Charleston, Mississippi

Charleston, Mississippi
—  City  —
Tallahatchie County Courthouse
Location of Charleston, Mississippi
Coordinates: 34°0′27″N 90°3′14″W / 34.0075°N 90.05389°W / 34.0075; -90.05389Coordinates: 34°0′27″N 90°3′14″W / 34.0075°N 90.05389°W / 34.0075; -90.05389
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Tallahatchie
Area
– Total	1.4 sq mi (3.5 km2)
– Land	1.4 sq mi (3.5 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	217 ft (66 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	2,198
– Density	1,612.7/sq mi (622.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	38921, 38958
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-12900
GNIS feature ID	0668347

Charleston is a city in North Central Mississippi and one of the county seats of Tallahatchie County. The population was 2,198 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Charleston is located at 34°00′27″N 90°03′14″W / 34.007514°N 90.054009°W / 34.007514; -90.054009.^[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which, 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) of it is land and 0.73% is water.

The city's official nickname is "Gateway to the Delta".

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 2,198 people, 848 households, and 569 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,612.7 people per square mile (624.0/km²). There were 933 housing units at an average density of 684.6 per square mile (264.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 39.26% White, 59.69% African American, 0.36% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.55% of the population.

There were 848 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% were married couples living together, 28.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 79.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $18,208, and the median income for a family was $24,750. Males had a median income of $26,500 versus $16,406 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,835. About 30.7% of families and 34.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.4% of those under age 18 and 29.1% of those age 65 or over.

In 1931, Charleston, MS had an earthquake which is rated the worst in the history of the state.

Education

The City of Charleston is served by the East Tallahatchie School District.

Charleston High School held its first racially integrated prom in April 2008,^[3] which was the subject of the 2008 HBO documentary Prom Night in Mississippi. The documentary focused on Charleston High School and the efforts to have a mixed prom instead of segregated proms, one for whites and the other for blacks.

Notable residents

• Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman currently resides in Charleston, Mississippi.
• Eldra Buckley, running back for the NFL's Detroit Lions

References

1. ^ "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. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ Mississippi School Holds First Interracial Prom. The Bryant Park Project. National Public Radio. 2008-06-11.

External links

• Gravel Company Ledgers from Charleston MS (MUM00207) at the University of Mississippi, Archives and Special Collections.