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Chickasaw County, Mississippi facts for kids

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Chickasaw County
East façade of the Chickasaw County Courthouse in Houston
East façade of the Chickasaw County Courthouse in Houston
Map of Mississippi highlighting Chickasaw County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Mississippi
Founded 1836
Named for Chickasaw people
Seat Houston and Okolona
Largest city Houston
Area
 • Total 504 sq mi (1,310 km2)
 • Land 502 sq mi (1,300 km2)
 • Water 2.5 sq mi (6 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 17,106
 • Density 33.94/sq mi (13.104/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Chickasaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,106. Its county seats are Houston and Okolona. The county is named for the Chickasaw people, who lived in this area for hundreds of years. Most were forcibly removed to Indian Territory in the 1830s, but some remained and became citizens of the state and the United States.

History

The Mississippi state legislature created Chickasaw County in 1836, following the cession of the land by the Chickasaw Indians. It was quickly settled by Americans from the east, mainly from the Southern states. By the time of the Civil War, riverfront landings had been developed by the many large cotton plantations worked by slaves, who outnumbered the white residents of the county.

The American Civil War devastated the local economy, completely destroying the plantation-based infrastructure of Chickasaw County. The newly freed slaves had to adapt to the new labor system, in which the white landowners still retained partial control over their lives through the practice of sharecropping. The economy declined again in the late 19th century, when falling cotton prices reduced both black and white residents to poverty. Farmers eventually began diversifying their crops, and the economy slowly began to improve.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 504 square miles (1,310 km2), of which 502 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) (0.5%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 45.svg U.S. Route 45 Alternate (Mississippi)
  • Circle sign 8.svg Mississippi Highway 8
  • Circle sign 15.svg Mississippi Highway 15
  • Circle sign 32.svg Mississippi Highway 32
  • Circle sign 41.svg Mississippi Highway 41
  • Circle sign 47.svg Mississippi Highway 47
  • Natchez Trace Parkway

Adjacent counties

National protected areas

  • Natchez Trace Parkway (part)
  • Tombigbee National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1840 2,955
1850 16,369 453.9%
1860 16,426 0.3%
1870 19,899 21.1%
1880 17,905 −10.0%
1890 19,891 11.1%
1900 19,892 0.0%
1910 22,846 14.9%
1920 22,212 −2.8%
1930 20,835 −6.2%
1940 21,427 2.8%
1950 18,951 −11.6%
1960 16,891 −10.9%
1970 16,805 −0.5%
1980 17,853 6.2%
1990 18,085 1.3%
2000 19,440 7.5%
2010 17,392 −10.5%
2020 17,106 −1.6%
2023 (est.) 16,866 −3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

Chickasaw County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White 8,584 50.18%
Black or African American 7,407 43.3%
Native American 13 0.08%
Asian 41 0.24%
Pacific Islander 4 0.04%
Other/Mixed 419 2.45%
Hispanic or Latino 642 3.75%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 17,106 people, 6,476 households, and 4,278 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,392 people living in the county. 54.0% were White, 42.1% Black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 2.5% of some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 3.7% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

Communities

Cities

Towns

Villages

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Notable locals

  • Singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry, a Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame inductee
  • Bukka White, early blues performer
  • William Raspberry, journalist
  • Milan Williams, founding member of The Commodores
  • Jim Hood, politician and former Mississippi Attorney General
  • Jeff Busby, United States Representative who spearheaded the Natchez Trace Parkway
  • Shaquille Vance, 2012 U.S. Paralympic National Championship, gold medal (100m), silver medal (200m)
  • Ida Mae Brandon Gladney, central character in the Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Fictional locals

  • Titus Andromedon, aka Ronald Ephen Wilkerson, one of the main characters from the comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, was originally from Chickasaw County

In popular culture

Candieland, the plantation of the fictional Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's film Django Unchained, is located in Chickasaw County.

Titus Andromedon, from Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, is from Chickasaw County, Mississippi.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Chickasaw (Misisipi) para niños

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