McLain is a town in Greene County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, United States. The population was 441 at the 2010 census, down from 603 at the 2000 census.

History

Natural disasters

In early spring 2016, McLain had major flooding which closed many roads and the school. On March 30, 2022, an EF2 tornado struck the town, causing considerable damage.

Geography

McLain is located in southwestern Greene County; the western border of the town follows the Perry County line. The town is on the western side of the valley of the Leaf River, a south-flowing tributary of the

Pascagoula River The Pascagoula River is a river, about 80 miles (130 km) long, in southeastern Mississippi in the United States. The river drains an area of about 8,800 square miles (23,000 km²) and flows into Mississippi Sound of the Gulf of Mexic ...

. U.S. Route 98 passes through the northern part of the town; the four-lane highway leads northwest to

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

and southeast to Mobile, Alabama.

Mississippi Highway 57 Mississippi Highway 57 (MS 57) is a state highway in southeastern Mississippi. It runs in a north/south direction for approximately , serving four counties: Jackson, George, Greene, and Wayne. Route description MS 57 begins in Jackson County ...

passes through the east side of McLain, leading south to

U.S. Route 90 U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...

near Gautier and east to Leakesville, the Greene County seat. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, McLain has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.82%, is water, consisting largely of the Leaf River, which flows along part of the eastern edge of the town.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, McLain has a Humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, There were 441 people living in the town. 73.0% were

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 26.1%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.5% Native American, and 0.5% of two or more races. 0.7% were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 603 people, 228 households, and 157 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 177.7 people per square mile (68.7/km²). There were 277 housing units at an average density of 81.6 per square mile (31.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 63.68%

, 35.66%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, and 0.33% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.33% of the population. There were 228 households, out of which 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.4% were married couples living together, 22.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.27. In the town, the population was spread out, with 35.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $20,000, and the median income for a family was $27,981. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $14,375 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $10,272. About 26.4% of families and 31.2% 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 t ...

, including 40.2% of those under age 18 and 28.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The mayor of McLain, Steve McCluskey, is Mississippi's first elected member of the Libertarian Party of Mississippi.

Education

McLain is served by the Greene County School District and the Mclain Attendance Center.

Infrastructure

McLain has a public library run by local citizens. There is also a volunteer fire department.

Notable people

* Nathaniel Bolton, former professional football player * Ruthie Bolton, Olympic gold medalist; raised on a farm near McLain * Ed Freeman, Medal of Honor Recipient * De'Lance Turner, NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

References

{{authority control Cities in Greene County, Mississippi Cities in Mississippi