Southaven, Indiana

Southaven is a city in Franzberg County, Indiana. The city is part of the Southaven-Eastmain-Sarthe MSA as well as the Kennedy-Johnson-Southaven CSA. The population was 161,112 as of the 2000 US Census.

History
In 1837, no less than 600 settlers from Virginia arrived in the Wabash River area; establishing the town of Parker on the river bank. The size of Parker tripled when more settlers from South Carolina and Maryland arrived.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 161,112 people, 97,405 households, and 83,162 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,102.7 per square mile. There were 114,986 housing units.

The racial makeup of the city was 59.42% White, 21.86% African American, 0.04% Native American, 17.93% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% of the population.

Top ancestries in the city were German (12.28%), English (11.19%), Polish (6.74%) and Chinese (4.99%)

In 1990, the median income for a household in the city was $44,621, and the median income for a family was $47,190

The median income for a household in the city was $40,045, and the median income for a family was $44,921. The per capita income for the city was $19,784. About 7.3% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

Crime
Southaven has a high crime rate for a city of it's size. However, crime has increased drastically over the past decade. Violence related to economic recession and the formation of new street gangs has caused the crime rate to go up.

Robbery
While crime rates are relatively neutral, the robbery rate in Southaven has increased over 400% in the last decade. It is currently the highest in the country for cities with more than 50,000 people. In response, Southaven city officials have attempted to raise standards of gun ownership laws, but have not yet made major successes in lowering the robbery rate.

In 2008, there were 17 murders. Of those 17, 12 (7.4 per capita) were related to armed robbery.

Police
The Southaven Police Department is responsible for law enforcement in the city. The city had 327 officers in 2009, 1 officer per 493 residents. Only certain neighborhoods operate neighborhood watch groups and auxiliary policing due to budget issues.

Police in the city of Southaven are considered to be underpaid, with most officers making between $25,000 and $48,000 a year. The average annual salary for a police officer in Southaven in 2009 was $32,418.