Mount Olive is a town in Covington 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 895 at the 2020 census.

History

The town of Mount Olive was incorporated on May 18, 1900, making the town older than

Magee Magee may refer to: People *Magee (surname) Places and institutions * Magee, Mississippi, a city in Simpson County, Mississippi, U.S. * Magee, New York, also known as Magee's Corners, a hamlet in the Town of Tyre, Seneca County, New York, U.S. * ...

to the north and older than

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

to the south. The railroad tracks were completed in 1899. The population of Mount Olive in 2016 was 975.

Geography

U.S. Route 49 U.S. Route 49 (US 49) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/ Highway 1/ Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). Its southern terminus is ...

, a four-lane

divided highway A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...

, follows the western border of the town and leads northwest to Jackson, the state capital, and southeast 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 ...

Mississippi Highway 35 Mississippi Highway 35 (MS 35) is a state highway in Mississippi. It runs north–south for , beginning at the Louisiana state line and ending at a junction with MS 315 at Sardis Dam. MS 35 serves the counties of Marion, Jefferson Davis, Co ...

passes through the southern end of town and leads northeast to Mize and southwest to Columbia. 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 the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. It is in the valley of

Okatoma Creek Okatoma Creek is a tributary of the Bouie River in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is part of the watershed of the Pascagoula River. Okatoma Creek is popular for canoeing and kayaking particularly near Seminary, Mississippi, where there are sev ...

, part 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 Mexico. ...

watershed.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 895 people, 589 households, and 492 families residing in the town. 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 incl ...

of 2000, there were 893 people, 348 households, and 239 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 738.5 people per square mile (284.9/km). There were 396 housing units at an average density of 327.5 per square mile (126.4/km). The racial makeup of the town was 46.81%

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 on ...

, 51.96%

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 ...

, 0.11%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, and 1.12% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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 were 0.56% of the population. There were 348 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 25.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.19. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $22,019, and the median income for a family was $26,146. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $16,719 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 $11,008. About 26.9% of families and 34.2% 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 47.4% of those under age 18 and 24.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town of Mount Olive is served by the Covington County School District. It is served by Mount Olive Elementary School and Mount Olive High School.

Notable people

Rose Bascom Rose Bascom also known as Texas Rose Bascom (January 25, 1922 – September 23, 1993) is a 1981 National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame trick rider inductee. Life Rose Bascom was born Ethel Rose Flynt on January 25, 1922, near Mount Olive, ...

(1922-1993), trick roper, trick rider, Hollywood movie actress, Mississippi Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee *

Howard Easterling Howard W. Easterling (November 26, 1911 – September 6, 1993) was an American third baseman in Negro league baseball. He played between 1937 and 1954. A native of Mount Olive, Mississippi, Easterling served in the US Army during World War II. ...

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

W. Ralph Eubanks Warren Ralph Eubanks Jr. (born June 25, 1957) is an American author, essayist, journalist, professor, and public speaker. His work focuses on race, identity, and the culture and literature of the American South. As of May 2021, he was a Radcliffe ...

, author, journalist, professor * Fred McNair, former professional football

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

and head coach of

Alcorn State Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. ...

and the brother of Steve McNair * Steve McNair (1973-2009), All-Pro quarterback for the Tennessee Titans * Hannah Roberts, Miss Mississippi 2015, 1st runner-up to Miss America 2016

References

External links

Town of Mount Olive official website
{{authority control Towns in Covington County, Mississippi Towns in Mississippi