Macon, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Macon, Mississippi
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Noxubee County Courthouse in Macon
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Location of Macon, Mississippi
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 Macon, Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Noxubee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.85 sq mi (9.98 km2) |
| • Land | 3.83 sq mi (9.92 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 197 ft (60 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 2,768 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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2,421 |
| • Density | 632.28/sq mi (244.11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
39341
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| Area code(s) | 662 |
| FIPS code | 28-44240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0673046 |
Macon is a city in Noxubee County, Mississippi along the Noxubee River. The population was 2,768 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Noxubee County.
History
Founded on February 9, 1833 as Taladega, the name was changed to Macon on August 10, 1835. The Jackson Military Road crossed the Noxubee River just west of Macon, located at the old Choctaw village of Taladega, now the site of the local golf club. The city served as the capital city for the state of Mississippi during the Civil War.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), all land.
Demographics
In 2016, Macon was the poorest town in the United States with a population between 1,000 and 25,000 people.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 989 | — | |
| 1870 | 975 | −1.4% | |
| 1880 | 2,074 | 112.7% | |
| 1890 | 1,565 | −24.5% | |
| 1900 | 2,067 | 32.1% | |
| 1910 | 2,024 | −2.1% | |
| 1920 | 2,051 | 1.3% | |
| 1930 | 2,198 | 7.2% | |
| 1940 | 2,261 | 2.9% | |
| 1950 | 2,241 | −0.9% | |
| 1960 | 2,432 | 8.5% | |
| 1970 | 2,612 | 7.4% | |
| 1980 | 2,396 | −8.3% | |
| 1990 | 2,256 | −5.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,461 | 9.1% | |
| 2010 | 2,768 | 12.5% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 2,421 | −12.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 383 | 14.83% |
| Black or African American | 2,088 | 80.87% |
| Native American | 3 | 0.12% |
| Other/Mixed | 59 | 2.29% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 49 | 1.9% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 2,582 people, 1,110 households, and 724 families residing in the city.
Education
Historically, the city of Macon had the largest schools in Noxubee County, including Macon High School (Mississippi). In 1917, the city proposed consolidation of the school district with Noxubee County, with the goal of replacing the single-teacher system prevalent throughout the county.
The City of Macon is now served by the Noxubee County School District. East Mississippi Community College offers some courses at Noxubee County High School in Macon.
When federal courts mandated integration of the public schools, a segregation academy, Central Academy, was built in Macon, secretly using public school funds to construct the private school. White student enrollment in public schools dropped from 829 to 71 during this period. Attendance at Central Academy eventually dwindled to 51 students, resulting in the shuttering of the school following the 2017 school year.
Notable people
- Larry Anderson, basketball coach for MIT
- Buster Barnett, former NFL player for the Buffalo Bills
- Carey Bell, blues harmonicist
- Cornelius Cash, basketball player
- Eddy Clearwater, blues guitarist and singer, born Edward Harrington in Macon in 1935. Cousin of Harmonicist Carey Bell.
- Darion Conner, former professional football player with the Atlanta Falcons
- Willie Daniel, NFL football player
- Jesse Fortune, blues singer
- Victoria Clay Haley, suffragist
- Nate Hughes, former professional football player with Jacksonville Jaguars, and Detroit Lions
- Stephen D. Lee, confederate general, slaveholder, farmed the Devereaux plantation for ten years.
- Samuel Pandolfo, businessman
- America W. Robinson, African American educator; contralto (Fisk Jubilee Singers)
- Deontae Skinner, NFL player
- Purvis Short, former professional basketball player
- Nate Wayne, former NFL football player with Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, and Philadelphia Eagles
- Israel Victor Welch, Confederate politician and lawyer lived in Macon after the war
- Margaret Murray Washington, educator; wife of Booker T. Washington
- Ben Ames Williams, novelist
See also
In Spanish: Macon (Misisipi) para niños
