Lawrence County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
located in the
U.S. state of
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 ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 12,016. Its
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 ...
is
Monticello.
The county is named for the naval hero
James Lawrence.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.
Major highways
*
U.S. Route 84
*
Mississippi Highway 27
*
Mississippi Highway 43
*
Mississippi Highway 44
Adjacent counties
*
Simpson County (northeast)
*
Jefferson Davis County (east)
*
Marion County (southeast)
*
Walthall County (south)
*
Lincoln County (west)
*
Copiah County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 12,016 people, 4,849 households, and 3,385 families residing in the county.
Communities
Towns
*
Monticello
*
New Hebron
*
Silver Creek
Unincorporated communities
*
Arm
*
Jayess
*
Oak Vale (partly in
Jefferson Davis County)
*
Sontag
*
Topeka
Education
Public education
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
is governed by the
Lawrence County School District, which encompasses the entire county.
It is in the district of
Copiah–Lincoln Community College, and has been since 1965.
Notable people
*
Earl W. Bascom (1906-1995), rodeo champion, cowboy artist, inventor, Mississippi Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee,
"Father of Modern Rodeo" "Father of Mississippi Rodeo"
*
Edgar Godbold (1872-1952), president of two
Southern Baptist
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...
colleges, was a
school principal in Lawrence County from 1905 to 1906.
*
Rod Paige, Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2004 under President George W. Bush. Rod Paige was born and raised in Lawrence County.
Politics
Lawrence County, like most of Mississippi, was powerfully Democratic until the 1960's, after which it has since become a Republican stronghold. The last Democrat to carry the county with a full majority was Jimmy Carter in 1976, although Bill Clinton did win it by an 89-vote plurality in 1996.
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Lawrence County, Mississippi
References
External links
*
Mississippi Courthouses – Lawrence CountyLawrence County Mississippi Genealogy and History
{{authority control
Mississippi counties
1814 establishments in Mississippi Territory
Populated places established in 1814