Pelahatchie is a town in

Rankin County, Mississippi Rankin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The western border of the county is formed by the Pearl River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 157,031, making it the fourth-most populous county in Mississippi. The ...

, United States. The town's population was 1,334 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Jackson, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its zip code is 39145.

History

Pelahatchie was founded in 1850, and named after Pelahatchie Creek. The name Pelahatchie is derived from the Native American term meaning "crooked creek". The town was the bright spot in the county during the late 1800s mainly due to the railroad access in the heart of town. Pelahatchie is home to both a public school, Pelahatchie Attendance Center (Chiefs), and a private school, East Rankin Academy (Patriots). In June 2017, Ryshonda Harper Beechem was elected as mayor, the first African-American mayor in Rankin County. In June 2021, she was defeated in the general election by Karl VanHorn. VanHorn was reelected as mayor in June of 2025 for a second term, defeating Beechem again.

Geography

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 ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,272 people, 613 households, and 489 families residing in the town.

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 1,461 people, 525 households, and 387 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 585 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 61.12%

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 ...

, 36.82%

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 ...

, 0.14% Asian, 0.96% from other races, and 0.96% 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 4.52% of the population. There were 525 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% 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, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.22. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,597, and the median income for a family was $37,313. Males had a median income of $28,145 versus $20,813 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 $14,950. About 11.5% of families and 16.0% 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 21.9% of those under age 18 and 27.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Pelahatchie is served by the Rankin County School District.

Public schools

Pelahatchie Elementary School
(Grades K-6)

(Grades 7–12).

Private schools

East Rankin Academy

Notable people

Bruiser Kinard Frank Manning "Bruiser" Kinard Sr. (October 23, 1914 – September 7, 1985) was an American football tackle and coach and university athletic administrator. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1951 and ...

, member of the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

and

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...

* Freeman King, actor and comedian * Rubin Lacey,

country blues Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) is one of the earliest forms of blues music. The mainly solo vocal with acoustic fingerstyle guitar accompaniment developed in the rural Southern United States in t ...

musician * John Moore, member of the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

from 1996 to 2017 * A. F. Summer,

Mississippi Attorney General The attorney general of Mississippi is a statewide elected office in the United States, U.S. state of Mississippi. The attorney general is a state constitutional officer, constitutional officer responsible for representing state agencies in lega ...

from 1969 to 1980

References

{{authority control Towns in Rankin County, Mississippi Towns in Mississippi Jackson metropolitan area, Mississippi Mississippi placenames of Native American origin