Lucedale, Mississippi

Lucedale, Mississippi
City
George County Courthouse in Lucedale
Location of Lucedale, Mississippi
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	George
Area
• Total	3.8 sq mi (9.9 km2)
• Land	3.8 sq mi (9.9 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	295 ft (90 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,458
• Density	646.2/sq mi (249.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39452
Area code	601
FIPS code	28-42440
GNIS feature ID	0672944

Lucedale (2 syllables; pronounced LOOSE-dale) is a city in George County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,458 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of George CountyTemplate:GR.

Geography

Lucedale is located at 30°55′11″N 88°35′30″W (30.919824, -88.591669)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,458 people, 916 households, and 628 families residing in the city. The population density was 646.2 people per square mile (249.7/km²). There were 1,052 housing units at an average density of 276.6 per square mile (106.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.45% White, 29.21% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.

There were 916 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,604, and the median income for a family was $29,338. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $18,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,151. About 23.9% of families and 26.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.3% of those under age 18 and 19.1% of those age 65 or over.

Culture and Contemporary Life

Lucedale is home of the annual Christian music festival Praise in the Park [1]. The festival is usually held on the third Saturday in October in the Lucedale City Park.

Education

The City of Lucedale is served by the George County School District.

Healthcare

The City of Lucedale and George County are served by the George Regional Health Facilities. Formerly known as the George County Hospital, the current George Regional Hospital serves George, Green, Stone and Jackson counties as well as western Mobile County in Alabama. It has an affiliated primary care facility, the Community Medical Center. Surgical services are provided by Community Surgical Center.

Notable Lucedale natives

• Ruthie Bolton, former basketball player in the WNBA and at the Olympic Games
• Eric Moulds, former wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills in the NFL
• Claude Passeau, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Carolyn Haines, author, also credited as Caroline Burnes
• David L. Cook, Christian Recording Star and comedian
• The Cook Family Singers, Grand Ole Opry Stars