Tunica Resorts, Mississippi

Tunica Resorts is an unincorporated community located in northern Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, north of the county seat of Tunica. The community was originally named Robinsonville, but the name was changed in 2003. [Rudi Schiffer, Casino City Times, [http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=139006 Heard it on the River] , October 30, 2003] Locals still refer to the town by this name. The community is situated mostly between the Mississippi River and U.S. Highway 61.

Tunica Resorts is, as the name implies, home to nine casino resorts. The use of the name "Tunica" by the resorts, despite the fact that since 1995 they were all located in Robinsonville and not Tunica proper, led to the name change to reduce confusion by tourists. Lacking the structure of an organized city or town, Tunica Resorts consists mainly of casinos and cotton fields, with few permanent residents living in the community. Despite this, Tunica Resorts is the third largest casino-gambling destination in the United States, as measured by gaming revenue, behind Las Vegas, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey. Its casinos attract gamblers mainly from nearby Memphis, Tennessee, but also draw visitors from Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, Illinois and Kentucky.

Casinos

As of 2008, the town is home to nine casinos:
* Bally's Tunica
* Fitzgeralds Casino & Hotel Tunica
* Gold Strike Resort and Casino
* Harrah's Casino Tunica
* Hollywood Casino and Hotel
* Horseshoe Casino Tunica
* Resorts Casino Tunica
* Sheraton Casino and Hotel Tunica
* Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall

At one time, eleven different casinos were operated in the community. Treasure Bay Casino closed, and the Isle of Capri (originally the first of three Harrah's locations in the area) was bought by neighboring Sam's Town and used only for its hotel tower.

Infrastructure and housing

The community is remarkable in that there is little infrastructure other than that which adjoins the casinos. Businesses other than the casinos include a small numnber of motels, convenience stores and fast food restaurants, along with an outlet-style shopping center and the community's oldest business, the Hollywood Cafe — a blues club immortalized in the popular song "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn in 1991. Small apartment complexes mainly occupied by casino workers are among the few dwellings found in Tunica Resorts. Outside of such structures — many built since 1990 — table-flat cotton fields mark much of the area, as was the case before the casinos came. Indeed, the scene of high-rise hotels rising behind the cotton fields presents a peculiar visual contrast to the arriving tourist.

Mid-South Fair

In May 2008, the board of directors of the Mid-South Fair announced that the annual event would move to a new site in Tunica Resorts, on U.S. 61 across from the Tunica Visitors Center. The first fair on the new site is scheduled for 2009. [cite news|url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/May/19/mid-south-fair-leaving-town/|publisher="The Commercial Appeal"|date=2008-05-18|title=Mid-South Fair moving to Tunica|last=Callahan|first=Jody] [cite news|url=http://www.tunicatimes.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=4189&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=1018&hn=tunicatimes&he=.com|publisher="The Tunica Times"|date=2008-05-22|title=County lands Mid-South Fair|last=Thomas|first=Peter] [cite news|url=http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2008/05/19/daily6.html|publisher="Memphis Business Journal"|date=2008-05-20|title=Tunica new home of Mid-South Fair starting in 2009|last=Sheffield|first=Michael] The site is expected to be used for other events in addition to the annual fair.

Fire department

Tunica Resorts is protected by the North Tunica County Fire Protection District, a career fire department that was created in 1997. The department's equipment includes a 100ft Platform ladder truck(T-405), an Engine (E-4), and a Squad (S-4)which is staffed with a Fire Captain and 5 Firefighter/EMT's. Tunica Resorts has a class 7 insurance rating.Fact|date=May 2008

Government

Beginning in 2007, some Tunica Resorts residents have tried to incorporate their community into a separate town government [http://www.tunicaresortsms.org/index.htm] , rather than exist under the jurisdiction of Tunica County or move toward annexation into the town of Tunica. If Tunica Resorts incorporates, the new town government would be a direct beneficiary of casino tax revenue, enabling construction of municipal government offices. Depending on population and revenue growth, fire and police stations, libraries and other public infrastructure could be other likely additions.

References

External links

* [http://www.tunicamiss.org/ Convention and visitors' bureau official site]
* [http://www.tunicaresortsms.org/ Tunica Resorts Committee to Incorporate website]