Columbus, Mississippi
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| Columbus, Mississippi | |
| Nickname: Possum Town | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Lowndes |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Robert Smith (D) |
| Area | |
| - Total | 22.3 sq mi (57.8 km²) |
| - Land | 21.4 sq mi (55.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km²) |
| Elevation | 217 ft (66 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 25,944 |
| - Density | 1,211.5/sq mi (467.7/km²) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 39701-39705, 39710 |
| Area code(s) | 662 |
| FIPS code | 28-15380 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0668721 |
| Website: http://www.columbusms.org/ | |
Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, United States on the Tombigbee River. It is approximately 282 kilometers (175 mi) northeast of Jackson, 193 kilometers (120 mi) north of Meridian, 102 kilometers (63 mi) south of Tupelo, and 198 kilometers (123 mi) west of Birmingham, Alabama. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lowndes County[1] and the principal city of the Columbus Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Columbus-West Point Combined Statistical Area.
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[edit] History
The first record of the site of Columbus in Western history is found in the annals of the explorer Hernando de Soto, who is reputed to have crossed the Tombigbee nearby on his search for El Dorado.
The first trading post here was created in 1783, but there may have been European settlements predating that by a few decades in the general area of north eastern Mississippi.
[edit] Founding
Columbus was founded in 1821. Before its incorporation, the town site was referred to informally as Possum Town, which remains its nickname even today. Columbus's existence owed to the failure of a flooded settlement across the river, Plymouth, which was established in 1817. The Plymouth Bluff (above the ruined settlement) is today an environmental center for Mississippi University for Women. The survivors of the flood moved to a site occupied by Thomas Moore and Dr. Gideon Lincenum. Silas McBee suggested the name Columbus; in return, a small local creek bears McBee's name.[2]
One of the first actions taken by the city's founders was to establish a public school, Franklin Academy. This school is still being used today. As the territory had achieved statehood only a year previously, Franklin thus became Mississippi's first public school. However, this fact was not immediately recognized; early in its history, Columbus was referred to as Columbus, Alabama due to a mistaken estimate of the territorial boundary.
[edit] Civil War and aftermath
During the American Civil War, Columbus was a hospital town. However, Columbus also had an arsenal that made gunpowder, hand guns and a few cannons. Because of this the Union tried to invade Columbus more than once but was stopped by General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Many of the casualties from the Battle of Shiloh were brought there, and thousands were buried in the town's Friendship Cemetery. One of the hospitals was located at the still-operating Annunciation Catholic Church, built in 1863. The decision of a group of ladies to decorate the Union and Confederate graves with flowers together on April 25, 1866 is credited as part of the founding of Memorial Day. (Similar ideas occurred to other groups in several other towns on the same weekend.) A poet, Francis Miles Finch, happened to be in town that day and commemorated the occasion with the poem "The Blue and the Grey".
Another result of Columbus's history as a hospital town was the sparing of its antebellum homes, making its collection second only to Natchez as the most extensive in Mississippi.
[edit] 20th century
Columbus has hosted Columbus Air Force Base (CAFB) since World War II. CAFB was founded as a flight training school. After a stint in the 1950s and 1960s as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base (earning Columbus a spot in Soviet Union target lists), CAFB returned to its original role. Today, it is one of only four basic Air Force flight training bases in the United States, and prized as the only one where regular flight conditions may be experienced. Despite this, CAFB has repeatedly hung in the balance during Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) hearings.
Columbus boasted a number of industries during the mid-twentieth century, including the world's largest toilet seat manufacturer, Sanderson Plumbing Products, and major mattress, furniture, and textile plants. Most of these had closed by 2000. A series of new plants, capped by the proposed SteelCorr minimill, have been planned to revitalize the local economy. American Eurocopter has constructed a facility at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. Aurora Flight Sciences is planning on locating at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
Columbus is the birthplace of famous playwright Tennessee Williams, author of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire. His birthplace, formerly the rectory of nearby St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is now the welcome center for Columbus (300 Main St., Columbus). Columbus is also the birthplace of baseball announcer Red Barber and boxing's first three-time world heavyweight champion, Henry Armstrong.
[edit] Recent history
Columbus has made the national news at least three times in the past two decades. On June 12, 1990, a fireworks factory exploded, detonating a blast felt as far as 30 miles away from Columbus. Two workers were killed in the blast. On June 26, 2000, the television show 48 Hours did an investigative report of five murders of senior citizens occurring in an 18-month period between late 1997 and early 1999. On February 16, 2001, straight winds measured at 74 miles per hour destroyed many homes and trees but fortunately resulted in no fatalities. The city was declared a federal disaster area the next day by President George W. Bush. Two new employers have come to the town bringing new jobs to the Columbus area. The two comapanies are PACCAR and SeverCorr, and have made Columbus grow.
[edit] Media
Columbus' city newspapers are the daily (except Saturdays) Commercial Dispatch and the weekly Columbus Packet. One television station, WCBI-TV, the CBS Affiliate is located in the city's historic downtown area; it broadcasts CW and MyNetworkTV programming on digital subchannels. Two magazines are published in Columbus: The New Power Magazine, a regional urban magazine, and Junior Varsity Magazine, a pee-wee sports publication.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 57.8 square kilometers (22.3 sq mi) – 55.5 square kilometers (21.4 sq mi) of it is land and 2.3 square kilometers (0.9 sq mi) of it is water.
[edit] Transportation
Columbus lies on U.S. Highways 82 and 45. It is also served by state routes 12, 50, 69, and 182. Columbus is the eastern terminus of the Columbus and Greenville Railway; it is also served by the BNSF Railway (on the original right-of-way of the St. Louis - San Francisco Railway), the Norfolk Southern, and the CN (using the original right-of-way of the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio). The local airport is Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The airport currently has three flights a day to Atlanta, and is seeking to get more airlines and flights to to serve Columbus and the Golden Triange.
The city is located on the east bank of the Tombigbee River and the associated Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Columbus Lake, formed by the John C. Stennis Lock and Dam, is approximately two miles north of downtown. The Luxapalila Creek runs through the town, separating East Columbus from Columbus proper (both are within city limits). The Lux, as it is locally known, joins the Tombigbee about three miles south of downtown.
[edit] Demographics
Columbus' population has grown steadily since the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1900, 6,484 people lived in Columbus; in 1910, 8,988; in 1920, 10,501; and in 1940, 13,645. As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 25,944 people, 10,062 households, and 6,419 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,211.5 people per square mile (467.6/km²). There were 11,112 housing units at an average density of 518.9/sq mi (200.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 43.62% White, 54.41% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.
There were 10,062 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,393, and the median income for a family was $32,596. Males had a median income of $30,773 versus $20,182 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,848. About 21.0% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.9% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Columbus is home to a state university, the Mississippi University for Women. The MUW campus is also home to the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, a state-funded school for academically gifted high school juniors and seniors.
The city's public high school (under the Columbus Municipal School District) is Columbus High School, located in the eastern part of town. It is the largest high school in the city and fifth largest in the state, enrolling approximately 1370 students. Columbus High School was formed by the merger of the city's two previous high schools, Stephen D. Lee High School and Caldwell High School; the schools were merged in 1993 and the campuses in 1997. Columbus is also home to the oldest public elementary school in Mississippi, Franklin Academy Elementary, founded in 1821.
Columbus also includes several private schools, the most prominent being:
- Immanuel Center for Christian Education (K-3 through 12)
- Heritage Academy (Christian, K-12)
- Annunciation Catholic School (Catholic, K-6)
- Palmer Home for Children (orphanage)
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Rowland, Dunbar, ed. Mississippi, Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, in three volumes. Vol. 2. Atlanta: Southern Historical Publishing Association, 1907, pages 134-137.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Heritage Academy web page
- MPSA Homepage
- Columbus High School web page
- Columbus Municipal School District web page
- History of Columbus's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)
- House's for sale in Columbus MS
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