Kosciusko ( ) is a city in

Attala County, Mississippi Attala County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,889. Its county seat is Kosciusko. Attala County is named for Atala, a fictional Native American heroine from an early-19th-c ...

, United States. The population was 7,402 at the 2010 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Attala County.

History

Shortly before the War of 1812, David Choate, a French trader along with his wife, a

Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...

, opened the Choate Stand, an inn along the

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland River, Cumberland, Tennessee River, ...

. They chose a location near the intersection of the trace and a cross path that led to the Creek Indian Nation, where there was a natural spring to provide fresh water, at the approximate location of the current town square. Journals from the war of 1812 indicate that

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

received supplies at Choate Stand. In 1850, the Choate family was forcibly removed to

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

by the

Indian Removal Act The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was signed into law on May 28, 1830, by United States president Andrew Jackson. The law, as described by Congress, provided "for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, ...

, signed by

. In 2017 Kosciusko inaugurated an annual ''Return to Redbud Springs Festival'' to honor this history. The settlement was at one time named Red Bud Springs for a natural spring that was present in the city. Later, Redbud Springs was renamed Kosciusko, for General

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, and military leader who then became a national hero in Poland, the United States, Lithuania, and ...

, a Polish officer who served with the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

and assisted its military efforts during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. His name has been anglicized as 'Kosciusko'. Throughout the 19th century, cotton was the predominant crop, and remains important in the area. In 1893, Central Mississippi College opened in Kosciusko; it was a private segregated school for African American students established by the local

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

associations. Kosciusko was the location of Magnolia Bible College from 1976 to 2008.

Geography

Kosciusko is located along the Yockanookany River, northeast of

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, ...

. 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.13% is water.

Climate

The climate is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Kosciusko has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,114 people, 2,645 households, and 1,720 families residing in the city.

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 7,372 people, 2,885 households, and 1,906 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,174 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 53.66%

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 ...

, 44.57%

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 ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 0.54% 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 1.06% of the population. There were 2,885 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% 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, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,737, and the median income for a family was $29,000. Males had a median income of $27,423 versus $16,487 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 city was $13,478. About 20.9% of families and 24.2% 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 ...

, including 31.9% of those under age 18 and 20.1% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In 2025, incumbent mayor Tim Kyle, a Democrat-turned-Independent, was reelected Mayor of Kosciusko after defeating Democrat Marvin Myles Jr. He has served as Mayor since July 1, 2021.

Arts and culture

Kosciusko has hosted the Central Mississippi Fair for over 100 years. Kosciusko has been featured as part of the

Mississippi Blues Trail The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...

since 2009. Kosciusko is home to the Skipworth Performing Arts Center. Kosciusko is home to The Guitar Academy.

Education

The city of Kosciusko is served by the Kosciusko School District and includes Kosciusko Senior High School.

Notable people

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

, entertainer and entrepreneur *

Dave Barnes David Mckee Barnes (born June 20, 1978) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He has released eight studio albums, including two Christmas albums. His most recent full-length album, ''Featherbrained Wealt ...

, singer-songwriter and musician for Razor & Tie * Billy Ray Bates, professional basketball player * Eva Webb Dodd, Anna Boyd Ellington, and Mary Comfort Leonard, founders of the

Delta Gamma Delta Gamma (), commonly known as DG, is a North American women's fraternity. It was established in 1873 at the Lewis School for Girls in Oxford, Mississippi. It has 151 collegiate chapters and more than 200 alumnae groups. The organization's exe ...

fraternity * Clarence Harmon, former NFL running back for the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

James Meredith James Howard Meredith (born June 25, 1933) is an American civil rights activist, writer, political adviser, and United States Air Force veteran who became, in 1962, the first African-American student admitted to the racially segregated Univers ...

, civil rights figure *

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American blues harmonica player and bandleader who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal figure in helping to revive the Chicago ...

, blues harmonica player and band leader * Jason Niles, lawyer, newspaper editor, and politician * Topher Payne, playwrightTopher Payne - Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center
. Msarts.org (2013-11-21). Retrieved on 2015-12-25. * Blanche Colton Williams, author, editor, department head and professor of English literature, and pioneer in women's higher education * Marc Woodard, former NFL linebacker for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

Gallery

File:Attala County Courthouse - Kosciusko, Mississippi (27832990031).jpg, Attala County Courthouse File:KOSCIUSKO,MISSISSIPPI - 1920.jpg, Illinois Central Depot in Kosciusko, 1920

References

External links

City of Kosciusko official website
{{authority control Cities in Attala County, Mississippi Cities in Mississippi County seats in Mississippi