Coldwater, MS

Coldwater's square sits about two miles south of the Coldwater River, giving the Tate County town its name. The original settlement began as Elm Grove in 1856; the Mississippi-Tennessee Railroad arrived in 1858 and brought stores, businesses, and houses along both sides of the tracks. Coldwater incorporated in 1872, and the 2020 census counted 1,381 residents. The town is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, but its local geography is still river, rail, square, and the roads around them.

When the Arkabutla Lake and Dam project took shape in the early 1940s, the original town had to move. Coldwater was rebuilt about a mile south of its first site, carrying the name and civic center into a new location. Today Coldwater Elementary and Coldwater High are part of Tate County School District, while the reservoir and Coldwater River shape the area's outdoor and working landscape. The relocated square is the town's best reminder that a community can move its streets and still keep its place.