Union County is a county in Mississippi, United States, in the hill country of the north-central part of the state, near the source of the Tallahatchie River. It had a population of 27,777 at the 2020 census and covers 417 square miles (1,080 km2), of which 416 square miles is land, centred near 34°29′N 89°00′W.
New Albany is the county seat, and its postal code is 38652. The county has one city, two towns, one village and a scatter of unincorporated communities and crossroads. Union County lies in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Union County
Union County has four incorporated places — one city, two towns and one village — plus roughly forty unincorporated communities and rural crossroads carried on county maps and older gazetteers. “CDP” below marks a Census-designated place with no city government; “Unincorp.” marks a named community, hamlet or crossroads with no municipal government at all.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Albany | City · seat | — | 38652 |
| Myrtle | Town | — | 38650 |
| Sherman | Town | — | — |
| Blue Springs | Village | — | 38828 |
| Etta | Unincorp. | — | 38627 |
| Alpine | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Baker | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Bald Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Beacon Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Branyan | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Concord | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Darden | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ellistown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Enterprise | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fairview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Flatwood | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Gallway | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Glenfield | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Graham | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Halltown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ingomar | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jericho | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Jugfork | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Keownville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Locum | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Locust Grove | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Macedonia | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Martintown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mitchell | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Molino | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mound City | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Harmony | Unincorp. | — | — |
| North Haven | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Old Myrtle | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Parks | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pinedale | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pleasant Ridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Poolville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Pumpkin Center | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Reese | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Shari | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Smalco | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Union Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Wallerville | Unincorp. | — | — |
Old Myrtle is a separate, older settlement site from the present town of Myrtle, and both names persist on county maps — they are not a typo or duplicate.
ZIP Codes
- 38652 — New Albany (also serves most of the surrounding unincorporated county)
- 38650 — Myrtle
- 38828 — Blue Springs
- 38627 — Etta
Sherman and the smaller unincorporated communities do not have their own post offices and use a New Albany or Myrtle mailing address depending on location.
Geography
Union County sits in the rolling hill country of northeast Mississippi, on the Pontotoc Ridge, and is the traditional headwaters of the Tallahatchie River, which rises near New Albany and flows southwest toward the Delta. The terrain is mostly wooded hills and pasture cut by small creeks; there is little standing water beyond farm ponds. The county is bordered by Benton County and Tippah County to the north, Prentiss County to the east, Lee County to the southeast, Pontotoc County to the south, Lafayette County to the southwest, and Marshall County to the northwest.
Demographics
Union County had 27,777 residents at the 2020 census, spread across a land area of 416 square miles, for a density of about 67 people per square mile. New Albany and Myrtle are the county’s two largest communities. Median household income runs below the Mississippi median of $54,203, typical of the rural counties of the north Mississippi hill country.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing anchors the local economy: Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi operates its Corolla assembly plant in Blue Springs, one of the largest single employers in northeast Mississippi. New Albany itself has a long history in the furniture and upholstery trade. Agriculture — row crops, cattle and timber — remains important outside the city limits, and the annual Tallahatchie River Fest in New Albany celebrates the river’s source in the county.
History
Union County was organized in 1870 from parts of Tippah and Pontotoc counties, with a portion of Lee County added in 1874. The name is traditionally explained either as marking the union of the pieces cut from three older counties, or as a nod to Mississippi’s post-Civil War reunion with the United States. Novelist William Faulkner was born in New Albany in 1897 before his family moved to Oxford in neighboring Lafayette County.
Getting There
Interstate 22 and US Route 78 cross the county through New Albany, linking it to Memphis, Tennessee to the northwest and Tupelo, Mississippi to the southeast. Mississippi Highways 9, 15, 30, 178, 348, 349 and 355 connect the smaller communities.
- Tupelo — 30 miles southeast
- Memphis, Tennessee — 75 miles northwest
- Oxford — 25 miles southwest
- Corinth — 45 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP), about 30 miles southeast of New Albany.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Union County, Mississippi?
It is in the hill country of northeast Mississippi, on the Tennessee state line’s south side, about 75 miles southeast of Memphis.
What is the population of Union County?
27,777 residents, per the 2020 census.
How big is Union County?
417 square miles (1,080 km2), of which 416 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Union County?
New Albany is the county seat.
How many towns are in Union County?
One city (New Albany), two towns (Myrtle and Sherman), one village (Blue Springs), and roughly forty smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Union County?
38652 (New Albany), 38650 (Myrtle), 38828 (Blue Springs) and 38627 (Etta).
What is Union County known for?
It is the traditional source of the Tallahatchie River, the birthplace of novelist William Faulkner, and home to a major Toyota assembly plant in Blue Springs.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Mississippi.