Oktibbeha County, Mississippi

Oktibbeha County, Mississippi
Location in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1833
Seat	Starkville
Largest city	Starkville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	461.90 sq mi (1,196 km²) 457.71 sq mi (1,185 km²) 4.19 sq mi (11 km²), 0.91%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	47,671 104/sq mi (40/km²)
Website	www.gtpdd.com/counties/oktibbeha

Oktibbeha County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2010, the population was 47,671. Its county seat is Starkville^[1]. Oktibbeha is a Native American word meaning either bloody water (because of a battle fought on the banks) or possibly icy creek. Indian artifacts over 2000 years old have been found near the Indian mounds adjacent to Indian Mound Campground, just east of Starkville.

The Starkville Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Oktibbeha County.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 461.90 square miles (1,196.3 km²), of which 457.71 square miles (1,185.5 km²) (or 99.09%) is land and 4.19 square miles (10.9 km²) (or 0.91%) is water.^[2]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 82
• Mississippi Highway 12
• Mississippi Highway 25
• Mississippi Highway 182

Adjacent counties

• Noxubee County (southeast)
• Winston County (south)
• Choctaw County (west)
• Webster County (northwest)
• Clay County (north)
• Lowndes County (east)

National protected areas

• Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Tombigbee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	4,276		—
1850	9,171		114.5%
1860	12,977		41.5%
1870	14,891		14.7%
1880	15,978		7.3%
1890	17,694		10.7%
1900	20,183		14.1%
1910	19,676		−2.5%
1920	16,872		−14.3%
1930	19,119		13.3%
1940	22,151		15.9%
1950	24,569		10.9%
1960	26,175		6.5%
1970	28,752		9.8%
1980	36,018		25.3%
1990	38,375		6.5%
2000	42,902		11.8%
2010	47,671		11.1%
MS Counties 1900-1990 GeoHive - 2000 & 2010 statistics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 42,902 people, 15,945 households, and 9,264 families residing in the county. The population density was 94 people per square mile (36/km²). There were 17,344 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 58.66% White, 37.43% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 2.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,945 households out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.90% were married couples living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.90% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 21.00% under the age of 18, 29.60% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 16.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 99.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,899, and the median income for a family was $36,914. Males had a median income of $32,162 versus $20,622 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,998. About 18.00% of families and 28.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.30% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

In 2004 Republican George Bush won Oktibbeha County over Democrat John Kerry 55% to 43%. In 2008 Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican John McCain by only 6 votes[1] becoming the first Democrat to win the county since 1956.

• External Links
• Greater Starkville Development Partnership Website

Communities

• Cities
  • Starkville

• Towns
  • Maben (partly in Webster County)
  • Sturgis

• Unincorporated places
  • Bradley
  • Hickory Grove
  • Hickory Grove Estates
  • Longview
  • Mississippi State
  • Oktoc
  • Osborn
  • Sessums
  • Clayton Village

Education

Oktibbeha County is within the service area of the East Mississippi Community College system.^[4]

The campus of Mississippi State University is located in Oktibbeha County, partially in Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area.^[5][6]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi

References

Mississippi portal

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "CATALOG 2007-2009." East Mississippi Community College. 3 (3/147). Retrieved on March 1, 2011.
5. ^ "Zoning Map." Town of Starkville. Retrieved on March 1, 2011.
6. ^ "Campus Map." Mississippi State University. Retrieved on March 1, 2011.

Coordinates: 33°26′N 88°53′W / 33.43°N 88.88°W / 33.43; -88.88