Choctaw County, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Choctaw County
U.S. county
French Camp. Historic Mississippi cabin.
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1833
Named for	Choctaw people
Seat	Ackerman
Largest town	Ackerman
Area
• Total	420 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	418 sq mi (1,080 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4 km2)  0.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,246
• Density	19.63/sq mi (7.58/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Choctaw County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,246. Its northern border is the Big Black River, which flows southwest into the Mississippi River south of Vicksburg. The county seat is Ackerman.

The county is named after the Choctaw tribe of Native Americans. They had long occupied this territory as their homeland before European exploration. Under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, they were forced by the United States to cede their lands and to move west of the Mississippi River to what became Indian Territory (today's state of Oklahoma).

History

This was one of the first counties organized in central Mississippi after Indian Removal, and it was originally much larger in geography. As the population increased in the Territory, additional counties were organized. For instance, in 1874 Webster County was formed from some of this county, as were Montgomery and Grenada counties.

The first county seat was Greensboro, which was later assigned to the territory of Webster County and designated as its county seat. Eventually Walthall, Mississippi was designated as the county seat of that county, resulting in the decline and abandonment of Greensboro.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 420 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 418 square miles (1,080 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.4%) is water. The Big Black River forms the county's northern border.

Adjacent counties

• Webster County, Mississippi - north
• Oktibbeha County, Mississippi - east
• Winston County, Mississippi - southeast
• Attala County, Mississippi - southwest
• Montgomery County, Mississippi - west

National protected areas

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

Demographics

The adjacent table reflects major decreases in population from 1910 to 1920, and from 1940 to 1960. These were periods of the Great Migration from the South by African Americans, who first moved to jobs in industrial cities in the North and Midwest. In the 1940s and after, they moved to the West Coast for jobs in the rapidly growing defense industry. Farm work declined with mechanization of agriculture. But Black people also migrated to escape the violence and social repression of Mississippi, where they had been essentially disenfranchised since 1890 and lived under Jim Crow laws and the threat of violence; the state had a high rate of lynchings.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,246 people, 3,228 households, and 2,010 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 8,543 people living in the county. 68.1% were White, 30.2% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from some other race and 1.1% of two or more races. 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Choctaw County School District operates public schools, including Choctaw County High School, Ackerman Elementary, French Camp Elementary, and Weir Elementary.

French Camp Academy, which provides in-house private education in grades 7 through 12, is located in French Camp.

Colleges and universities

Colleges and universities within a 60-mile (97 km) radius of the center of the county include:

• East Mississippi Community College (campuses in Columbus, Mayhew, and Scooba)
• Holmes Community College (campuses in Goodman and Grenada)
• Mississippi State University (Starkville)
• Mississippi University for Women (Columbus)

Communities

Towns

• Ackerman (county seat)
• French Camp
• Mathiston (mostly in Webster County)
• Weir

Unincorporated communities

• Bywy
• Chester
• Reform

Ghost towns

• Bankston
• Pigeon Roost

Notable people

• James Blackwood, American Gospel singer and one of the founding members of legendary Southern Gospel quartet The Blackwood Brothers.
• Turner Catledge, Managing editor of The New York Times from 1952 to 1964 and the paper's first executive editor.
• David A. Chandler, Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi.
• James Plemon "J.P." Coleman 52nd Governor of Mississippi and a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
• Thomas Fulton, Former conductor of the New York Metropolitan Opera
• Dennis Johnson Fullback for Mississippi State University who played for the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills in the NFL.
• Kenneth Johnson, NFL defensive back for the Green Bay Packers
• Tony Kimbrough, Former professional football quarterback
• Raymond Edwin "Ray" Mabus Jr., 60th Governor of Mississippi and 75th United States Secretary of the Navy.
• Hoyt Ming, old-time fiddler.
• Alvin McKinley, NFL defensive tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints.
• Roy Oswalt, a major league pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, and his wife Nicole live in Weir.
• Cheryl Prewitt, Miss America 1980 and Miss Mississippi 1979
• Kristi M. Fondren, Author "Walking on the Wild Side: Long-Distance Hiking on the Appalachian Trail"

In popular culture

The song "Choctaw County Affair" from Carrie Underwood's 2015 album Storyteller is set in Choctaw County, Mississippi.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Choctaw (Misisipi) para niños