The community takes its name from the Gurley family, who settled in the area in 1817. The town gradually formed around a water and coaling stop of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad and was originally known as Gurley's Tank. In 1866, the post office opened, and the name was changed to Gurleysville; it was later shortened back to Gurley. Gurley was incorporated in 1891 with 250 residents. Soon after, the population peaked at 1,000. The business district was nearly destroyed by fire in 1923, when a bucket brigade was able to save only two businesses. Most of the town is now included in the Gurley Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
Geography
Gurley is located at . According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, all land.
Demographics
Note: From the 1940 Census until 1970, Gurley ceased to appear on the census rolls. This was likely due to either disincorporation or loss/lapse of its charter in the 1930s. At some point in the 1960s, it was reincorporated. As of the census of 2000, there were 876 people, 346 households, and 241 families residing in the town. The population density was 313.9 people per square mile. There were 379 housing units at an average density of 135.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 81.85% White, 15.41% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.57% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. 2.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 346 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couplesliving together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,831, and the median income for a family was $26,875. Males had a median income of $31,146 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,271. About 23.4% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 31.1% of those age 65 or over.
