Poplarville, Mississippi
Poplarville, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Pearl River County Courthouse | |
| Nicknames: | |
 Location of Poplarville, Mississippi | |
  Poplarville, Mississippi Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 30°50′26″N 89°32′2″W / 30.84056°N 89.53389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Pearl River |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Louise Smith |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.42 sq mi (14.04 km2) |
| • Land | 5.41 sq mi (14.01 km2) |
| • Water | 0.012 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Elevation | 318 ft (97 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,833 |
| • Density | 523.9/sq mi (202.26/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 39470 |
| Area code | 601/769 |
| FIPS code | 28-59480 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0676247 |
| Website | www |
Poplarville is a city and the county seat of Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States.[2] As of the 2020 censusPoplarville had a population of 2,833.[3] It hosts the annual Blueberry Jubilee, which includes rides, artists, craft vendors and rodeos.
History
[edit]Poplarville was named for Poplar Jim Smith, the original owner of the town site.[4]
Pearl County was officially formed in 1872. The county courthouse was located in the Masonic building but it burned not long after the county was formed. The records went in the fire. Due to the fire, substandard tax rolls and the poor numbers of residents the county was abolished in 1878.
In the year 1890 the new Pearl RIVER county was formed by an act of the Legislature that appropriated lands from both Hancock county to the south and Marion county to the north. Just prior to the establishment of the new county a railroad was built through the area, the New Orleans and Northeastern which greatly helped grow the areas population.
Poplarville was designated the county's seat of the new government, the city named after "Poplar" Jim Smith who owned much of the land in the area. The city was incorporated several years before the new county was established, March 4th, 1886. Poplarville had only 236 residents as of the 1890 census, but by 1900 the population soared over 325% to 990 residents!
The first Pearl River Courthouse was built in Poplarville in 1892 costing $8,298. It later housed the Pearl River County Hospital. The city's first school opened the same year which saved parents from having to bring their children to Lumberton, almost 25 miles north of Poplarville.
In 1907, a young lawyer, minister, and farmer from Pearl River County, Theodore Bilbo, was elected to the Mississippi Senate, beginning a long political career that took him twice to the governor's mansion, ending in a 12-year tenure in the U. S. Senate. In 1909, two years prior to Bilbo's election to the post of Lieutenant Governor, Pearl River County Agricultural High School was established at Poplarville. In 1923, the progressive community opened the first of Mississippi's junior colleges at the Agricultural High School. George Tindall wrote in his book "The Emergence of the New South 1913-1945" about Bilbo, "in the four Bilbo years, (which was his first term as Governor) "according to the Federal Commission of Education, Mississippi made more educational progress than any other state."
Pearl River County continued growing, prosperity followed. Its citizens decided that the original county courthouse was inadequate and in 1918, construction of the 2nd courthouse began. The $130,000 cost was immense but the building was completed and occupied in June 1920.
Poplarville is home to Pearl River Community College, Mississippi's first and Community College.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted damage on Poplarville, with the storm's most powerful, unofficially recorded gust of wind reported at Pearl River Community College, of 135 mph (217 km/h). On September 2, 2005, Ohio Army National Guard arrived in Poplarville to assist with the recovery. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on every family and structure in the county. On September 5, 2005, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and Governor Haley Barbour visited Pearl River Community College to view the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[5]
Pearl River County is a dry county but municipalities control whether to stay dry or not. On March 25, 2014, Poplarville citizens voted to allow for beer and low alcohol percentage wine sales. The final vote count was 361 votes for the measure and 149 against.[6]
Geography
[edit]According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km2), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.52%) is water.
Climate
[edit]Poplarville has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with short spring times followed by hot summers and short, mild winters. Snowfall is a rarity, usually once every 10 years.
| Climate data for Poplarville Experiment Station, Mississippi (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–1905, 1919–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) |
87 (31) |
89 (32) |
98 (37) |
101 (38) |
104 (40) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
103 (39) |
97 (36) |
92 (33) |
85 (29) |
105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.3 (24.1) |
77.3 (25.2) |
82.9 (28.3) |
86.5 (30.3) |
92.3 (33.5) |
95.9 (35.5) |
97.1 (36.2) |
97.1 (36.2) |
89.6 (32.0) |
89.6 (32.0) |
81.4 (27.4) |
76.4 (24.7) |
98.4 (36.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.3 (15.2) |
63.4 (17.4) |
70.3 (21.3) |
76.8 (24.9) |
84.1 (28.9) |
89.4 (31.9) |
90.8 (32.7) |
91.0 (32.8) |
87.0 (30.6) |
78.8 (26.0) |
68.3 (20.2) |
61.2 (16.2) |
76.7 (24.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.0 (9.4) |
52.6 (11.4) |
59.1 (15.1) |
65.4 (18.6) |
73.1 (22.8) |
79.0 (26.1) |
80.8 (27.1) |
80.7 (27.1) |
76.6 (24.8) |
67.4 (19.7) |
57.2 (14.0) |
51.0 (10.6) |
66.0 (18.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 38.6 (3.7) |
41.8 (5.4) |
47.9 (8.8) |
54.1 (12.3) |
62.2 (16.8) |
68.7 (20.4) |
70.7 (21.5) |
70.4 (21.3) |
66.3 (19.1) |
56.0 (13.3) |
46.1 (7.8) |
40.7 (4.8) |
55.3 (12.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 21.1 (−6.1) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
38.8 (3.8) |
50.0 (10.0) |
62.3 (16.8) |
66.6 (19.2) |
65.9 (18.8) |
55.9 (13.3) |
40.0 (4.4) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
19.8 (−6.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 3 (−16) |
10 (−12) |
15 (−9) |
30 (−1) |
37 (3) |
49 (9) |
58 (14) |
57 (14) |
39 (4) |
28 (−2) |
20 (−7) |
5 (−15) |
3 (−16) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 5.73 (146) |
5.27 (134) |
5.52 (140) |
5.48 (139) |
5.28 (134) |
6.41 (163) |
6.94 (176) |
5.99 (152) |
4.82 (122) |
4.04 (103) |
4.05 (103) |
5.45 (138) |
64.98 (1,650) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 11.9 | 10.4 | 9.4 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 12.1 | 13.7 | 11.7 | 8.7 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 10.7 | 120.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Source: NOAA[7][8] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 232 | — | |
| 1900 | 990 | 326.7% | |
| 1910 | 1,272 | 28.5% | |
| 1920 | 1,290 | 1.4% | |
| 1930 | 1,498 | 16.1% | |
| 1940 | 1,664 | 11.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,852 | 11.3% | |
| 1960 | 2,136 | 15.3% | |
| 1970 | 2,312 | 8.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,562 | 10.8% | |
| 1990 | 2,561 | 0.0% | |
| 2000 | 2,601 | 1.6% | |
| 2010 | 2,894 | 11.3% | |
| 2020 | 2,833 | −2.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] | |||
2020 census
[edit]| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 1,857 | 65.55% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 774 | 27.32% |
| Native American | 8 | 0.28% |
| Asian | 22 | 0.78% |
| Other/Mixed | 101 | 3.57% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 71 | 2.51% |
As of the 2020 census, Poplarville had a population of 2,833. The median age was 25.9 years. 17.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.7 males age 18 and over.[11][12]
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[13]
There were 790 households in Poplarville, of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.4% were married-couple households, 15.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 961 housing units, of which 17.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.0%.[11][12]
2000 census
[edit]As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 2,601 people, 852 households, and 558 families residing in the city. The population density was 676.5 inhabitants per square mile (261.2/km2). There were 936 housing units at an average density of 243.4 per square mile (94.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.32% White, 23.95% African American, 0.50% Asian, 0.15% Native American, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.
There were 852 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 20.8% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,417, and the median income for a family was $32,339. Males had a median income of $35,250 versus $21,667 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,833. About 20.8% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
[edit]- Theodore G. Bilbo, U.S. Senator, was born in 1877 in Juniper Grove, an eastern township of Poplarville.
- Jimmy Buffett, musician, lived in Poplarville for a period of time starting in 1959.[15]
- Grady C. Cothen, preacher and president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary from 1970 to 1974[16]
- Glen Day, PGA Tour Golfer.
- Jonathan J. C. Grey, federal judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Chapel Hart, country music group.
- Jim Henderson, radio voice announcer for the New Orleans Saints from 2012 to 2018[17]
- Hudson Holliday, politician and Major General in the Mississippi National Guard[18]
- Zac Houston, Major League Baseball pitcher[19]
- John Lumpkin, head football coach of the Mississippi State Teachers for the 1930 season[20]
- Whitney Miller, the United States' first MasterChef.
- Jansen Owen, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives[21]
- Mack Charles Parker, African-American victim of lynching in the United States.
- Argile Smith, pastor and president of Louisiana Christian University from 2014 to 2015[22]
- Larkin I. Smith, member of U.S. House of Representatives.
- Martin T. Smith, lawyer and politician.[23]
- Ahmos Zu-Bolton, activist, poet, playwright[24]
Education
[edit]
The City of Poplarville is served by the Poplarville School District and is home to Pearl River Community College.
References
[edit]- ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
- ↑ Williams, Diane (March 4, 2014). Mississippi Folk and the Tales They Tell: Myths, Legends and Bald-Faced Lies. The History Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-1-60949-932-7.
- ↑ "President Visits with Residents of Poplarville, Mississippi" (press release). White House. September 5, 2005.
- ↑ Showers, Al. "Poplarville voters decide to turn the dry city wet" (Archive). WLOX. March 26, 2014. Updated March 27, 2014. Retrieved on June 5, 2015.
- ↑ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
- ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ Eng, Steve (October 15, 1997). Jimmy Buffett: The Man from Margaritaville Revealed. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312168759 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Grady C. Cothen's Obituary". Clarion Ledger. May 20, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ Duncan, Jeff (June 21, 2017). "Jim Henderson, voice of the Saints, gets the call to Louisiana Sports HOF". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ Showers, Al (January 21, 2011). "PRC Supervisor Hudson Holliday running for governor". WLOX. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ Welsh, Taylor (June 15, 2016). "Poplarville native drafted in eleventh round by the Detroit Tigers". Picayune Item. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Believe It Or Not—Athletes Are Solons". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. March 8, 1930. p. 8. Retrieved October 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
. - ↑ "Jansen T. Owen". billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Dr. Argile Smith Biographical Information". divinity.lacollege.edu. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
- ↑ "Former Miss. lawmaker Martin Smith dies at 80". The Clarion-Ledger. February 27, 2015.
- ↑ Wessman, NK (July 16, 2023). "Ahmos Zu-Bolton: Poplarville native left mark in Black arts movement". Magnolia Tribune. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Poplarville, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
Municipalities and communities of Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
