Merigold, Mississippi

This article is about a town in Mississippi. For marigold, a flower, see Tagetes.

Merigold, Mississippi
Town
Location of Merigold, Mississippi
Merigold, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°50′21″N90°43′35″W / 33.83917°N 90.72639°W / 33.83917; -90.72639
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Bolivar
Area [1]
• Total	0.97 sq mi (2.51 km2)
• Land	0.97 sq mi (2.51 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation [2]	144 ft (44 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	379
• Density	391.12/sq mi (151.05/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38759
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-46720
GNIS feature ID	2406148 [2]

Merigold (sometimes misspelled as Marigold or Merrigold) is a town in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 379. ^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	241		—
1920	606		151.5%
1930	804		32.7%
1940	704		−12.4%
1950	682		−3.1%
1960	602		−11.7%
1970	772		28.2%
1980	574		−25.6%
1990	572		−0.3%
2000	664		16.1%
2010	439		−33.9%
2020	379		−13.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [4] 2010 [5] 2020 [6]

2020 census

Merigold town, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition
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 may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010 [5]	Pop 2020 [6]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	182	159	41.46%	41.95%
Black or African American alone (NH)	221	201	50.34%	53.03%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	11	4	2.51%	1.06%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0.00%	0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	0	2	0.00%	0.53%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	8	8	1.82%	2.11%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	17	5	3.87%	1.32%
Total	439	379	100.00%	100.00%

2000 Census

As of the census ^[7] of 2000, there were 664 people, 268 households, and 191 families residing in the town. The population density was 686.1 inhabitants per square mile (264.9/km²). There were 280 housing units at an average density of 289.3 per square mile (111.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 42.62% White, 56.93% African American, 0.15% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 268 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 23.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,185. About 21.4% of families and 23.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.6% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Merigold is served by the Cleveland School District. ^[8] The district operates the Hayes Cooper Center for Math and Science, located on old Highway 61. ^[9] Secondary students are zoned to Cleveland Central Middle School and Cleveland Central High School.

As of 2002 some children in Merigold attended the North Sunflower Academy in unincorporated Sunflower County. ^[10]

Entertainment

Po' Monkey's is a juke joint located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Merigold. The Mississippi Blues Commission placed a historic marker at the Po Monkey's Lounge in 2009 designating it as a site on the Mississippi Blues Trail for its contribution to the development of the blues (and one of the few authentic juke joints that is still operating today). ^[11]

Notable people

• Charlie Capps, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1972 to 2005 ^[12]
• Esther Golar, Illinois state representative, was born in Merigold. ^[13]
• Walter B. Parks, member of the Mississippi Legislature from 1912 to 1920 ^[14]
• Larry Speakes, acting press secretary in the Ronald Reagan administration, grew up in Merigold. ^[15]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Merigold, Mississippi
3. "Merigold town, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved April 15, 2022.
4. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
5. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Merigold town, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau .
6. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Merigold town, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau .
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
8. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Bolivar County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved August 1, 2017.
9. Home page. Hayes Cooper Center. Retrieved on May 21, 2016. "500 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd. Merigold, MS 38759"
10. "No simple solutions to education, workforce training problems. (Focus Delta & River Cities)." Mississippi Business Journal . May 27, 2002. Retrieved on August 10, 2010.
11. ""Po' Monkey's" : Mississippi Blues Trail". June 22, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
12. United States. Congress (2010). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 7913.
13. State Rep. Esther Golar laid to rest
14. Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History. p. 792.
15. 'Larry Speakes, Public Face of Reagan Era, Dies at 74,' The New York Times, Michael D. Shear, January 10, 2014

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