Jones County, Mississippi

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Jones County is a county located in the state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population is 64,958. Its county seats are Laurel and Ellisville6.

Contents

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,812 km² (700 mi²). 1,797 km² (694 mi²) of it is land and 15 km² (6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.84% water.

History

Jones County was established in 1826 and was named for John Paul Jones. There are other counties named Jones, but it appears that this is the only one named for John Paul Jones. Ellisville, the county seat, was named for Powhatan Ellis, a member of the Mississippi Legislature who claimed to be a direct descendant of Pocahontas. During the economic hard times in the 1830s and 1840s, there was an exodus of population from South Mississippi, principally to Texas, and the slogan "GTT" ("Gone to Texas") came into currency. The situation was especially acute in Jones County, which became so depopulated that it acquired the derisive nickname "The Free State of Jones". During the War of 1861-1865, Jones County and neighboring counties, especially Covington County to its west, became a haven for Confederate deserters. A group of deserters led by Newt Knight engaged in sporadic battles with State and Confederate units sent to arrest them for desertion. The notoriety of Newt Knight's "rebellion" led to the fabrication of elaborate stories alleging Jones County's "secession" from the Confederacy and the establishment of an entity called "The Free State of Jones". There was no such "State", but the legend gained strength from the fact that Jones County already had been widely known as "The Free State of Jones". After the War, the Mississippi Legislature punished Jones County's disloyalty to the "Cause" by changing its name to Davis (for Jefferson Davis) and the name of its county seat to Leesburg (for Robert E. Lee). The Reconstruction Constitution of 1869 repealed these acts and restored the names of Jones County and Ellisville. The county was divided into judicial districts in 1906, with seats of justice at Ellisville (First District) and Laurel (Second District). As to the derivation of the nickname "Free State of Jones", see, e.g., "Flush Times, Depression, War, and Compromise", by John Edmond Gonzales, in A History of Mississippi (McLemore, ed.), Vol. I, p 295 (Jackson, 1973), citing Mississippi: A History, by John K. Bettersworth, p 185.


Demographics

As of the census2 of 2000, there are 64,958 people, 24,275 households, and 17,550 families residing in the county. The population density is 36/km² (94/mi²). There are 26,921 housing units at an average density of 15/km² (39/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 71.11% White, 26.34% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.41% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 1.96% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 24,275 households out of which 32.60% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% are married couples living together, 15.10% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% are non-families. 24.40% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.00% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.08.

In the county the population is spread out with 25.80% under the age of 18, 10.50% from 18 to 24, 27.30% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $28,786, and the median income for a family is $34,465. Males have a median income of $28,273 versus $19,405 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,820. 19.80% of the population and 14.30% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 25.00% of those under the age of 18 and 16.80% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities and towns


Flag of Mississippi

State of Mississippi
Regions | Largest Cities | Smaller Cities | Governors | Lieutenant Governors | Legislature | State Parks | Music | History |

Capital: Jackson
Regions: The Delta - Golden Triangle - Gulf Coast - Jackson Metro - Memphis Metro - Natchez District - Pine Belt
Largest cities: Biloxi - Clinton - Columbus - Greenville - Gulfport - Hattiesburg - Jackson - Meridian - Pascagoula - Southaven - Tupelo - Vicksburg
Smaller cities: Brandon - Brookhaven - Canton - Clarksdale - Cleveland - Corinth - Gautier - Greenwood - Grenada - Horn Lake - Indianola - Laurel - Long Beach - Madison - McComb - Moss Point - Natchez - Ocean Springs - Olive Branch - Oxford - Pearl - Picayune - Ridgeland - Starkville - West Hattiesburg (Oak Grove) - West Point - Yazoo City
Counties:

Adams - Alcorn - Amite - Attala - Benton - Bolivar - Calhoun - Carroll - Chickasaw - Choctaw - Claiborne - Clarke - Clay - Coahoma - Copiah - Covington - DeSoto - Forrest - Franklin - George - Greene - Grenada - Hancock - Harrison - Hinds - Holmes - Humphreys - Issaquena - Itawamba - Jackson - Jasper - Jefferson - Jefferson Davis - Jones - Kemper - Lafayette - Lamar - Lauderdale - Lawrence - Leake - Lee - Leflore - Lincoln - Lowndes - Madison - Marion - Marshall - Monroe - Montgomery - Neshoba - Newton - Noxubee - Oktibbeha - Panola - Pearl River - Perry - Pike - Pontotoc - Prentiss - Quitman - Rankin - Scott - Sharkey - Simpson - Smith - Stone - Sunflower - Tallahatchie - Tate - Tippah - Tishomingo - Tunica - Union - Walthall - Warren - Washington - Wayne - Webster - Wilkinson - Winston - Yalobusha - Yazoo

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