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Brandon, Mississippi

Coordinates: 32°16′49″N 89°59′54″W / 32.28028°N 89.99833°W / 32.28028; -89.99833
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Brandon, Mississippi
Rankin County Courthouse and Rankin County Confederate Monument
Rankin County Courthouse and Rankin County Confederate Monument
Flag of Brandon, Mississippi
Official seal of Brandon, Mississippi
Nickname: 
"City of Red Hills Laden with Golden Opportunities"
Motto: 
"Growth and Stability"
Location of Brandon, Mississippi
Location of Brandon, Mississippi
Brandon, Mississippi is located in Mississippi
Brandon, Mississippi
Brandon, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Brandon, Mississippi is located in the United States
Brandon, Mississippi
Brandon, Mississippi
Brandon, Mississippi (the United States)
Coordinates: 32°16′49″N 89°59′54″W / 32.28028°N 89.99833°W / 32.28028; -89.99833
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyRankin
EstablishedDecember 19, 1831
Named afterGerard Chittocque Brandon
Government
 • TypeMayor-Council
 • MayorJeremy Ryan (R)[1][2]
 • Board of AldermenAlderman at Large- James Morris
Ward 1- Monica Corley
Ward 2- Cris Vinson
Ward 3- Harry Williams
Ward 4- Lu Coker
Ward 5- Dwight Middleton
Ward 6- Tahya Dobbs
Area
 • Total
25.75 sq mi (66.70 km2)
 • Land25.66 sq mi (66.47 km2)
 • Water0.089 sq mi (0.23 km2)
Elevation
482 ft (147 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
25,138
 • Density980/sq mi (378.2/km2)
DemonymBrandonite
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
39042, 39043, 39047
Area codes601, 769
FIPS code28-08300
GNIS feature ID0667519
WebsiteOfficial website

Brandon is a city in and the county seat of Rankin County, Mississippi, United States.[4] It was incorporated on December 19, 1831. The population was 25,138 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Jackson, Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Area, and is located east of the state capital.

History

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The city is named for Gerard Brandon, Governor of Mississippi during the early 1800s. A newspaper, The News, was established in 1892. The Brandon Bank was established in 1900, and The Rankin County Bank was established in 1906. In 1900, Brandon had a school, a telephone and telegraph office, a saw mill, two livery stables, two cotton gins, two hotels, six churches, and fifteen or twenty stores. The population was 775.[5]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.3 square miles (55.3 km2), of which 21.3 square miles (55.1 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km2) (0.37%) is water.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1860867
1870756−12.8%
188086414.3%
1890835−3.4%
1900775−7.2%
1910720−7.1%
1920691−4.0%
19306920.1%
19401,18471.1%
19501,82754.3%
19602,13917.1%
19702,68525.5%
19809,626258.5%
199011,07715.1%
200016,43648.4%
201021,70532.1%
202025,13815.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, Brandon had a population of 25,138. The median age was 39.9 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.8 males age 18 and over.[7][8]

96.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 3.8% lived in rural areas.[9]

There were 9,732 households and 6,593 families in Brandon, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.7% were married-couple households, 12.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[7]

There were 10,172 housing units, of which 4.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.5%.[7]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[8]
Race Number Percent
White 18,655 74.2%
Black or African American 5,064 20.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 67 0.3%
Asian 236 0.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 2 0.0%
Some other race 220 0.9%
Two or more races 894 3.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 535 2.1%

2000 census

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As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 16,436 people, 6,295 households, and 4,595 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.2 inhabitants per square mile (298.5/km2). There were 6,540 housing units at an average density of 307.7 per square mile (118.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.61% White, 11.89% Black, 0.10% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 6,295 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% 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 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,246, and the median income for a family was $63,098. Males had a median income of $42,414 versus $28,128 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,020. About 4.1% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

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The Mississippi Department of Corrections operates the Brandon Probation and Parole Office in Brandon.[11]

Arts and culture

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The Downtown Brandon Historic District is located within the city. Brandon is the location of the Black Rose Theatre Company.

Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including:[12]

  • Cocke-Martin-Jackson House
  • Hebron Academy
  • Rankin County Courthouse
  • Stevens-Buchanan House
  • Turcotte House

Government

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The City of Brandon has a city mayor as the chief executive officer and a board of aldermen, with six elected from single-member districts and one elected at-large.[13] The current city officials are Mayor Butch Lee; Alderman, At-Large member Sharon Womack; Alderman, Ward 1 Jarrad Craine; Alderman, Ward 2 Cris Vinson; Alderman, Ward 3 Harry Williams; Alderman, Ward 4 Lu Coker; Alderman, Ward 5 Dwight Middleton; and Alderman, Ward 6 David Farris. The city's attorney is Mark C. Baker.

Education

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The City of Brandon is served by the Rankin County School District.

Public schools

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  • Brandon High School (grades 9-12)
  • Brandon Middle School (grades 6-8)
  • Brandon Elementary School (grades 4-5)
  • StoneBridge Elementary School (grades 2-3)
  • Rouse Elementary School (grades K-1)

Infrastructure

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The city of Brandon is served by five fire stations and one administrative central station under the direction of Fire Chief Terry Wages. In 2015, the city established an independent EMS district that provides ambulance services through a private provider, Pafford EMS. The city has one police station under the direction of Police Chief Wayne Dearman.[14][15]

Notable people

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[edit]

The town was mentioned in the 1986 film Platoon by Chris Taylor, a character played by Charlie Sheen.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Office of the Mayor - City of Brandon, MS - Jeremy Ryan". City of Brandon, Mississippi. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Official Recapitulation" (PDF). Mississippi Secretary of State. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Vol. 1. Southern Historical Publishing Association. pp. 286, 287.
  6. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  8. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  9. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2026.
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. ^ "Rankin County." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 15, 2010.
  12. ^ National Register of Historic Places: Mississippi—Rankin County
  13. ^ "City of Brandon website Archived October 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Retrieved on October 26, 2010.
  14. ^ "Brandon Fire Department Archived October 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Retrieved on October 26, 2010.
  15. ^ "Brandon Police Department Archived October 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Retrieved on October 26, 2010.
  16. ^ Press, The Associated (June 21, 2018). "Gov. endorses Guest in Mississippi congressional runoff". WAPT. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  17. ^ "HOWARD, Volney Erskine (1809 - 1889)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "McLAURIN, Anselm Joseph, (1848 - 1909)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  19. ^ https://tulanegreenwave.com/sports/football/roster/nik-hogan/6412
  20. ^ "Platoon Quotes". www.quotes.net. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
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