The city of Hernando, the county seat of the fastest growing county in Mississippi (DeSoto), boasts an average growth rate of seven families per week. With an average household income of $74,221, per capita of $27,562 and disposable income of $55,594, Hernando is a premium retail environment. Hernando, as part of the Memphis Metropolitan Area, has become one of the area’s primary residential growth communities because it still offers olde towne living at it’s best. Fifty-one percent (51%) of the population growth in the Memphis Metropolitan Area was in DeSoto County in 2004. Further, DeSoto County residential permits comprise more than 30% of all residential permits for the five-county Memphis Statistical Area. The county’s population of 141,129 (2005 estimate) enjoys the highest county per capita in the state at $20,469.

The lower tax rate (7%), low crime rate, low property taxes, and sustained growth are good for all types of businesses. These advantages attract consumers from the Memphis and surrounding areas for recurring purchases and big-ticket items. According to the Mississippi State Tax Commission, DeSoto county retail sales exceeded $2 billion in the 2005 fiscal year, a growth of more than $237 million over the previous year’s sales. Hernando is a premium retail target community with its ten (10) mile trade area population exceeding 143,000 which makes its 20-30 minute trade area over 1.2 million.