Coldwater is a town in
Tate 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 is part of the
Memphis Metropolitan Area
The Memphis–Clarksdale–Forrest City Combined Statistical Area, TN–MS–AR (CSA) is the commercial and cultural hub of the Mid-South or Ark-Miss-Tenn. The census-defined combined statistical area covers eleven counties in three states, Tenne ...
. The population was 1,677 at the
2010 census.
History
The town square of Coldwater is approximately two miles south of the
Coldwater River, hence the name. The original town began in 1856, called the village of Elm Grove. Construction of the
Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad through here in 1858 stimulated development. Rows of stores and other businesses developed on both sides of the tracks, along with houses of worship. Coldwater was officially incorporated in 1872. At that time, the Town was located in
DeSoto County and was a mile square, with the railroad depot at the center. The area was developed for cotton plantations and Coldwater became a trading center.
In 1873 during
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...
, the legislature organized
Tate County from portions of DeSoto,
Marshall
Marshall may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria
** Marshall railway station
Canada
* Marshall, Saskatchewan
* The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia
Liberia
* Marshall, Liberia
Marshall Is ...
and
Tunica counties. Coldwater fell into the new county. The Town began to grow with an influx of settlers from
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, the Carolinas,
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
, and other areas seeking a better life for themselves and their families. There were 397 residents of Coldwater according to the 1890 census. By 1884, there were 96 small schools in Tate County: 54 white and 42 black. They were mostly one teacher, one-room log houses with split logs for seats.
Coldwater steadily grew in numbers. However, periodic river flooding plagued the town, although it was also the basis of the farmland's fertility. The
Army Corps of Engineers built the
Arkabutla Lake and Dam project along the Coldwater River in the early 1940s. Town residents believed they needed to move and the Town was relocated and reconstructed on land about a mile and a half south of its original location.
The site of the old town of Coldwater is MSL. Parts of it are underwater year round.
Radio station
WREC was founded in Coldwater by Hoyt B. Wooten. It broadcast news talk information. The station is now called WREG-TV and broadcasts news on a major news network.
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 , of which 2.4 square miles (6.1 km
2) is land and 0.42% water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 1,381 people, 711 households, and 541 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 1,674 people, 598 households, and 429 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 642 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 69.71%
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 ...
, 29.45%
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 ...
, 0.06%
Native American, 0.12%
Asian, and 0.66% 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 0.42% of the population.
There were 598 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% 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, 28.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.35.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,058, and the median income for a family was $31,364. Males had a median income of $28,472 versus $19,444 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 $12,330. About 21.1% of families and 23.5% 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 26.9% of those under age 18 and 26.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Town of Coldwater is served by the
Tate County School District. It has two schools, Coldwater Elementary and Coldwater High School. Coldwater High School has gone to the state championship in track and basketball numerous times. The girls' basketball team won state championships in 1996, 2007, and 2008 while also making it to the final two since 2003. The boys' basketball team won in 2009 and 2012 and has also made appearances since 2003. The school mascot is known as the Mighty Coldwater Cougar, and the school colors are blue, gold, and white.
Notable people
*
Felicia C. Adams, U.S. Attorney for the
*
Dorris Bowdon, actress
*
Don Castle, baseball player
*
Bill Coday, blues singer
*
Kamala (1950-2020), ''The Ugandan Giant'',
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
wrestler
*
Trell Kimmons, Olympic track and field runner
*
Curtis King, founder of
The Black Academy of Arts and Letters
*
Cameron Lawrence,
NFL
*
Dumas Malone, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
*
Austin Riley,
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
third baseman
*
Sarah Streeter (
Big Time Sarah), blues singer
*
T. Webber Wilson, three-term U.S. Representative from Mississippi from 1923-1929
*
Mitch Young, gridiron football player
Gallery
File:Coldwater MS 001.jpg, Highway sign
File:Coldwater MS 005.jpg, Welcome sign
File:Coldwater MS 013.jpg, Town Hall
File:Coldwater MS 012.jpg, US Post Office
File:Coldwater MS 010.jpg, Central Avenue
File:Coldwater MS 009.jpg, Water tower
References
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Towns in Tate County, Mississippi
Towns in Mississippi
Memphis metropolitan area