1, 2019, at the BancorpSouth Arena.

[32][33] The spring of 1936 brought Tupelo one of its worst-ever natural disasters, part of the Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak of April 5–6 in that year.

[34] The storm leveled 48 city blocks and over 200 homes, killing 216 people and injuring more than 700 persons.

[35] It struck at night, destroying large residential areas on the city's north side.

[37] The Mississippi State Geologist estimated a final death toll of 233 persons, but 100 whites were still reported as hospitalized at the time.

On April 28, 2014, another large EF3 tornado struck Tupelo and the surrounding communities, causing significant damage.

[39] Tupelo is located in northeast Mississippi, north of Columbus, on Interstate 22 and U.S. Route 78, midway between Memphis, Tennessee (northwest) and Birmingham, Alabama (southeast).

[46] Historically, Tupelo served as a regional transportation hub, primarily due to its location at a railroad intersection.

More recently, it has developed as strong tourism and hospitality sector based around the Elvis Presley birthplace and Natchez Trace.

Other council members are Janet Gaston, Rosie Jones, Chad Mims, Buddy Palmer, Lynn Bryan, and Nettie Davis.

Both stations are located on Beech Springs Road and were controlled by Frank K. Spain until his death on April 25, 2006.