Monroe County, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Monroe County
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Former Monroe County Courthouse in Aberdeen.
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Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
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 Mississippi's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named for | James Monroe |
| Seat | Aberdeen |
| Largest city | Amory |
| Area | |
| • Total | 772 sq mi (2,000 km2) |
| • Land | 765 sq mi (1,980 km2) |
| • Water | 7.0 sq mi (18 km2) 0.9% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 34,180 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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33,609  |
| • Density | 44.27/sq mi (17.095/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
Monroe County is a county on the northeast border of the U.S. state of Mississippi next to Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,180. Its county seat is Aberdeen.
Contents
History
The county is named in honor of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. Part of the county east of the Tombigbee River originally made-up part of the Alabama Territory, belonging to Marion County, until new lines of demarcation put it in the State of Mississippi in 1821.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 765 square miles (1,980 km2) is land and 7.0 square miles (18 km2) (0.9%) is water.
In 1922, the Commissioner of Agriculture for the county published a report in a local newspaper which described in some detail the soil conditions and agriculture of the county. He described the areas as the Black Lands and the soil as black lime, a "stiff" soil, derived from the Selma chalk formation and extremely rich in potassium and phosphorus.
Flora
Sweet clover is an indigenous wild ground cover in the county.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 45
U.S. Highway 278
Mississippi Highway 6
Mississippi Highway 8
Mississippi Highway 25
Mississippi Highway 145
Adjacent counties
- Lowndes County (south)
- Clay County (southwest)
- Chickasaw County (west)
- Lee County (northwest)
- Itawamba County (north)
- Lamar County, Alabama (east)
- Marion County, Alabama (northeast)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1820 | 2,721 | — | |
| 1830 | 3,861 | 41.9% | |
| 1840 | 9,250 | 139.6% | |
| 1850 | 21,172 | 128.9% | |
| 1860 | 21,283 | 0.5% | |
| 1870 | 22,631 | 6.3% | |
| 1880 | 28,553 | 26.2% | |
| 1890 | 30,730 | 7.6% | |
| 1900 | 31,216 | 1.6% | |
| 1910 | 35,178 | 12.7% | |
| 1920 | 32,613 | −7.3% | |
| 1930 | 36,141 | 10.8% | |
| 1940 | 37,648 | 4.2% | |
| 1950 | 36,543 | −2.9% | |
| 1960 | 33,953 | −7.1% | |
| 1970 | 34,043 | 0.3% | |
| 1980 | 36,404 | 6.9% | |
| 1990 | 36,582 | 0.5% | |
| 2000 | 38,014 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 36,989 | −2.7% | |
| 2020 | 34,180 | −7.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 33,609 | −9.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010–2020 |
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2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White | 22,487 | 65.79% |
| Black or African American | 10,311 | 30.17% |
| Native American | 50 | 0.15% |
| Asian | 67 | 0.2% |
| Pacific Islander | 3 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 789 | 2.31% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 473 | 1.38% |
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 34,180 people, 13,966 households, and 9,122 families residing in the county.
Economy
As of 1922,[update] both the largest creamery and the largest hog-feeding plant "in the South" were located in the county.
As of 1922,[update] corn was the most important grain crop grown in the county. Corn was typically planted after the planting and harvest of a crop of clover or oats. At that time, oat crops typically yielded forty to sixty bushels per acre. Other crops grown, either for harvest or pasture, included wheat, rye, barley, rape, cotton, Japan clover. Monroe had the largest acreage devoted to alfalfa production and exported more alfalfa hay than any other county in the state.
As of 2021, US Silica operates a bentonite mine located several miles south of Aberdeen, near the community of Darracott, where bentonite is extracted before being refined into petrochemicals and animal feed.
Communities
Cities
- Aberdeen (county seat)
- Amory
- Nettleton (partly in Lee County)
Towns
Village
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated communities
Ghost towns
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Monroe (Misisipi) para niños
