Lafayette County, Mississippi

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Lafayette County, Mississippi
Map
Location in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	1836
Seat	Oxford
Largest city	Oxford
Area - Total - Land - Water	679 sq mi (1,759 km²) 631 sq mi (1,634 km²) 48 sq mi (124 km²), 7.09%
Population - (2000) - Density	38,744 62/sq mi (24/km²)
Website: www.lafayettecoms.com

Lafayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of 2000, the population was 38,744. Its county seat is Oxford^[1]. The local pronunciation of the name is "la-FAY-et" or "la-fee-ET," varying by the speaker. Lafayette County is often regarded as the inspiration for Yoknapatawpha County, the fictional setting of many of William Faulkner's stories. The county is named to honor Marquis de Lafayette, a French military hero and American general who fought during the American Revolutionary War.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Major highways
- 1.2 Adjacent counties
2 Demographics
3 2008 Presidential Debate
4 Communities
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 679 square miles (1,759 km²), of which, 631 square miles (1,635 km²) of it is land and 48 square miles (125 km²) of it (7.09%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

Marshall County (north)
Union County (northeast)
Pontotoc County (southeast)
Calhoun County (south)
Yalobusha County (southwest)
Panola County (west)
Tate County (nothwest)

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 38,744 people, 14,373 households, and 8,321 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile (24/km²). There were 16,587 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 71.85% White, 25.05% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1840	6,531	—
1850	14,069	115.4%
1860	16,125	14.6%
1870	18,802	16.6%
1880	21,671	15.3%
1890	20,553	-5.2%
1900	22,110	7.6%
1910	21,883	-1.0%
1920	19,243	-12.1%
1930	19,978	3.8%
1940	21,257	6.4%
1950	22,798	7.2%
1960	21,355	-6.3%
1970	24,181	13.2%
1980	31,030	28.3%
1990	31,826	2.6%
2000	38,744	21.7%
Est. 2007	42,716	10.3%

There were 14,373 households out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.20% were married couples living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.10% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county the population was spread out with 19.50% under the age of 18, 27.10% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 17.10% from 45 to 64, and 9.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,517, and the median income for a family was $42,910. Males had a median income of $30,964 versus $21,207 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,406. About 10.20% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 19.40% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] 2008 Presidential Debate

Over 3000 journalists will come to Lafayette County September 26, 2008 to cover the first presidential debate of 2008 being held at the University of Mississippi.^[3]