Charleston, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charleston, Mississippi
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Location of Charleston, Mississippi
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 Charleston, Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Mississippi | |
| County | Tallahatchie | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 1.36 sq mi (3.52 km2) | |
| • Land | 1.35 sq mi (3.51 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) | |
| Elevation | 213 ft (65 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,884 | |
| • Density | 1,390.41/sq mi (536.81/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) | |
| ZIP codes |
38921, 38958
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| Area code(s) | 662 | |
| FIPS code | 28-12900 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2404031 | |
Charleston is a city in north central Mississippi and one of the two county seats of Tallahatchie County, which is located on both sides of the Tallahatchie River. This city is located east of the river and its population was 2,193 at the 2010 census.
History
The original county seat, Old Tillatoba, was discovered to have a defective land title, so the seat was removed to Charleston in 1837.
The Charleston Female school, established in 1852, flourished for several years. The Tallahatchie Herald, a Democratic weekly newspaper, was established in 1892. In 1901, the Charleston Bank was established. By the early 1900s, Charleston had a brick courthouse and jail, three churches, schools, a Masonic hall, an Odd Fellows lodge, and two cotton gins. Its leading agricultural staple was cotton. The population in 1906 was 800.
In 1931, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake occurred in Charleston, the most powerful earthquake recorded in Mississippi.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), of which 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) is land and 0.73% is water. It is also situated on the northern end of the concurrency of Mississippi Highways 32 and 35.
The city's official nickname is "Gateway to the Delta".
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 368 | — | |
| 1890 | 412 | 12.0% | |
| 1900 | 480 | 16.5% | |
| 1910 | 1,834 | 282.1% | |
| 1920 | 3,007 | 64.0% | |
| 1930 | 2,014 | −33.0% | |
| 1940 | 2,100 | 4.3% | |
| 1950 | 2,629 | 25.2% | |
| 1960 | 2,528 | −3.8% | |
| 1970 | 2,821 | 11.6% | |
| 1980 | 2,878 | 2.0% | |
| 1990 | 2,328 | −19.1% | |
| 2000 | 2,198 | −5.6% | |
| 2010 | 2,193 | −0.2% | |
| 2020 | 1,884 | −14.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 425 | 22.56% |
| Black or African American | 1,413 | 75.0% |
| Asian | 4 | 0.21% |
| Other/Mixed | 26 | 1.38% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16 | 0.85% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 1,884 people, 792 households, and 514 families residing in the city.
Education
The City of Charleston is served by the East Tallahatchie School District. Before 1970, a dual system of schools, one for black students and another for whites was maintained. In 1970, the federal courts mandated in Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education that the schools be integrated, and the school district adopted a plan by which classrooms remained segregated, but during the course of the school day entire classes of children and teachers were bused between East Tallahatchie High School and Allen Carver High School. The black students of Allen Carver protested, and the sheriff arrested 125 of them and sent them to the state penitentiary at Parchman. After intervention by the federal Community Relations Service, the students were allowed to reenter school and makeup missed exams. The classrooms were integrated, new elections were held for student government, and some black cheerleaders were added.
Charleston High School held its first racially integrated prom in April 2008. This event was the subject of the 2008 HBO documentary Prom Night in Mississippi. The documentary focused on Charleston High School and the efforts to have a mixed prom instead of the traditional racially segregated proms.
Strider Academy, near the city, closed in 2018.
Coahoma Community College is the designated community college.
Notable people
- Mose Allison, blues singer and pianist
- Eldra Buckley, former running back for the NFL's Detroit Lions
- Brad Dye, former lieutenant governor of Mississippi
- Morgan Freeman, Academy Award-winning actor currently resides in Charleston
- Deantre Prince, cornerback for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars
- Jamie Whitten, congressman.
See also
In Spanish: Charleston (Misisipi) para niños
