Rolling Fork, Mississippi

Rolling Fork, Mississippi
City
Sharkey County Courthouse in Rolling Fork
Location of Rolling Fork, Mississippi
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Sharkey
Area
• Total	1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
• Land	1.4 sq mi (3.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	102 ft (31 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	2,486
• Density	1,774.2/sq mi (685.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39159
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-63560
GNIS feature ID	0694602

Rolling Fork is a city in Sharkey County, Mississippi. The population was 2,486 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sharkey CountyTemplate:GR.

Geography

Rolling Fork is located at 32°54′25″N 90°52′42″W (32.906893, -90.878348)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,486 people, 820 households, and 620 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,774.2 people per square mile (685.6/km²). There were 875 housing units at an average density of 624.5 per square mile (241.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 29.69% White, 69.19% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.32% Asian, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.97% of the population.

There were 820 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 32.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.40.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,081, and the median income for a family was $24,911. Males had a median income of $25,729 versus $17,065 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,481. About 30.6% of families and 37.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 50.0% of those under age 18 and 24.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

The city of Rolling Fork is served by the South Delta School District. The district has three schools with a total enrollment of approximately 1,300 students.

Private schools

• Sharkey-Issaquena Academy

Notable natives

• Fielding L. Wright, Governor of Mississippi
• Slick Watts, NBA player
• Muddy Waters, musician who mentioned Rolling Fork in his 1953 recording of the classic blues song, "Baby Please Don't Go", was born in nearby Jug's Corner.

External links

• History of Rolling Fork's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)
• Article about blues artist Muddy Waters
• Rolling Fork's Official Website