Pearl River 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 ...

. The population was 56,145 at the 2020 census. 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 Poplarville. Pearl River County comprises the Picayune, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

- Metairie- Hammond, LA- MS Combined Statistical Area. Pearl River County is a dry county, and as such, the sale, transportation, and even private possession of beverage alcohol is prohibited by law, except within Picayune and Poplarville.

History

Pearl River County was originally formed as Pearl County in 1872 from portions of Hancock and Marion Counties. Because of low population density and a small tax base, Pearl County dissolved in 1878. Present-day Pearl River County was organized in 1890 by an act of the Mississippi Legislature utilizing the same land area as its predecessor Pearl County. On the night of April 24, 1959, Mack Charles Parker, an African-American accused of rape, was abducted from the Pearl River County jail in Poplarville by a mob and shot to death. His body was found in the Pearl River 10 days later. The

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

investigated and even obtained confessions from some of the eight suspects. However, the county prosecutor refused to present evidence to a state grand jury and a federal grand jury refused to indict. The case focused national attention on the persistence of

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and helped accelerate the American Civil Rights Movement. On August 29, 2005,

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

inflicted heavy damage on the small town of Poplarville. The storm's most powerful, unofficially recorded gust of wind was reported at Pearl River Community College, at . On September 2, 2005, the 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery (Ohio Army National Guard) arrived at the National Guard armory in Poplarville to assist the community and Pearl River County in recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as initial responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on every family and structure in the county. On September 5, 2005, Poplarville played host to a visit by

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...

, and Governor Haley Barbour to Pearl River Community College in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Mississippi by land area.

Major highways

* Interstate 59 * U.S. Highway 11 * Mississippi Highway 13 * Mississippi Highway 26 * Mississippi Highway 43 * Mississippi Highway 53

Adjacent counties and parishes

* Lamar County (north) * Forrest County (northeast) * Stone County (east) * Hancock County (south) * St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana (southwest) * Washington Parish, Louisiana (west) * Marion County (northwest)

National protected areas

* Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge (part) * De Soto National Forest (part)

Media

Newspaper

Picayune's local newspaper is the '' Picayune Item''.

Radio

The local radio station is WRJW 1320-AM. Television and Radio stations of New Orleans and Biloxi/Gulfport listening areas are part of Picayune area.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 56,145 people, 21,020 households, and 15,078 families residing in the county.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census Pearl River County had a population of 55,834. The ethnic and racial make-up of the population was 82.2% non-Hispanic white, 12.3% African-American, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% non-Hispanic from some other race, 1.7% from two or more races (0.5% reporting being white and black) and 2.9% Hispanic or Latino.

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 48,621 people, 18,078 households, and 13,576 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 20,610 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.55%

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 ...

, 12.18%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.50% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.34% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were

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. There were 18,078 households, out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% 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, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.00% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males. The

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...

for a

household A household consists of one or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

in the county was $30,912, and the

for a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

was $35,924. Males had a

of $30,370 versus $21,519 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 county was $15,160. About 15.50% of families and 18.40% 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 25.60% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.

Government

;Supervisors * District 1: Donald Hart * District 2: Malcolm Perry * District 3: Cruz Russell * District 4: Jason Spence * District 5: Bryce Lott ;Countywide Elected Officials * Sheriff - David Allison * Circuit Clerk - Nance Fitzpatrick Stokes * Chancery Clerk - Melinda Smith Bowman * Tax Assessor/Collector - Gary Beech * County Prosecutor - Michael E. Patten * Coroner - Derek Turnage * County Court Judge - Richelle Lumpkin ;State Legislature * Senator Angela Burks-Hill - District 40 * Senator Joseph "Mike" Seymour - District 47 * Rep. Jansen Owen - District 106 * Rep. Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes - District 108 * Rep. Timmy Ladner - District 93

Communities

Cities

* Lumberton (mostly in Lamar County) * Picayune * Poplarville (county seat)

Census-designated places

* Hide-A-Way Lake * Nicholson

Other unincorporated communities

* Caesar * Carriere * McNeill

Education

School districts include: * Lamar County School District * Pearl River County School District * Picayune School District * Poplarville Separate School District Former school districts: * Lumberton Public School District - Merged into the Lamar County district in 2018. The county is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.

References

External links

{{coord, 30.77, -89.59, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MS_source:UScensus1990 Mississippi counties 1890 establishments in Mississippi Populated places established in 1890