Silver City, Mississippi

Silver City, Mississippi
Town
Welcome sign (2012)
Location within Humphreys County and Mississippi
Coordinates: 33°5′43″N90°29′45″W / 33.09528°N 90.49583°W / 33.09528; -90.49583
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Humphreys
Area [1]
• Total	0.63 sq mi (1.62 km2)
• Land	0.60 sq mi (1.56 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	108 ft (33 m)
Population  (2021)
• Total	217
• Estimate  (2025)	197
• Density	369.21/sq mi (142.59/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39166
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-67920
GNIS ID	677790

Silver City is a town in Humphreys County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 217 at the 2021 census, ^[2] a massive decline from the 2000 census.

History

The town was first named "Palmetto Home", after a nearby plantation. ^[3]

2023 tornado

See also: 2023 Rolling Fork–Silver City tornado

On March 24, 2023, a destructive wedge tornado directly hit Silver City. Numerous people were injured and several buildings were destroyed. The same destructive tornado had previously hit the towns of Rolling Fork and Midnight. The tornado was rated high-end EF4, although only EF2 damage occurred in the town. ^{[4] [5]}

Geography

Silver City is located in central Humphreys County at 33°5′43″N90°29′45″W / 33.09528°N 90.49583°W / 33.09528; -90.49583 (33.095335, -90.495814), ^[6] in the Mississippi Delta region. It is bordered to the east by the Yazoo River. U.S. Route 49W passes through the town, leading north 7 miles (11 km) to Belzoni, the county seat, and south 20 miles (32 km) to Yazoo City. Mississippi Highway 149, an old alignment of US 49W, leads southwest from Silver City 10 miles (16 km) to Louise.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Silver City has a total area of 0.62 square miles (1.6 km²), of which 0.02 square miles (0.06 km²), or 3.56%, are water. ^[2]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	45		—
1910	341		—
1920	322		−5.6%
1930	361		12.1%
1940	390		8.0%
1950	381		−2.3%
1960	431		13.1%
1970	370		−14.2%
1980	378		2.2%
1990	348		−7.9%
2000	337		−3.2%
2010	337		0.0%
2020	223		−33.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [7]

As of the census ^[8] of 2000, there were 337 people, 124 households, and 76 families residing in the town. The population density was 553.7 inhabitants per square mile (213.8/km²). There were 133 housing units at an average density of 218.5 per square mile (84.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 21.66% White and 78.34% African American.

There were 124 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.5% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.59.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,083, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $23,125 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,459. About 36.6% of families and 49.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 70.8% of those under age 18 and 38.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Silver City is served by the Humphreys County School District.

Notable people

• Spencer Haywood, participated on the US Olympic gold medal-winning basketball team, then played professionally
• Jack Reed, professional baseball player and member of the 1961 World Series champion New York Yankees

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Silver City town, Mississippi". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
3. McElvaine, Robert S. (1988). Mississippi: The WPA Guide to the Magnolia State. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN   9781604732894.
4. Will McDuffie; Peter Charalambous; Kevin Shalvey (March 25, 2023). "19 dead as 'destructive' tornado, storms batter Mississippi, officials say". ABC News. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
5. Charalambous, Peter; Shalvey, Kevin; El-Bawab, Nadine (March 25, 2023). "'Leveled': Responders, residents describe horror of Mississippi tornado destruction". ABC News . Retrieved March 25, 2023.
6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
7. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
8. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.