Welcome to Bolivar
Welcome to the City of Bolivar’s official website. I hope you find this tool to be an asset, whether it be to pay city taxes or fines, or to navigate through the many happenings of our community.
On behalf of the entire City Council and the city employees of Bolivar, I am proud to welcome you to our city, and it is with great pleasure that I am honored to serve as your Mayor. I am very fortunate to have a city staff second to none, carrying out the day-to-day tasks that make our city run efficiently. We are a small community with extraordinary citizens. It is my goal to ensure that Bolivar continues to be a great place to live, work, raise a family, and operate a business. Together, as one team, we continually move to improve and strive to thrive.
We have many opportunities to look forward to in the near future. I encourage our citizens and business owners to become ambassadors for our city. Whether you’re visiting our website to learn more about our local government or various city events, I hope you will be able to find the information you need.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (731) 658-2020.
Julian A. McTizic , Sr.
Mayor
about Us
One thing that can be said with certainty about Bolivar is that it is rich in history and tradition. The first town in Hardeman County was established in 1823 on the "Hatchee," the Indian name for the river. The town was aptly referred to as Hatchie Town. Because of repeated flooding, a new site, located approximately one mile south of the original site, was selected as the county seat. The commissioners appointed by the state assembly to select sites for county seats named Bolivar in honor of South American Liberator Simon Bolivar. The town of Bolivar was officially established on October 18, 1825.
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Throughout most of the 1800s, Bolivar was plagued by one disaster after another. Each time, the town rebounded with astounding resiliency, a characteristic that is evident even today. From the 1800s to now, this city has been filled with stories of defeat, loss, rebirth, and survival. As a testament to our resiliency, the city boasts three (3) beautiful and distinct historic districts: the Bills-McNeal District, the Court Square District, and the North Main Street District. A quiet stroll through Bolivar will entice visitors to listen to the many stories of Bolivar's yesteryear, and we are all very happy to oblige with stories passed from generation to generation.
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More importantly, as I sat in front of my computer wondering exactly how I should describe Bolivar, I reflected on the mayor's message above. There it was, in black and white, "we are a small community with extraordinary citizens." We embrace our storied history, and we are glad to share it with you. We often say that Bolivar is the quintessential small town in West Tennessee. Exactly what that means is this: we live in a small town where YOUR kids are OUR kids; where YOUR successes are OUR successes; where YOUR failures are OUR failures, where Friday night football is as much about a gathering of great friends as it is about football; where history and tradition meet modernization; where we know almost everyone by name; where someone most certainly knows a relative of a relative; where newcomers are welcomed with open arms; where we greet every visitor with a smile and a handshake; where coffee breaks are enjoyed daily and should not be interrupted; where ghost stories are a right of passage; where hunting and fishing abound; where diversity is embraced; and we celebrate the uniqueness that is us. We live in Bolivar, Tennessee, and we call it HOME!
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