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Aberdeen, Mississippi
Aberdeen City Hall (early 20th century)
Aberdeen City Hall (early 20th century)
Flag of Aberdeen, Mississippi
Flag
Motto(s): 
"A Great Place to Live, Work and Play"
Location of Aberdeen, Mississippi
Location of Aberdeen, Mississippi
Aberdeen, Mississippi is located in the United States
Aberdeen, Mississippi
Aberdeen, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Monroe
Area
 • Total 12.37 sq mi (32.04 km2)
 • Land 12.09 sq mi (31.31 km2)
 • Water 0.28 sq mi (0.73 km2)
Elevation
230 ft (70 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 4,961
 • Density 410.34/sq mi (158.43/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
39730
Area code(s) 662
FIPS code 28-00180
GNIS feature ID 2403058

Aberdeen is the county seat of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,961, down from 5,612 in 2010.

Located on the banks of the Tombigbee River, Aberdeen was one of the busiest Mississippi ports of the 19th century. Cotton was heavily traded in town, and for a time Aberdeen was Mississippi's second largest city. Aberdeen retains many historic structures from this period, with over 200 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. In the spring of each year, Aberdeen hosts pilgrimages to its historic antebellum homes. The most prominent of these antebellum homes is The Magnolias, which was built in 1850.

Located just outside the city, Aberdeen Lock and Dam forms Aberdeen Lake, a popular recreational area. Aberdeen Lock and Dam is part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway system.

History

African-American barbershop in Aberdeen, Mississippi (circa 1920)
Barbershop in Aberdeen, 1907

In 1540, Hernando DeSoto's expedition was the first occasion that Europeans traveled through the vicinity of Aberdeen.

Aberdeen was first settled in 1834 and chartered as a town in 1837. In 1849, it became the county seat when Monroe County was formed.

On February 18, 1864, during the American Civil War, a skirmish occurred between the Union army and the Confederate army in Aberdeen. Lieutenant Colonel Burgh and the 9th Illinois Cavalry Regiment came into contact with rebel militias, driving them back and taking possession of Aberdeen. The battle resulted in the company taking 18 prisoners of war, as well as the destruction of Confederate food supplies and machinery.

Hiram Revels, the first African-American United States senator, died in Aberdeen on January 16, 1901, while he was attending a church conference.

Aberdeen had a population of 3,708 in 1910. Its population had risen to 5,920 by 1950. Its population was 7,184 in 1980.

Geography

Variant names are "Dundee" and "New Aberdeen".

Aberdeen is located southwest of the center of Monroe County. The downtown area lies on a low rise overlooking the original channel of the Tombigbee River to the east. U.S. Highway 45 passes through the south and west sides of the city as a bypass, leading north 35 miles (56 km) to Tupelo and south 27 miles (43 km) to Columbus. Mississippi Highway 8 passes through the south side of the city with US 45, leading northeast 14 miles (23 km) to U.S. Highway 278 at Wise Gap and west 30 miles (48 km) to Houston. State Highway 25 also passes through the south side of the city, leading north-northeast 15 miles (24 km) to Amory and southwest 18 miles (29 km) to West Point.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Aberdeen has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32 km2), of which 12.1 square miles (31 km2) are land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km2), or 2.28%, are water. The Tombigbee River and the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway flow southward through the east end of the city. Aberdeen Lock and Dam on the waterway is within the city limits, less than a mile south of the city's northern border.

TombigbeeRiver1955
Failure of the Mississippi Highway 25 N/U.S. Route 45 S bridge over the Tombigbee River in Aberdeen during the 1955 floods.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Aberdeen has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Climate data for Aberdeen, Mississippi (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1892–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 85
(29)
87
(31)
95
(35)
95
(35)
104
(40)
108
(42)
114
(46)
109
(43)
106
(41)
98
(37)
89
(32)
87
(31)
114
(46)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 52.3
(11.3)
56.7
(13.7)
65.3
(18.5)
73.3
(22.9)
81.0
(27.2)
87.5
(30.8)
90.4
(32.4)
89.9
(32.2)
85.2
(29.6)
75.2
(24.0)
63.5
(17.5)
54.7
(12.6)
72.9
(22.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 41.5
(5.3)
45.1
(7.3)
53.1
(11.7)
60.9
(16.1)
69.3
(20.7)
76.5
(24.7)
79.8
(26.6)
79.1
(26.2)
73.7
(23.2)
62.6
(17.0)
51.1
(10.6)
43.8
(6.6)
61.4
(16.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 30.7
(−0.7)
33.4
(0.8)
40.9
(4.9)
48.4
(9.1)
57.5
(14.2)
65.4
(18.6)
69.2
(20.7)
68.4
(20.2)
62.2
(16.8)
50.0
(10.0)
38.6
(3.7)
32.8
(0.4)
49.8
(9.9)
Record low °F (°C) −10
(−23)
−15
(−26)
14
(−10)
26
(−3)
34
(1)
43
(6)
52
(11)
50
(10)
34
(1)
23
(−5)
7
(−14)
−5
(−21)
−15
(−26)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 4.97
(126)
5.30
(135)
4.56
(116)
5.79
(147)
4.76
(121)
4.28
(109)
4.30
(109)
3.46
(88)
3.74
(95)
3.32
(84)
3.98
(101)
5.80
(147)
54.26
(1,378)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 0.1
(0.25)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.2 9.6 9.6 8.2 9.0 9.2 9.3 7.6 6.0 6.9 7.6 9.6 102.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1870 2,022
1880 2,339 15.7%
1890 3,449 47.5%
1900 3,434 −0.4%
1910 3,708 8.0%
1920 4,071 9.8%
1930 3,925 −3.6%
1940 4,746 20.9%
1950 5,290 11.5%
1960 6,450 21.9%
1970 6,507 0.9%
1980 7,184 10.4%
1990 6,837 −4.8%
2000 6,415 −6.2%
2010 5,612 −12.5%
2020 4,961 −11.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

2020 census

Aberdeen Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
Black or African American 3,504 70.63%
White 1,247 25.14%
Native American 10 0.2%
Asian 17 0.34%
Pacific Islander 1 0.02%
Other/Mixed 127 2.56%
Hispanic or Latino 55 1.11%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 4,961 people, 2,016 households, and 1,195 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,612 people living in the city. 69.2% were African American, 28.8% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education

The city is served by the Aberdeen School District.

Media

Radio stations

1240 WWZQ-AM 105.3 WACR-FM

Infrastructure

Highways

  • US 45.svg U.S. Highway 45
  • Circle sign 8.svg Mississippi Highway 8
  • Circle sign 25.svg Mississippi Highway 25
  • Circle sign 145.svg Mississippi Highway 145

Railroads

Notable people

In popular culture

The city of Aberdeen is the subject of the HGTV show Hometown Renovation, where local makeup artist and designer Billy Brasfield sets to redesign and renovate some of the city's houses and landmarks.

The city is the subject of the song "Aberdeen, Mississippi", by blues artist Bukka White, later covered by guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd as "Aberdeen".

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Aberdeen (Misisipi) para niños

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