Raymond, Mississippi Facts for Kids

This page is about the U.S. city. For the American Civil War battle of the same name, see Battle of Raymond.

Quick facts for kids Raymond, Mississippi
City
City of Raymond
Little Big Store in Raymond
Location of Raymond, Mississippi
Raymond, Mississippi Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Hinds
Area
• Total	2.88 sq mi (7.46 km²)
• Land	2.88 sq mi (7.46 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	266 ft (81 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	1,960
• Density	680.32/sq mi (262.69/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39154
Area code(s)	601/769
FIPS code	28-61160
GNIS feature ID	2404596

Raymond is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,933; in 2020, its population was 1,960. Raymond is one of two county seats of Hinds County (along with Jackson) and is the home of the main campus of Hinds Community College. Raymond is part of the Jackson metropolitan statistical area.

History
Geography
Demographics
Education
Notable people
Gallery
See also

History

In 1829, three commissioners, including John B. Peyton, were appointed by U.S. President Andrew Jackson to find a place near the center of Hinds County for the county seat. The current location of Raymond is a ridge about a mile from the center of the county, and was selected because the actual center was low and subject to flooding. The town of Raymond received its charter from the Mississippi legislature on December 15, 1830. Because of its status as a seat of justice and its proximity to the Natchez Trace, Raymond developed quickly into a prosperous small town whose prosperity and small size have continued to this day.

In the late 1840s, Cooper's Well, a property near Raymond with a well that provided sulphured water, was developed into a resort for those seeking the perceived health benefits from its ingestion.

Construction of a new county courthouse was begun at the center of the town square in 1857 and completed in 1859; the work was largely done by enslaved African Americans. The courthouse is still in use as a secondary location of county legal matters (the city of Jackson having become the primary county seat). The Raymond courthouse is considered by many to be a prime example of southern Greek Revival architecture.

The Battle of Raymond was fought by Confederate and Union soldiers near Raymond on May 12, 1863 as part of General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign during the Civil War. Four days later, the pivotal Battle of Champion Hill was won by Grant's troops and sealed the fate of Vicksburg. Grant stayed at Waverly, the plantation of John B. Peyton, and Union soldiers used St. Mark's Episcopal Church as a hospital. Blood stains can still be seen on the church's floor from that period.

Construction of a water tower was begun in 1903 in the center of the town square. It and the courthouse are landmarks for the town. A small agricultural high school was opened in 1917; it developed as Hinds Community College, which has several sites and the largest student body of any college in the state.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	488	—
1900	483	—
1910	579	19.9%
1920	500	−13.6%
1930	547	9.4%
1940	641	17.2%
1950	1,259	96.4%
1960	1,381	9.7%
1970	1,620	17.3%
1980	1,967	21.4%
1990	2,275	15.7%
2000	1,664	−26.9%
2010	1,933	16.2%
2020	1,960	1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

Raymond racial composition as of 2020
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	764	38.98%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	1,124	57.35%
Native American	2	0.1%
Asian	4	0.2%
Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Other/Mixed	35	1.79%
Hispanic or Latino	29	1.48%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,960 people, 361 households, and 202 families residing in the city.

Education

Hinds Community College has a Raymond campus.

Residents are within the Hinds County School District, and are zoned to Raymond Elementary School, Carver Middle School, and Raymond High School.

Jackson Hinds Library System operates the Raymond Public Library at the Hinds Courthouse annex.

Notable people

Willie Banks, gospel music singer
Cory Carter, American football punter
Stephen Head, Major League Baseball scout
George Caldwell Granberry, former state legislator who served as postmaster of Raymond
Rick Lawson, gospel music singer
Muna Lee, Pan-American poet and first wife of Luis Muñoz Marín.
Kansas Joe McCoy, Delta blues singer
D. P. Porter, 25th Secretary of State of Mississippi
Susan Dabney Smedes, teacher and author
Jeremy Williams, American player of Canadian football
John Bell Williams, governor of Mississippi from 1968 to 1972, was born in Raymond.