Bentonia, Mississippi

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bentonia, Mississippi
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Bentonia, Mississippi


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Mississippi
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Yazoo
government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 3.5
area_land_km2 = 3.5
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 1.4
area_land_sq_mi = 1.4
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 500
population_density_km2 = 141.3
population_density_sq_mi = 366.0

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 60
elevation_ft = 197
latd = 32 |latm = 38 |lats = 38 |latNS = N
longd = 90 |longm = 22 |longs = 5 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 39040
area_code = 662
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 28-05380
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0666837
website =
footnotes =

Bentonia is a town in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 500 at the 2000 census. Some blues scholars maintain that there is a "Bentonia School" of blues singing and guitar-playing, and that "Bentonia-style" is a distinct style of Delta Blues, but Bentonia lies outside the Mississippi Delta proper.

Geography

Bentonia is located at coor dms|32|38|38|N|90|22|5|W|type:city (32.643889, -90.368121)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 500 people, 203 households, and 130 families residing in the town. The population density was 366.0 people per square mile (140.9/km²). There were 214 housing units at an average density of 156.6/sq mi (60.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 62.80% White, 35.80% African American, 0.20% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.

There were 203 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 79.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,458, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $28,000 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,440. About 23.3% of families and 27.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.5% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Bentonia is served by the Yazoo County School District.

Historic marker

The Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia has received a historic marker by Mississippi Blues Commission commemorating its importance in the history of the development of the Blues in Mississippi. It is officially on the Mississippi Blues Trail. [cite web
url=http://www.msbluestrail.org/blues_trail/
title=Mississippi Blues Commission - Blues Trail
publisher=www.msbluestrail.org
accessdate=2008-05-27] [cite web
url=http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2006-07-03-mississippi-blues-trail_x.htm
title=Blue Front Cafe a sure stop along Mississippi Blues Trail - USATODAY.com
publisher=www.usatoday.com
accessdate=2008-05-27]

Films

*"Deep Blues" (1991). Directed by Robert Mugge.

References

External links