De Soto, Mississippi

De Soto, Mississippi
Census-designated place
De Soto Show map of Mississippi De Soto Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 31°58′26″N88°42′48″W / 31.97389°N 88.71333°W / 31.97389; -88.71333 Coordinates: 31°58′26″N88°42′48″W / 31.97389°N 88.71333°W / 31.97389; -88.71333
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Clarke
Area [1]
• Total	3.80 sq mi (9.85 km2)
• Land	3.78 sq mi (9.79 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	210 ft (60 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	274
• Density	72.47/sq mi (27.98/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	601 & 769
GNIS feature ID	669157 [2]

De Soto is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States.

It was first named as a CDP in the 2020 Census which listed a population of 274. ^[3]

History

De Soto was named after Hernando de Soto. ^[4] De Soto was one of four principle towns established in Clarke County before the American Civil War. Established along the Chickasawhay River before the arrival of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, construction of housing in De Soto may have started as early as 1845 and by 1858 churches were being erected. The town had a Post Office and two churches in 1900 when the population was 258. ^[5]

A post office operated under the name De Soto from 1856 to 1978. ^[6]

At one point, De Soto was home to two sawmills, a drug store, a hotel, a blacksmith, and multiple general stores. ^[4]

Four sites in De Soto are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the C. V. Akin House, the Carmichael House, the Cook-Sellers House, and the Covington House. ^[7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
2020	274		—
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 2020 [9]

2020 census

De Soto CDP, Mississippi - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2020 [9]	% 2020
White alone (NH)	156	56.93%
Black or African American alone (NH)	108	39.42%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	1	0.36%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	5	1.82%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4	1.46%
Total	274	100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. "De Soto". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey.
3. "De Soto CDP, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved March 13, 2022.
4. Howe, Tony. "De Soto, Mississippi". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
5. Enzweiler, Susan M. (20 May 1994). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Clarke County MPS". National Register of Historic Places. Washington, D.C., USA: National Park Service. Retrieved 2 Mar 2020.
6. "Clarke County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
7. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
8. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
9. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - De Soto CDP, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau .