Shuqualak, Mississippi

Shuqualak, Mississippi
Town
Flora House in Shuqualak is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Noxubee County, Mississippi.
Nickname:  Shuga Town
Motto:  This will always be our home [ citation needed ]
Location of Shuqualak, Mississippi
Shuqualak, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 32°58′49″N88°34′8″W / 32.98028°N 88.56889°W / 32.98028; -88.56889
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Noxubee
Area [1]
• Total	1.13 sq mi (2.92 km2)
• Land	1.13 sq mi (2.92 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	213 ft (65 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	399
• Density	353.41/sq mi (136.49/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39361
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-67640
GNIS feature ID	0677762
Website	www.townofshuqualak.com

Shuqualak, pronounced "sugar lock", is a town in Noxubee County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 399. That is down from 501 from the 2010 census. ^[2] Three locations in Shuqualak, including most of the downtown area, are included on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Mobile and Ohio Railroad Station,
Shuqualak, Mississippi,
circa 1900

A post office was established in 1855, and the town was incorporated in 1859. Shuqualak was a stop on the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, built in the 1850s. ^[3] Shuqualak is a name derived from the Choctaw language purported to mean "beads". ^[4]

Geography

Shuqualak is located on U.S. Route 45, midway between Columbus and Meridian.

An auxiliary landing field for Columbus Air Force Base is located south of the town. The name of the auxiliary landing field is Gunshy.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	352		—
1890	601		70.7%
1900	600		−0.2%
1910	636		6.0%
1920	764		20.1%
1930	810		6.0%
1940	743		−8.3%
1950	714		−3.9%
1960	550		−23.0%
1970	591		7.5%
1980	554		−6.3%
1990	570		2.9%
2000	562		−1.4%
2010	501		−10.9%
2020	399		−20.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [5]

2020 census

Shuqualak Racial Composition ^[6]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	40	10.03%
Black or African American	338	84.71%
Other/Mixed	16	4.01%
Hispanic or Latino	5	1.25%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 399 people, 199 households, and 115 families residing in the town.

2000 census

As of the census ^[7] of 2000, there were 562 people, 214 households, and 148 families residing in the town. The population density was 493.0 inhabitants per square mile (190.3/km²). There were 249 housing units at an average density of 218.4 per square mile (84.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 29.72% White, 69.57% African American, and 0.71% from two or more races.

There were 214 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 28.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 33.1% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,875, and the median income for a family was $26,607. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $22,596 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,051. About 30.7% of families and 29.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Shuqualak Lumber Company was founded in 1948 and employs approximately 150. It is one of the largest privately owned, independent producers of southern yellow pine in the southeastern United States. ^[8]

Education

The Town of Shuqualak is served by the Noxubee County School District. It was the site of the now defunct Shuqualak Female College, a female seminary founded in 1880. ^[9]

Notable people

• Vincent Dancy – American football coach
• James Z. George – Confederate politician and military officer ^[10]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. "Communities". Noxubee County Economic and Community Development Alliance. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
3. Howe, Tony. "Shuqualak, Mississippi". Mississippi Rails. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
4. Baca, Keith A. (2007). Native American Place Names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 94. ISBN   978-1-60473-483-6.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
8. "Existing Business & Industry". Noxubee County Economic and Community Development Alliance. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
9. American College and Public School Directory. C. H. Evans & Company. 1890. p.  125 . Retrieved December 17, 2017.
10. Smith, Timothy B. (2012). James Z. George: Mississippi's Great Commoner. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 6. ISBN   978-1-61703-232-5 . Retrieved December 17, 2017.

External links

• Town of Shuqualak