Goodman is a town in southeastern Holmes 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. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,258.

History

Goodman was settled by European Americans in 1860. It was first chartered on November 16, 1865, after the end of the Civil War; and rechartered on March 5, 1878. The town is named for the first president of the

Mississippi Central Railroad Mississippi Central Railroad (reporting mark MSCI) is a short line railroad that operates three disconnected tracks: 51 miles from Oxford, Mississippi to Grand Junction, Tennessee; 11 miles in Iuka Mississippi, and 46 miles from Corinth, Mi ...

. Goodman is the birthplace of John A. Lomax (1867–1948), pioneering folklorist, and

David Herbert Donald David Herbert Donald (October 1, 1920 – May 17, 2009) was an American historian, best known for his 1995 biography of Abraham Lincoln. He twice won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, for books about Thomas Wolfe and Charles Sumner; he published ...

(1920–2009), Pulitzer-prize-winning historian.

Geography

Goodman is located in southeastern Holmes County at (32.968057, -89.912625), west of the Big Black River.

U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south–north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered Hi ...

passes through the center of town, leading northeast to Durant and southwest to Pickens.

Mississippi Highway 14 Mississippi Highway 14 (MS 14) is a state highway that runs from west to east in the U.S. State of Mississippi. MS 14 serves the counties of Issaquena County, MS, Issaquena, Sharkey County, MS, Sharkey, Humphreys County, MS, Humphreys, Holmes C ...

crosses US 51 near the center of town, leading east to Kosciusko and west to Ebenezer. Highway 14 intersects

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

west of the center of Goodman, at Exit 146. I-55 leads south to

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, the state capital, and north to

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. 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 ...

, Goodman has a total area of , of which , or 0.91%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

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 1,252 people, 280 households, and 206 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 303 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 65.81%

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 ...

, 33.23%

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, and 0.80% 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 0.64% of the population. There were 280 households, out of which 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% 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, 32.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.58. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 39.0% from 18 to 24, 18.1% from 25 to 44, 10.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $13,929, and the median income for a family was $14,643. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $17,500 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 $8,359. About 49.0% of families and 45.6% 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 63.0% of those under age 18 and 35.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town of Goodman is served by the Holmes County School District. It is served by Goodman-Pickens Elementary School, between Goodman and Pickens. In 2006 the school had about 379 students. High school students go to Holmes County Central High School. The Goodman Campus of

Holmes Community College Holmes Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Goodman, Mississippi. It also has campuses in Grenada and Ridgeland, and satellite campuses in Attala, Webster, and Yazoo counties. Holmes Community College was ...

(formerly known as Holmes Junior College) is located here.

Notable people

* Ode Burrell, former

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...

player * Charles Davis,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and composer * Mattie Delaney,

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

singer and guitarist *

(1920–2009), Pulitzer-prize-winning historian. *

John Lomax John Avery Lomax (September 23, 1867 – January 26, 1948) was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist, and a folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk music. He was the father of Alan Lomax, John Lomax Jr. and Bess ...

, musicologist and folklorist * Buddy Scott, blues guitarist *

Wirt Williams Wirt Williams (August 21, 1921 – June 29, 1986) was an American novelist, journalist, and professor of English. Early life and education Born on August 21, 1921, on the campus of the Goodman, Mississippi-based agricultural school headed ...

, novelist, journalist and professor of English, who was three times nominated for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

References

External links

Pictures of Goodman, MS
{{authority control Towns in Holmes County, Mississippi Towns in Mississippi