Chickasaw County, Mississippi
| Chickasaw County, Mississippi | |
 Location in the state of Mississippi |
|
 Mississippi's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1836 |
|---|---|
| Seat | Houston and Okolona |
| Largest city | Houston |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
504.27 sq mi (1,306 km²) 501.56 sq mi (1,299 km²) 2.71 sq mi (7 km²), 0.54% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
17,392 39/sq mi (15/km²) |
| Website | www.chickasawcoms.com |
Chickasaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2010, the population was 17,392. Its county seats are Houston and Okolona[1]. Chickasaw county is named for the Chickasaw people, who lived in this area for hundreds of years. Most were removed to Indian Territory in the 1830s, but some remained and became citizens of the state and United States.
Early in the 20th century, the first agricultural high school in Mississippi opened in the unincorporated community of Buena Vista. Cully Cobb, a pioneer of southern agriculture, long-term farm publisher, and an official of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration in Washington, D.C., was the superintendent of the school from 1908-1910.[2]
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[edit] Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 504.27 square miles (1,306.1 km2), of which 501.56 square miles (1,299.0 km2) (or 99.46%) is land and 2.71 square miles (7.0 km2) (or 0.54%) is water.[3]
[edit] Major highways
U.S. Route 45
Mississippi Highway 8
Mississippi Highway 15
Mississippi Highway 32
Mississippi Highway 41
Mississippi Highway 47- Natchez Trace Parkway
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Pontotoc County (north)
- Lee County (northeast)
- Monroe County (east)
- Clay County (southeast)
- Wesbter County (southwest)
- Calhoun County (west)
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Pontotoc County | Lee County | |
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| Calhoun County |  |
Monroe County | ||
 Chickasaw County, Mississippi  |
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| Webster County | Clay County |
[edit] National protected areas
- Natchez Trace Parkway (part)
- Tombigbee National Forest (part)
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 2,955 |
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| 1850 | 16,369 | 453.9% | |
| 1860 | 16,426 | 0.3% | |
| 1870 | 19,899 | 21.1% | |
| 1880 | 17,905 | −10.0% | |
| 1890 | 19,891 | 11.1% | |
| 1900 | 19,892 | 0% | |
| 1910 | 22,846 | 14.9% | |
| 1920 | 22,212 | −2.8% | |
| 1930 | 20,835 | −6.2% | |
| 1940 | 21,427 | 2.8% | |
| 1950 | 18,951 | −11.6% | |
| 1960 | 16,891 | −10.9% | |
| 1970 | 16,805 | −0.5% | |
| 1980 | 17,853 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 18,085 | 1.3% | |
| 2000 | 19,440 | 7.5% | |
| 2010 | 17,392 | −10.5% | |
| MS Counties 1900-1990 GeoHive - 2000 & 2010 statistics |
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As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 19,440 people, 7,253 households, and 5,287 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 7,981 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.89% White, 41.26% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 2.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
According to the the census[4] of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Chickasaw County were English 44.1%, African 41% and Scots-Irish 13.5%.
There were 7,253 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.80% were married couples living together, 18.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,364, and the median income for a family was $33,819. Males had a median income of $25,459 versus $20,099 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,279. About 16.80% of families and 20.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.90% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Communities
- Towns
- Villages
[edit] Famous natives
Chickasaw County was the birthplace of:
- Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry, and served as the setting and inspiration for many of her songs, including her biggest hit "Ode to Billie Joe" (1967)
- Bukka White, an early blues performer
- William Raspberry, a nationally noted journalist grew up in Okolona
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "The Founders of the Cobb Institute of Archaeology". Mississippi State University. http://www.cobb.msstate.edu/cobbfndr.html. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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