Lauderdale County, Mississippi

History

An early explorer, Sam Dale, died in the county and is buried in Daleville. A large monument is placed at his burial site. Andrew Jackson traveled through the county on his way to New Orleans and a town was named Hickory after his nickname "Old Hickory".

The largest city in the county is Meridian, which was an important railway intersection during the early 20th century. It was also home to the Soule Steam Feed Works which manufactured steam engines. Logging and rail transport were important early industries in the county. One of the largest waterfalls in Mississippi, Dunns Falls, is located in the county and a water driven mill still exists on the site. Lauderdale County is home to the headquarters of Peavey Electronics which has manufactured audio and music equipment since 1965.

Like much of the post-Reconstruction South the county has a checkered racial history with 16 documented lynchings in the period from 1877 to 1950; most of them happened around the turn of the 20th century.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 715 sqmi, of which 704 sqmi is land and 12 sqmi (1.6%) is water.

Major highways

• [[Image:I-59.svg|20px]] Interstate 59
• [[Image:I-20.svg|20px]] Interstate 20
• [[Image:US 11.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 11
• [[Image:US 45.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 45
• [[Image:US 80.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 80
• [[Image:Circle sign 19.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 19
• [[Image:Circle sign 39.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 39

Adjacent counties

• Kemper County (north)
• Sumter County, Alabama (east)
• Choctaw County, Alabama (southeast)
• Clarke County (south)
• Newton County (west)

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 72,984. The median age was 39.4 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.8 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 50.6% White, 44.0% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian,

46.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 53.7% lived in rural areas.

There were 29,389 households in the county, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 38.0% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 33,462 housing units, of which 12.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 62.8% were owner-occupied and 37.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.2%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 78,161 people, 29,990 households, and 20,573 families residing in the county. The population density was 111 PD/sqmi. There were 33,418 housing units at an average density of 48 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 60.15% White, 38.18% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 29,990 households, out of which 33.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.70% were married couples living together, 18.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 28.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.60% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,768, and the median income for a family was $37,581. Males had a median income of $31,069 versus $21,111 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,026. About 17.10% of families and 20.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.80% of those under age 18 and 18.80% of those age 65 or over.

2015

As of 2015 the largest self-identified ancestry groups in Lauderdale County, Mississippi are:

• English - 9.3%
• Irish - 8.9%
• American - 8.0%
• German - 5.9%
• Scottish - 2.1%
• Scots-Irish - 1.7%
• Italian - 1.2%
• French (except Basque) - 1.1%
• French-Canadian - 0.6%

Government and infrastructure

The East Mississippi Correctional Facility is located in an unincorporated area of the county, near Meridian. Intended to provide intensive treatment for up to 1500 state prisoners who are mentally ill, it has been operated since 2012 by Management and Training Corporation under contract to the Mississippi Department of Corrections. In 2013 the ACLU and Southern Poverty Law Center filed a class-action suit against the state and MTC for poor conditions at the facility. The court granted the plaintiffs class certification in 2015, allowing the case to proceed. The former for-profit contractor, GEO Group, was forced out of its contracts for this and two other state facilities in 2012 as a result of settlement of a class-action suit for its poor management of the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility.{{Cite news | access-date = January 8, 2015

Politics

Lauderdale County is a Republican stronghold, having seen a shift from the Democratic Party in the 1960s like much of Mississippi in general. This is true despite nearly half of the county's population being African American.

Education

Lauderdale County is within the service area of the Meridian Community College system. Other academic institutions are East Mississippi Community College, and Mississippi State University Meridian Campus.

Communities

City

• Meridian (county seat and largest municipality)

Town

• Marion (smallest municipality)

Unincorporated areas

Census-designated places

• Collinsville
• Lauderdale
• Meridian Station
• Nellieburg
• Toomsuba

Other communities

• Alamucha
• Bailey
• Daleville
• Increase
• Kewanee
• Lizelia
• Meehan
• Point
• Russell
• Savoy
• Suqualena
• Whynot
• Zero

Notable people

• Samuel Dale (1772–1841), American frontiersman, known as the "Daniel Boone of Alabama" and a veteran of the Creek War of 1813–14. In 1836, Dale was elected as Lauderdale County's first representative in the Mississippi state legislature.

References

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Lauderdale County, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". U.S. Government Printing Office.
4. [https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-second-edition-supplement-by-county.pdf ''Lynching in America'', 2nd edition] {{Webarchive. link. (June 27, 2018 , Supplement by County, p. 5)
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
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. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
16. "American FactFinder - Results". United States Census Bureau.
17. Gabriel Eber (May 30, 2013). [https://www.aclu.org/blog/human-rights-prisoners-rights/new-lawsuit-massive-human-rights-violations-mississippi-prison "NEW LAWSUIT: Massive Human Rights Violations at Mississippi Prison"], ACLU. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
18. [https://www.aclu.org/cases/prisoners-rights/dockery-v-epps ''Dockery v. Epps''], updated September 2015, Cases: Prisoners' Rights, ACLU official website; accessed March 7, 2017
19. "[http://www.mdoc.state.ms.us/Five%20Private%20Prisons.htm Private Prisons] {{webarchive. link. (2012-10-13 ," [[Mississippi Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on November 19, 2010.)
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
21. "[http://www.meridiancc.edu]." Meridian Community College. 3 (3/147). Retrieved on March 1, 2011.
22. Lewis, Herbert J. "Jim". (July 25, 2012). "Samuel Dale". Encyclopedia of Alabama.