Weir, Mississippi

History

The town of Weir was settled by former Confederate Colonel John Weir and his brother James in 1868.

Weir experienced a tornado on April 24, 2010.

Geography

Weir is located in southwestern Choctaw County, bordered on the north by the Yockanookany River. Mississippi Highway 12 passes north of the town, leading northeast to Ackerman, the county seat, and southwest to Kosciusko.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 km2, of which 0.04 km2, or 1.43%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 553 people, 208 households, and 149 families residing in the town. The population density was 526.5 PD/sqmi. There were 234 housing units at an average density of 222.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 45.21% White, 53.71% African American, 0.90% Native American, 0.18% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.18% of the population.

There were 208 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 22.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,125, and the median income for a family was $28,472. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,697. About 19.7% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.1% of those under age 18 and 24.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Weir is home to Weir Elementary Center, a pre-kindergarten through 6th grade school. It is part of the Choctaw County School District. The school once was known statewide for its football program which competed in ten state championships between 1984 and 2004, winning six 1A state football titles.

The school received a new building in 2005 that was dedicated to Mr. Marion Kelly who served as teacher, coach, and principal for approximately 40 years.

Notable people

• Dennis Johnson, former fullback and tight end in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants
• Kenneth Johnson, NFL defensive back for the Green Bay Packers
• Tony Kimbrough, former NFL wide receiver
• Alvin McKinley, former National Football League defensive tackle
• Roy Oswalt, former pitcher for the Houston Astros

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): French town, Mississippi". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
3. "Weir, MS – Colonel John Weir House".
4. (April 27, 2014). "Video: Devastating Weir Tornado - Four Years Later".
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
6. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Weir town, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
7. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Weir town, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Weir town, Mississippi". [[United States Census Bureau]].
9. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. "Dennis Johnson Stats".
11. "Tony Kimbrough Stat's".
12. (December 22, 2007). "The Broncos interviews: Alvin McKinley".