Magnolia,_Mississippi
Magnolia, Mississippi
City in Mississippi, United States
Magnolia is a city in Pike County, Mississippi and the county seat.[2] The population was 2,420 at the 2010 census. Magnolia is within the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Magnolia, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
Location of Magnolia, Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: 31°8′57″N 90°27′41″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Pike |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Tammy Witherspoon (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.19 sq mi (16.03 km2) |
| • Land | 6.14 sq mi (15.91 km2) |
| • Water | 0.04 sq mi (0.12 km2) |
| Elevation | 305 ft (93 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 1,883 |
| • Density | 306.53/sq mi (118.36/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 39652 |
| Area code | 601 |
| FIPS code | 28-44680 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0673065 |
Magnolia was founded in 1856 by Ansel H. Prewett, a local civic leader and cotton planter. Knowing that the approaching New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad (now the Illinois Central Railroad) would need a station for water and fuel, Prewett sold a right-of-way to the railroad company – for one dollar, according to legend – and divided a section of his plantation into town lots, which he sold to investors. Prewett, while serving as temporary sheriff of Pike County, was killed by outlaws in the early 1870s escorting a prisoner on the very railroad that made Magnolia a viable community.[3]
Magnolia grew rapidly in the 1860s, and in the late nineteenth century Magnolia served as a popular small-town resort for wealthy New Orleanians, who took trains north from New Orleans to enjoy Magnolia's fresh air and sparkling creeks. At one time early Magnolia boasted an opera house, skating rink, and several hotels that catered largely to these tourists.
In 1860 Magnolia's first newspaper, the Grand Trunk Magnolian, was established by John Waddill. It did not last the war and was succeeded by the establishment of the Magnolia Gazette by J.D. Burke in 1872. The Magnolia Herald was established by Luke W. Conerly in 1875 and he continued as its proprietor and editor until 1878.[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km2), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (1.52%) is water.
Within the city limits there is the confluence of the Minnehaha River and the Little Tangipahoa River.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 567 | — | |
| 1890 | 676 | 19.2% | |
| 1900 | 1,088 | 60.9% | |
| 1910 | 1,823 | 67.6% | |
| 1920 | 2,012 | 10.4% | |
| 1930 | 1,660 | −17.5% | |
| 1940 | 2,125 | 28.0% | |
| 1950 | 1,984 | −6.6% | |
| 1960 | 2,083 | 5.0% | |
| 1970 | 1,970 | −5.4% | |
| 1980 | 2,461 | 24.9% | |
| 1990 | 2,245 | −8.8% | |
| 2000 | 2,071 | −7.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,420 | 16.9% | |
| 2020 | 1,883 | −22.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 508 | 26.98% |
| Black or African American | 1,276 | 67.76% |
| Native American | 2 | 0.11% |
| Asian | 5 | 0.27% |
| Other/Mixed | 68 | 3.61% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 24 | 1.27% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,883 people, 825 households, and 444 families residing in the city.
- Prentiss Barnes (1925-2006), bass singer in the doo-wop group The Moonglows. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
- Laphonza Butler (born 1979), U.S. Senator from California.
- Aunjanue Ellis (born 1969), Oscar-nominated actress.
- Herman Neugass (1915–1991), track & field athlete who boycotted the 1935 Olympic trials
- William Parsons, Director of the Kennedy Space Center, oversaw return to flight following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003.
- Michael Farris Smith, writer[7]
- Lynne Spears (born 1955), author and mother of Bryan, Britney, and Jamie Lynn Spears.
- Davion Taylor (born 1998), NFL Linebacker drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, 3rd round, in 2020.
Highways
Air
- McComb-Pike County Airport
The City of Magnolia is served by the South Pike School District. The town has one public library.
- Percy Quin State Park
- Homochitto National Forest 42 miles away
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Magnolia has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[8]
- "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- Martha Lacy Hall, An Historical Sketch of Magnolia, Mississippi: Centennial Celebration, Magnolia, Mississippi, 1856-1956. Magnolia, Mississippi: W. M. Lacy, 1956.
- Pike County Mississippi 1798-1876 Pioneer Families and Confederate Soldiers by Luke W. Conerly 1909
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- Bass, Erin Z. (September 12, 2013). "The World of Michael Farris Smith". Deep South Magazine. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- "Magnolia, Mississippi Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)". Weatherbase. Retrieved May 2, 2017.