Como, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Como, Mississippi
Town
Main Street in Como
Location of Como, Mississippi
Como, Mississippi Location in Mississippi Show map of Mississippi Como, Mississippi Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Panola
Area
• Total	1.90 sq mi (4.92 km2)
• Land	1.89 sq mi (4.89 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	358 ft (109 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	1,279
• Estimate  (2019)	1,188
• Density	628.90/sq mi (242.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38619
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-15500
GNIS feature ID	0668729

Como is a town in Panola County, Mississippi, which borders the Mississippi Delta and is in the northern part of the state, known as hill country. The population was 1,279 as of the 2010 census.

History

This was a rural area developed for cotton and agriculture, as was the nearby Mississippi Delta, and was dependent on slave labor in the antebellum years. The mechanization of agriculture in the first half of the 20th century meant that many farm workers lost their jobs. The state's legal racial segregation and disenfranchisement had excluded majority-black population from participation in the political system until after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The relative isolation of the area has made it difficult to develop a new economy.

In a 2007 article about the area, Wayne Drash, a CNN.com senior producer, described Como as "a hard-hit rural community."

Geography

Como is located at 34°30′48″N 89°56′29″W / 34.51333°N 89.94139°W / 34.51333; -89.94139 (34.513343, -89.941290).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), of which 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) is land and 0.53% is water.

It is 45 miles (72 km) south of Memphis, Tennessee.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 1,118 people, 590 households, and 284 families residing in the town.

Education

The Town of Como is served by the North Panola School District. Como Elementary School in Como, North Panola Junior High School in Como, and North Panola High School in Sardis serve the community.

Infrastructure

The United States Postal Service operates the Como Post Office.

Notable people

• Joe Henderson, R&B and gospel singer who had a 1962 hit with "Snap Your Fingers" was born in Como.
• Mississippi Fred McDowell, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Napoleon Strickland, Othar Turner, and R.L. Boyce are noted Hill Country blues musicians who lived in or near Como.
• Tommy Joe Martins, racecar driver, was born in Como.
• Jimbo Mathus, musician, has lived in Como since 2007, where he also runs the Delta Recording Studio, which records artists from around the world.
• Luther Perkins, guitarist who played for singer Johnny Cash, spent most of his childhood in Como.
• Stark Young was born and grew up in Como. He became a novelist, best known for So Red the Rose (1934), adapted as a 1935 film by the same name. A member of the Southern Agrarians, he had taught in academia for several years before moving to New York City, where he also wrote several plays and worked as theatre critic for The New Republic and The New York Times.

See also

In Spanish: Como (Misisipi) para niños