Pickens is a town in 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 920.

History

The town was named for landowner James Pickens and was incorporated in 1858. On May 9, 1919, an African American veteran was lynched as part of the

Red Summer of 1919 The Red Summer was a period in mid-1919 during which white supremacist terrorism and racial riots occurred in more than three dozen cities across the United States, and in one rural county in Arkansas. The term "Red Summer" was coined by ...

because of an “improper note” written to a white woman.

Geography

Pickens is located in the southeast corner of Holmes County at (32.886672, -89.970092), on the west side of the Big Black River. It is bordered to the south by Yazoo County and to the east across the Big Black by Attala County.

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 town, leading northeast to Goodman and south to Canton.

Mississippi Highway 17 Mississippi Highway 17 (MS 17) is a state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, numbered or maintaine ...

follows US 51 through Pickens, but leaves the highway south of town to lead southeast to Camden, and splits from US 51 north of Pickens to lead north to Lexington, the Holmes County seat. Mississippi Highway 432 leads west from Pickens to Benton.

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 ...

passes west of Pickens, with access from Exit 139 (Highway 432) and Exit 144 (Highway 17). 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

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

. 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 town of Pickens has a total area of , of which , or 1.96%, are water.

Demographics

2020 census

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 1,325 people, 452 households, and 333 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 496 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 11.92%

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 ...

, 87.70%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.08% from other races, and 0.23% 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 1.28% of the population. There were 452 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% 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, 33.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.52. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $17,330, and the median income for a family was $20,956. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $17,574 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 $10,812. About 36.1% of families and 40.2% 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 51.4% of those under age 18 and 41.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town of Pickens is served by the Holmes County School District. It is served by Goodman-Pickens Elementary School, between Pickens and Goodman. In 2006 the school had about 379 students.Goodman-Pickens History
" Goodman-Pickens Elementary School. May 4, 2006. Retrieved on July 9, 2017. High school students are zoned to Holmes County Central High School.

Notable people

* Gus Courts,

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

activist * Odas Nicholson, attorney, judge and delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention

References

{{authority control Towns in Holmes County, Mississippi Towns in Mississippi