Coahoma County, Mississippi

Coahoma County
County
Original WROX (AM) building in Clarksdale.
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°14′N90°36′W / 34.23°N 90.6°W / 34.23; -90.6
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	February 9, 1836
Seat	Clarksdale
Largest city	Clarksdale
Area
• Total	583 sq mi (1,510 km2)
• Land	552 sq mi (1,430 km2)
• Water	31 sq mi (80 km2)  5.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	21,390
• Density	37/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.coahomacounty.net

Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,390. ^[1] Its county seat is Clarksdale. ^[2]

The Clarksdale, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It is located in the Mississippi Delta region of Mississippi. In 2023, the Clarksdale, Mississippi Micropolitan area was added to form the new Memphis-Clarksdale-Forrest City Combined Statistical Area. ^[3] The Memphis-Clarksdale-Forrest City Combined Statistical Area has a population of roughly 1.4 million.

History

Coahoma County was established February 9, 1836, and is located in the northwestern part of the state in the fertile Yazoo Delta region. The name "Coahoma" is a Choctaw word meaning "red panther." ^[4] The act creating the county defined its limits as follows:

Beginning at the point where the line between townships 24 and 25 of the surveys of the late Choctaw cession intersects the Mississippi River, and running thence up the said river to the point where the dividing line between the Choctaw and Chickasaw tribes of Indians intersects the same; thence with the dividing line to the point where the line between ranges two and three of the survey of the said Choctaw cession intersects the same; thence with said range line, to the line between townships 24 and 25 aforesaid, and thence with the said township line to the beginning. ^[5]

In the early days of the county, before the construction of railways or extensive roadways inland, the Mississippi River was the primary transportation route, and the first three county seats were each located on the river. In 1836, Port Royal was designated as the first county seat. ^[6] In 1841, high waters on the Mississippi River flooded Port Royal, and in 1842 the county seat was moved to the town of Delta. ^[7] High waters on the Mississippi also flooded Delta, and in 1850 the county seat was moved to Friars Point, ^[7] which had a population of about 1,000 in 1920, and received its name in honor of Robert Friar, an early settler. As nearby Clarksdale grew in population and influence, it challenged Friars Point's hold on the county government, and in 1892, Coahoma County was divided into two jurisdictions, one going to Friars Point and the other to Clarksdale. In 1930, the county seat was given exclusively to Clarksdale, ^[8] which had a population of 7,500 in 1920. Clarksdale is now the largest and most important city in the county, and was named for John Clark, a brother-in-law of Governor James L. Alcorn, whose home, Eagle's Nest, was in this county.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 583 square miles (1,510 km²), of which 552 square miles (1,430 km²) is land and 31 square miles (80 km²) (5.3%) is water. ^[9]

Major highways

• Future Interstate 69
• U.S. Highway 49
• U.S. Highway 61
• U.S. Highway 278
• Mississippi Highway 1
• Mississippi Highway 6
• Mississippi Highway 315

Adjacent counties

• Tunica County (north)
• Quitman County (east)
• Sunflower County (south)
• Tallahatchie County (southeast)
• Bolivar County (southwest)
• Phillips County, Arkansas (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	1,290		—
1850	2,780		115.5%
1860	6,606		137.6%
1870	7,144		8.1%
1880	13,568		89.9%
1890	18,342		35.2%
1900	26,293		43.3%
1910	34,217		30.1%
1920	41,511		21.3%
1930	46,327		11.6%
1940	48,333		4.3%
1950	49,361		2.1%
1960	46,212		−6.4%
1970	40,447		−12.5%
1980	36,918		−8.7%
1990	31,665		−14.2%
2000	30,622		−3.3%
2010	26,151		−14.6%
2020	21,390		−18.2%
2023 (est.)	20,077	[10]	−6.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 1790–1960 [12] 1900–1990 [13] 1990–2000 [14] 2010–2013 [15]

2020 census

Coahoma County Racial Composition ^[16]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	4,285	20.03%
Black or African American	16,209	75.78%
Native American	26	0.12%
Asian	112	0.52%
Other/Mixed	408	1.91%
Hispanic or Latino	350	1.64%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 21,390 people, 8,782 households, and 5,637 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 26,151 people living in the county. 75.5% were Black or African American, 22.9% White, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% of some other race and 0.5% of two or more races. 1.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

2000 census

As of the census ^[17] of 2000, there were 30,622 people, 10,553 households, and 7,482 families living in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile (21 people/km²). There were 11,490 housing units at an average density of 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 65.21% Black or African American, 27.28% White, 6.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino, 0.47% Asian, 0.09% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. of any race.

There were 10,553 households, out of which 36.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.20% were married couples living together, 28.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.10% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.42.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 33.00% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 84.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $22,338, and the median income for a family was $26,640. Males had a median income of $26,841 versus $19,611 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,558. About 29.80% of families and 35.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.90% of those under age 18 and 31.50% of those age 65 or over.

Education

• Colleges
  • Coahoma Community College (Clarksdale)

Coahoma County was previously in the service area of the Mississippi Delta Community College (MDCC). As a result of the 1995 Mississippi Legislature session, Coahoma County is no longer in the MDCC service area. ^[18]

• Public School Districts
  • Clarksdale Municipal School District - Its high school is Clarksdale High School
  • Coahoma County School District - Its high school is Coahoma County Junior-Senior High School
• Private Schools
  • Lee Academy (Clarksdale)

Communities

Cities

• Clarksdale (county seat)

Towns

• Coahoma
• Friars Point
• Jonestown
• Lula
• Lyon

Census-designated places

• Bobo
• Dublin
• Farrell
• Rena Lara

Unincorporated communities

• Burke Landing
• Claremont
• Clover Hill
• Hillhouse
• Hopson
• Humber
• Lu-Rand
• Mattson
• Moon Lake (community)
• Rich
• Roseacres
• Roundaway
• Rudyard
• Sherard
• Stovall
• Sunflower Landing

Ghost towns

• Delta
• Ingram (also in Quitman County)
• Port Royal
• Wildwood

Notable people

• James L. Alcorn, United States Senator from Mississippi, owned and died at "Eagle Nest" in Coahoma County ^[19]
• Thomas Harris, author of Hannibal Lecter novels; he was born in Jackson, Tennessee, but raised in Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated community in Coahoma County.
• John Lee Hooker (1917–2001), blues musician born in 1917 in Coahoma County into a sharecropper and Baptist preacher family.
• Maud Jeffries (1869 –1946), actress, born in Lula, Mississippi, married a wealthy Australian grazier, and settled in Australia.
• Ransom A. Myers (b. Lula, Mississippi, 1952 – d. Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2007) was a renowned Canada-based marine biologist, conservationist and scholar at Dalhousie University who published a seminal study on overfishing.
• Nate Dogg spent his childhood in Clarksdale.
• Rick Ross the rapper was born in Coahoma County in 1976. Soon moved to Miami-Dade County, Florida.
• Frederick Bruce Thomas (1872-1928), prominent entrepreneur and multi-millionaire in Moscow and Constantinople.
• Ike Turner, musician, was born in Clarksdale
• Tennessee Williams, playwright, spent much of his childhood in Clarksdale and Coahoma County. A Tennessee Williams Festival is held annually in Clarksdale.
• Blac Elvis was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Award-winning music producer/songwriter.
• Son House, blues singer and guitarist, (b. 1902 – d. 1988), was born at Lyon in Coahoma County, Mississippi.
• Conway Twitty, country singer, (b. 1933 - d. 1993), was born in Friars Point, Mississippi. ^[20]

Politics

United States presidential election results for Coahoma County, Mississippi ^[21]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	2,375	27.94%	6,020	70.82%	106	1.25%
2016	2,426	27.22%	6,378	71.57%	108	1.21%
2012	2,712	25.71%	7,792	73.86%	45	0.43%
2008	2,917	27.60%	7,597	71.89%	54	0.51%
2004	3,676	34.65%	6,805	64.15%	127	1.20%
2000	3,695	38.68%	5,662	59.27%	196	2.05%
1996	3,441	35.80%	5,776	60.10%	394	4.10%
1992	4,120	36.85%	6,409	57.33%	651	5.82%
1988	4,939	43.79%	6,139	54.43%	200	1.77%
1984	5,759	44.96%	6,839	53.39%	212	1.65%
1980	4,592	38.22%	7,030	58.51%	393	3.27%
1976	4,269	38.41%	6,412	57.70%	432	3.89%
1972	6,602	61.56%	3,708	34.57%	415	3.87%
1968	1,875	17.20%	5,352	49.11%	3,671	33.69%
1964	4,172	81.23%	964	18.77%	0	0.00%
1960	1,096	28.34%	1,386	35.84%	1,385	35.82%
1956	1,082	32.80%	1,677	50.83%	540	16.37%
1952	1,619	43.36%	2,115	56.64%	0	0.00%
1948	113	4.87%	246	10.61%	1,960	84.52%
1944	191	7.39%	2,392	92.61%	0	0.00%
1940	137	5.32%	2,440	94.68%	0	0.00%
1936	49	2.32%	2,059	97.68%	0	0.00%
1932	62	3.57%	1,672	96.26%	3	0.17%
1928	223	11.14%	1,778	88.86%	0	0.00%
1924	121	8.16%	1,362	91.84%	0	0.00%
1920	61	6.40%	882	92.55%	10	1.05%
1916	21	2.91%	697	96.67%	3	0.42%
1912	16	3.64%	396	90.00%	28	6.36%

See also

• Mississippi portal

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

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Coahoma County, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 8, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OMB-Bulletin-23-01.pdf ^{[ bare URL PDF ]}
4. Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 29. ISBN   978-1-60473-483-6.
5. Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form. Vol. 1. Southern Historical Publishing Association. p. 450.
6. Sansing, David G.; Jones, Walker W.; Bush, Jason R. (April 2004). "Unequal Justice: An Unintended Consequence in Mississippi Counties with Two Judicial Districts" (PDF). Mississippi Law Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2014.
7. Kerstine, Margery (January 7, 2011). "Cotton-Family-Religion: Jewish Life in Coahoma County Mississippi, Delta History from 1836 to 1941, Prologue: 1721 to 1867". Margery Kerstine.
8. Nelson, Lawrence J. (1999). King Cotton's Advocate: Oscar G. Johnston and the New Deal. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN   9781572330252.
9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
13. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
14. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
15. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
16. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
17. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
18. "The History of MDCC Archived 2010-06-27 at the Wayback Machine ." Mississippi Delta Community College. Retrieved on October 18, 2010.
19. Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
20. "View Marker Local Map Conway Twitty Conway Twitty - Friars Point". Mississippi Country Music Trail. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 5, 2018.

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20060906233219/http://www.clarksdale.com/chamber/
• Coahoma County, Mississippi at Curlie
• Coahoma County Courthouse Pictures
• Delta News Online: Hometown News for the Mississippi Delta

34°14′N90°36′W / 34.23°N 90.60°W / 34.23; -90.60