Canton, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Canton, Mississippi
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Madison County Courthouse in Canton
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| Nickname(s):
Movie Capitol of Mississippi
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| Motto(s):
One People/One Voice/One Goal
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Location in Madison County and the state of Mississippi
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 Canton, Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | Mississippi | ||
| County | Madison | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 21.57 sq mi (55.9 km2) | ||
| • Land | 21.28 sq mi (55.1 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.30 sq mi (0.8 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 223 ft (68 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 10,948 | ||
| • Density | 514.59/sq mi (198.68/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
39046
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| Area code(s) | 601 | ||
| FIPS code | 28-11100 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 2403988 | ||
Canton is a city in Mississippi, United States. It is the main city of Madison County. Canton is located north of Jackson, the state capital. In 2020, about 10,948 people lived there. The city is known as the "Movie Capitol of Mississippi" because many movies have been filmed there.
A large car factory owned by Nissan is located right next to Canton.
Contents
History of Canton
Canton was an important place during the American Civil War. It served as a center for railroads and supplies. Many injured soldiers were cared for or moved through the city. Because of this, Canton has a large cemetery for soldiers from the Confederate side.
Many parts of Canton are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites. The area around the courthouse is a historic shopping district. It also hosts the Canton Flea Market. The courthouse itself is very beautiful, built in the Georgian style. It often appears in photos of the South. The east side of town also has many historic homes.
Geography and Location
Canton is in the middle of Madison County. It is about 24 miles northeast of Jackson. The city of Gluckstadt is just south of Canton.
Main Roads in Canton
Several important roads pass through Canton.
- U.S. Route 51 goes through the city center. It connects Canton to Jackson in the southwest.
- Mississippi Highway 16 also runs through the city center. It leads east to Carthage and northwest to Yazoo City.
- MS 22 starts in Canton and goes west to Flora.
- MS 43 passes through the east side of Canton. It goes northeast to Kosciusko.
- Interstate 55 is on the west side of the city. It connects Canton to Jackson in the southwest.
Land and Water in Canton
Canton covers about 21.6 square miles. Most of this area is land (21.3 square miles). A small part, about 0.3 square miles, is water. Batchelor Creek flows through the city north of downtown. Bear Creek flows through the southern part. The city is in the area where water flows into the Big Black River.
Canton's Climate
Canton has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Canton was 108°F (42°C) in September 1925. The coldest was -11°F (-24°C) in January 1940.
| Climate data for Canton, 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) | 83 (28) |
87 (31) |
95 (35) |
95 (35) |
99 (37) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
107 (42) |
108 (42) |
100 (38) |
89 (32) |
85 (29) |
108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 74.1 (23.4) |
77.2 (25.1) |
82.9 (28.3) |
86.0 (30.0) |
90.9 (32.7) |
94.6 (34.8) |
97.5 (36.4) |
97.5 (36.4) |
95.1 (35.1) |
89.6 (32.0) |
80.5 (26.9) |
75.4 (24.1) |
99.1 (37.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 56.0 (13.3) |
59.8 (15.4) |
68.2 (20.1) |
75.3 (24.1) |
82.5 (28.1) |
88.8 (31.6) |
91.8 (33.2) |
91.1 (32.8) |
87.6 (30.9) |
77.9 (25.5) |
66.0 (18.9) |
58.1 (14.5) |
75.3 (24.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 44.8 (7.1) |
47.8 (8.8) |
55.8 (13.2) |
63.0 (17.2) |
71.4 (21.9) |
77.7 (25.4) |
81.0 (27.2) |
80.0 (26.7) |
75.2 (24.0) |
64.4 (18.0) |
53.1 (11.7) |
46.7 (8.2) |
63.4 (17.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 33.6 (0.9) |
35.9 (2.2) |
43.4 (6.3) |
50.7 (10.4) |
60.3 (15.7) |
66.6 (19.2) |
70.2 (21.2) |
68.9 (20.5) |
62.8 (17.1) |
50.8 (10.4) |
40.4 (4.7) |
35.3 (1.8) |
51.6 (10.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 17.0 (−8.3) |
21.6 (−5.8) |
27.1 (−2.7) |
35.3 (1.8) |
45.5 (7.5) |
58.6 (14.8) |
63.8 (17.7) |
62.2 (16.8) |
49.6 (9.8) |
35.3 (1.8) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
21.2 (−6.0) |
15.1 (−9.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −11 (−24) |
−3 (−19) |
15 (−9) |
28 (−2) |
35 (2) |
43 (6) |
51 (11) |
52 (11) |
34 (1) |
20 (−7) |
12 (−11) |
2 (−17) |
−11 (−24) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.15 (131) |
4.92 (125) |
5.69 (145) |
6.09 (155) |
4.73 (120) |
4.02 (102) |
4.60 (117) |
3.84 (98) |
4.06 (103) |
4.30 (109) |
4.64 (118) |
5.01 (127) |
57.05 (1,450) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) |
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) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.5 (1.25) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.7 | 9.3 | 9.8 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 101.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People Living in Canton
This section talks about the people who live in Canton.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 1,963 | — | |
| 1880 | 2,131 | 8.6% | |
| 1890 | 3,404 | 59.7% | |
| 1900 | 3,464 | 1.8% | |
| 1910 | 3,929 | 13.4% | |
| 1920 | 3,252 | −17.2% | |
| 1930 | 4,725 | 45.3% | |
| 1940 | 6,011 | 27.2% | |
| 1950 | 7,048 | 17.3% | |
| 1960 | 9,707 | 37.7% | |
| 1970 | 10,503 | 8.2% | |
| 1980 | 11,116 | 5.8% | |
| 1990 | 10,062 | −9.5% | |
| 2000 | 12,911 | 28.3% | |
| 2010 | 13,189 | 2.2% | |
| 2020 | 10,948 | −17.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 Census Information
In 2020, the 2020 United States Census counted 10,948 people living in Canton. There were 4,774 households and 2,953 families.
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,664 | 15.2% |
| Black or African American | 7,988 | 72.96% |
| Native American | 33 | 0.3% |
| Asian | 47 | 0.43% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 234 | 2.14% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 981 | 8.96% |
2010 Census Information
The 2010 United States census showed 13,189 people lived in Canton. There were 4,494 households. The average household had about 3 people.
The population was made up of different groups:
- 19.5% White
- 74.7% African American
- 0.2% Native American
- 0.6% Asian
- 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander
- 0.8% from two or more races
- 5.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.
About 27.5% of the people were under 18 years old. About 10.8% were 65 or older. More than half of the population (50.8%) were female. The average income for a household was $33,350. About 31.4% of the people lived below the poverty line.
Economy of Canton
A large Nissan car manufacturing plant is located just outside Canton. This factory provides many jobs for people in the area.
Famous People from Canton
Many notable people have connections to Canton:
- Edward Blackmon Jr. (born 1947), a former Mississippi State Representative.
- Sister Thea Bowman (1937–1990), a Roman Catholic nun.
- Flonzie Brown Wright (born 1942), an African-American civil rights activist.
- The Canton Spirituals, a well-known gospel music group.
- Homer Casteel (1879-1958), who was a lieutenant governor.
- Annie Bell Robinson Devine (1912–2000), a civil rights activist.
- Earl B. Dickerson (1891–1986), a World War I veteran and civil rights attorney.
- George Doherty (1920–1987), a football player for the Buffalo Bills.
- Scott Field (1847–1931), a U.S. congressman.
- Rowland Garrett (born 1950), a professional basketball player.
- L. C. Greenwood (1946-2013), an NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Caroline Herring, a folk singer.
- Elmore James (1918–1963), a famous blues singer and guitarist.
- Sonny Landreth (born 1951), a blues guitarist.
- Ronnie Lester (born 1959), a basketball player for the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.
- Damien Lewis (born 1997), an NFL player for the Carolina Panthers.
- Samuel Mockbee (1944–2001), an architect.
- Rev. Cleophus Robinson (1932-1998), a gospel singer.
- John Henry Rogers (1845–1911), a congressman and federal judge.
- Reed Stringer (born 1979), a college football coach.
- Arthur Tate (born 1939), a Mississippi state senator.
- William M. Walton (1832–1915), a Texas Attorney General.
- Quinndary Weatherspoon (born 1996), an NBA player.
Mississippi Blues Trail in Canton
Canton is an official stop on the Mississippi Blues Trail. This trail honors important places in blues music history. Elmore James, a famous blues singer and slide guitarist, learned about electronics in a radio repair shop on Hickory Street in Canton.
Hickory Street, also known as "The Hollow" by locals, was a lively place with many juke joints (places where people played music and danced). A special marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail was placed on Hickory Street to celebrate Elmore James's contributions to blues music.
Other blues musicians connected to Canton include Grady Champion, Little Brother Montgomery, and Johnny Temple. Gospel singers like the Canton Spirituals and Reverend Cleophus Robinson also have ties to the city.
Governor Haley Barbour once said that Elmore James's music was greatly influenced by his childhood home in Canton. He noted that James, like other famous musicians such as B.B. King, played the blues on Hickory Street. The blues trail marker celebrates James and Canton's rich blues history.
Education in Canton
Students in Canton attend schools in the Canton Public School District. The main high school is Canton High School. There is also a private school called Canton Academy.
See also
In Spanish: Canton (Misisipi) para niños
