Ashland is a town in Benton County,

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, United States and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. The population was 551 at the 2020 census, down from 569 at the 2010 census. Ashland was incorporated on March 8, 1871, and has a Mayor-Aldermen form of government.

History

Ashland was established in 1871 as the county seat for the Benton County, which had been created the previous year. The Benton County Courthouse, the focus of the town's main square, was constructed in 1873. Many of Ashland's earliest residents had relocated from Salem, an older community to the west that had been destroyed during the Civil War.

Geography

Ashland is east of Holly Springs. The town is concentrated along

Mississippi Highway 370 Mississippi Highway 370 (MS 370) is a state highway in northeastern Mississippi. It is split into three distinct sections, with the first running from Ashland, Mississippi, Ashland at Mississippi Highway 5, MS 5 to Mississippi Highway 15, MS 15 ...

, east of its intersection with

Mississippi Highway 5 Mississippi Highway 5 (MS 5) is a state highway in Benton County, Mississippi, Benton County, Mississippi, United States. It runs from Mississippi Highway 178, MS 178 in Hickory Flat, Mississippi, Hickory Flat north to U.S. Route 72 in Mississ ...

. The

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

border is to the north. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Ashland has a total area of , all land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Ashland has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 577 people, 207 households, and 142 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 227 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 207 households, out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.68. In the town, the population was spread out, with 15.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 31.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,088, and the median income for a family was $29,911. Males had a median income of $24,375 versus $20,455 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $14,073. About 14.6% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 30.2% of those under age 18 and 22.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of 2018, the mayor of Ashland is Mitch Carroll, and Sandra Gresham, Greg Thompson, Mark Ehrie, and Rocky Miller, make up the Board of Aldermen. Carroll was elected mayor in 2007 in a special election to fill the vacancy left by Bill Stone, who had been elected to the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi State Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the Lower house, lower Mississippi House of Represen ...

. Carroll defeated his brother, Mike Carroll, by 17 votes to secure the position.

Education

Ashland Academy was established in Ashland in 1882. Ashland is served by the Benton County School District. Ashland High School is the public high school in Ashland and serves students from

Benton County, Mississippi Benton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,646. Its county seat is Ashland. It is locally believed that residents convinced the post-Civil War Reconstruction government that ...

Notable people

* Willie Mitchell, musician and owner of

Hi Records Hi Records is an American soul music and rhythm & blues label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch (formerly producers for Sun Records), and three silent ...

* Bill Renick, former Chief of Staff for

Ronnie Musgrove David Ronald Musgrove (born July 29, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 62nd governor of Mississippi from 2000 to 2004. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he previously served as the 29th lieutenant governor ...

* Bill Stone, mayor of Ashland from 2001 to 2007 * Daniel B. Wright,

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for

Mississippi's 1st congressional district Mississippi's 1st congressional district is in the northeast corner of the state. It includes much of the northern portion of the state including Columbus, Mississippi, Columbus, Oxford, Mississippi, Oxford, Southaven, Mississippi, Southaven, T ...

from 1853 to 1857

References

External links

Town of Ashland official website
{{authority control Towns in Benton County, Mississippi Towns in Mississippi County seats in Mississippi Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Mississippi