George County, Mississippi

History

George County was named after Senator James Z. George and was formed on March 16, 1910, from parts of land formerly included in Jackson and Greene Counties.

The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad ran through Lucedale on its way to Mobile.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 484 sqmi, of which 479 sqmi is land and 4.9 sqmi (1.0%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 98.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 98
• [[Image:Circle sign 26.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 26
• [[Image:Circle sign 57.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 57
• [[Image:Circle sign 63.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 63
• [[Image:Circle sign 198.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 198

Adjacent counties

• Greene County (north)
• Mobile County, Alabama (east)
• Jackson County (south)
• Stone County (west)
• Perry County (northwest)

National protected area

• De Soto National Forest (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 24,350. The median age was 38.5 years. 25.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.6 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 86.7% White, 7.3% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian,

There were 8,916 households in the county, of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 55.1% were married-couple households, 17.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 10,280 housing units, of which 13.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.6% were owner-occupied and 18.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.3%.

Politics

The county has gone solidly Republican in the last ten Presidential elections. In past Presidential elections third-party candidates sometimes did well here. In 1968, George Wallace won the county with over 90 percent of the vote, which was the second highest percentage he received in any county. In 1988, the county gave David Duke 4.21%, his best performance in the nation. In that election it also gave more support to Lenora Fulani than she received in most of the nation. In 2012, President Obama only received 14 percent of the vote, and Hillary Clinton received barely ten percent in 2016. In 2020, George County was only one of two counties that voted against replacing the state flag. The other was neighbouring Greene County.

The county is located in Mississippi's 4th congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+21 and is represented by Republican Mike Ezell.

Communities

City

• Lucedale (county seat)

Census-designated places

• Agricola
• Benndale

Unincorporated places

• Basin
• Bexley
• Crossroads
• Merrill
• Shipman

Education

The sole school district is George County School District.

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: George County, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Mississippi Encyclopedia Staff. (April 14, 2018). "George County". Center for Study of Southern Culture.
4. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Explore Census Data".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
15. [http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/map.html?scp=1&sq=%22election%20map&st=cse The New York Times Electoral Map (Zoom in on Mississippi)]
16. "Presidential Election Atlas Statistics for 1968". David Leip's U.S. Election Atlas.
17. "Presidential Election Atlas Statistics for 1988". David Leip's U.S. Election Atlas.
18. "2012 Presidential General Election Results — Mississippi: George County". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
19. "2016 Presidential General Election Results — Mississippi: George County". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
21. Geography Division. (December 21, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: George County, MS". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].