De Kalb, Mississippi

De Kalb, Mississippi
Town
Nickname:  Dynamite City of the South
Location of De Kalb, Mississippi
De Kalb, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 32°46′11″N88°39′1″W / 32.76972°N 88.65028°W / 32.76972; -88.65028
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Kemper
Government
• Mayor	Clark Adams [1]
Area [2]
• Total	3.33 sq mi (8.61 km2)
• Land	3.32 sq mi (8.60 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	466 ft (142 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	877
• Density	264.24/sq mi (102.03/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39328
Area code	601
FIPS code	28-18340
GNIS feature ID	0669159

De Kalb is a town in and the county seat of Kemper County, Mississippi, United States. ^[3] The population was 1,164 at the 2010 census. ^[4] De Kalb is named after General Johann de Kalb, a Franconian-French military officer who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Geography

De Kalb is located in central Kemper County at 32°46′11″N88°39′1″W / 32.76972°N 88.65028°W / 32.76972; -88.65028 (32.769751, -88.650407). ^[5] Mississippi Highway 16 passes through the north side of the town, leading east 11 miles (18 km) to Scooba and west 28 miles (45 km) to Philadelphia. Mississippi Highway 39 (Main Avenue) passes through the center of De Kalb, leading north 19 miles (31 km) to Shuqualak and south 30 miles (48 km) to Meridian.

According to the United States Census Bureau, De Kalb has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02 km²), or 0.22%, are water. ^[4]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	554		—
1930	888		60.3%
1940	866		−2.5%
1950	953		10.0%
1960	880		−7.7%
1970	1,072		21.8%
1980	1,159		8.1%
1990	1,073		−7.4%
2000	972		−9.4%
2010	1,164		19.8%
2020	877		−24.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [6]

2020 census

De Kalb Racial Composition ^[7]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	225	25.66%
Black or African American	631	71.95%
Native American	1	0.11%
Pacific Islander	1	0.11%
Other/Mixed	13	1.48%
Hispanic or Latino	6	0.68%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 877 people, 480 households, and 292 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census ^[8] of 2000, there were 972 people, 388 households, and 233 families residing in the town. The population density was 293.5 inhabitants per square mile (113.3/km²). There were 444 housing units at an average density of 134.1 per square mile (51.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 70.31% African American, 18.56% White, 0.21% Native American, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 388 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,000, and the median income for a family was $24,886. Males had a median income of $26,477 versus $16,964 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,171. About 23.3% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.9% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

De Kalb is served by the Kemper County School District.

Notable people

• Eddie Briggs, former Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi ^[9]
• Bud Brown, former safety for the Miami Dolphins ^[10]
• Cleo Brown, blues and jazz vocalist and pianist ^[11]
• John A. Clark, member of the Mississippi State Senate from 1916 to 1920 ^[12]
• Lyscum Elbert Crowson, Methodist minister ^[13]
• J. H. Rush, physician ^[14]
• John H. Stennis, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1969 to 1984 ^[15]
• Louis Westerfield, lawyer and former dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law ^[16]
• Jeremiah White, cast member on Love Island

References

1. "Town of DeKalb open, mayor advocates social distancing". WTOK-TV. Meridian, Mississippi. March 24, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), De Kalb town, Mississippi". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
9. "MISSISSIPPI HOUSE PICKS A LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR". Orlando Sentinel. January 8, 1992. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
10. "Bud Brown". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
11. "Cleo Brown". Oxford Reference. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
12. Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 775.
13. Church History and Directory: Commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of Darlington United Methodist Church. South Charleston, West Virginia: Darlington United Methodist Church. 1970. p. 12.
14. The Southern Dental Journal and Luminary. Macon, Georgia: Holmes and Mason. 1896. p. 207.
15. "John Hampton Stennis, son of late senator, dies at 78". The Greenwood Commonwealth . Associated Press. September 6, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
16. Quigley, Bill (June 22, 2007). "Appreciation: Louis Westerfield, 1949-1996 – Obituary". Diverse. Retrieved June 30, 2022.