- Magnolia, Mississippi
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Magnolia, Mississippi — City — Location of Magnolia, Mississippi
Coordinates: 31°8′57″N 90°27′41″W / 31.14917°N 90.46139°WCoordinates: 31°8′57″N 90°27′41″W / 31.14917°N 90.46139°W Country United States State Mississippi County Pike Area – Total 3.3 sq mi (8.5 km2) – Land 3.2 sq mi (8.4 km2) – Water 0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2) Elevation 305 ft (93 m) Population (2000) – Total 2,452 – Density 639.5/sq mi (246.9/km2) Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) – Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP code 39652 Area code(s) 601 FIPS code 28-44680 GNIS feature ID 0673065 Magnolia is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2071 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pike County[1], which lies within the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Ansel H. Prewett, founder of Magnolia, Mississippi, shown ca. 1870
Magnolia was founded in 1856 by Ansel H. Prewett, a local civic leader and cotton planter. Knowing that the approaching New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad (now the Illinois Central Railroad) would need a station for water and fuel, Prewett sold a right-of-way to the railroad company – for one dollar, according to legend – and divided a section of his plantation into town lots, which he sold to investors. Prewett, while serving as temporary sheriff of Pike County, was killed by outlaws in the early 1870s escorting a prisoner on the very railroad that made Magnolia a viable community.[2]
Magnolia grew rapidly in the 1860s, and in the late nineteenth century Magnolia served as a popular small-town resort for wealthy New Orleanians, who took trains north from New Orleans to enjoy Magnolia's fresh air and sparkling creeks. At one time early Magnolia boasted an opera house, skating rink, and several hotels that catered largely to these tourists.
In 1860 Magnolia's first newspaper, the "Grand Trunk Magnolian", was established by John Waddill. It did not last the war and was succeeded by the establishment of the "Magnolia Gazette" by J.D. Burke in 1872. The "Magnolia Herald" was established by Luke W. Conerly in 1875 and he continued as its proprietor and editor until 1878.[3]
Geography
Magnolia is located at 31°8′57″N 90°27′41″W / 31.14917°N 90.46139°W (31.149272, -90.461332)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (1.52%) is water.
Demographics
Interior of Magnolia Cotton Mills spinning room. May 1911. Photographed by Lewis Hine.As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 2,071 people, 749 households, and 515 families residing in the city. The population density was 639.5 people per square mile (246.8/km²). There were 898 housing units at an average density of 277.3 per square mile (107.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 44.42% White, 53.84% African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.
There were 749 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 24.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,190, and the median income for a family was $25,069. Males had a median income of $21,991 versus $18,839 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,426. About 18.0% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 23.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Highways
Interstate 55
U.S. Highway 51
Mississippi Highway 48
Air
- McComb-Pike County Airport
Services
The City of Magnolia is served by the South Pike School District. The town has one public library. The nearest hospital is Beacham Memorial Hospital.
Recreation
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Martha Lacy Hall, An Historical Sketch of Magnolia, Mississippi: Centennial Celebration, Magnolia, Mississippi, 1856-1956. Magnolia, Mississippi: W. M. Lacy, 1956.
- ^ Pike County Mississippi 1798-1876 Pioneer Families and Confederate Soldiers by Luke W. Conerly 1909
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
Municipalities and communities of Pike County, Mississippi County seat: MagnoliaCities Magnolia | McComb
Towns Unincorporated
communitiesChatawa | Fernwood | Pricedale
Categories:- Cities in Mississippi
- Populated places in Pike County, Mississippi
- County seats in Mississippi
- Populated places in Mississippi with African American majority populations
- McComb micropolitan area
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