Enterprise is a town in Clarke 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. The population was 526 at the 2010 census.

History

Enterprise was so named "to denote the policy of their inhabitants". The town was founded in 1834, by John J. McRae, who later served as

Governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...

. In the early days of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, a military training camp was set up at Enterprise for newly created Confederate units. After the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson in July, 1863, thousands of paroled Confederate troops were sent to a camp at Enterprise to await

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. Units from Enterprise that served in the Civil War include the "Enterprise Guards", Company B of the 14th Mississippi Infantry Regiment, the "Enterprise Tigers", Company D of the 37th Mississippi Infantry, the "East Mississippi Guards", Company F of the 2nd Mississippi Cavalry Regiment, and the "McLain Rifles", Company B of the 37th Mississippi Infantry. After the state capital of Jackson fell to Union forces in May, 1863, the state government was briefly moved to Enterprise. The capital was moved to Columbus a few months later. The town formerly was located on the

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and the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad.

Geography

Enterprise is located in northwestern Clarke County at (32.173620, -88.821935). The Chickasawhay River is formed at Enterprise by the confluence of the Chunky River and Okatibbee Creek. U.S. Route 11 passes through the west side of the town, leading north to Meridian and south to Laurel. Exit 134 on

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is west of town. According to the

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, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.27%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 496 people, 202 households, and 137 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 465 people, 202 households, and 138 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 241 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 75.74%

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, 23.84%

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, 0.21% Asian, and 0.21% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 0.21% of the population. There were 202 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% 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, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.83. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,125, and the median income for a family was $37,375. Males had a median income of $29,583 versus $21,719 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 $16,995. About 9.2% of families and 13.5% 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 14.5% of those under age 18 and 23.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town of Enterprise is served by the Enterprise School District. Enterprise High School is one of two high schools in Clarke County. The county is in the zone for Jones College.

Notable people

* Chester Harding, governor of the

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from 1917 to 1921 * Billy Mitts, member of the

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from 1960 to 1964 * Joe Williams, former head

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coach for

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, and

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References

External links

* {{authority control Towns in Clarke County, Mississippi Towns in Mississippi Meridian micropolitan area