Columbus, Mississippi
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Columbus is a city in Lowndes County, Mississippi, on the Tombigbee River. It is approximately 175 miles (282 km) northeast of Jackson, 120 miles (193 km) north of Meridian, 63 miles (102 km) south of Tupelo, and 123 miles (198 km) west of Birmingham, AL. The population was 25,944 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lowndes County[Geographic references#6GR6].
History
The first record of the site of Columbus in Western history is found in the annals of the explorer Hernando de Soto, who is reputed to have crossed the Tombigbee nearby on his search for El Dorado.Columbus was founded in 1821. Before its incorporation, the town site was referred to informally as Possum Town, which remains its nickname even today. Columbus's existence owed to the failure of a flooded settlement across the river, Plymouth, which was established in 1817. The Plymouth Bluff (above the ruined settlement) is today an environmental center for Mississippi University for Women. Early in its history, Columbus was referred to as "Columbus, Alabama" due to a mistaken estimate of the territorial boundary.
One of the first actions taken by the city's founders was to establish a public school, Franklin Academy. This was not unusual except for the fact that Franklin was the state of Mississippi's first public school.
During the American Civil War, Columbus was a hospital town. As a result, it largely avoided Union attack. Many of the casualties from the Battle of Shiloh were brought there, and thousands were buried in the town's Friendship Cemetery. The decision of a group of ladies to decorate the Union and Confederate graves with flowers together on May 29, 1866 is credited as part of the founding of Memorial Day. (Similar ideas occurred to other groups in several other towns on the same weekend.) A poet, Francis Miles Finch, happened to be in town that day and commemorated the occasion with the poem The Blue and the Grey.
Another result of Columbus's history as a hospital town was the sparing of its antebellum homes, making its collection second only to Natchez as the most extensive in Mississippi.
Columbus has hosted the Columbus Air Force Base (CAFB) since World War II. CAFB was founded as a flight training school. After a stint in the 1950s and 1960s as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base (earning Columbus a spot in Soviet Union target lists), CAFB returned to its original role. Today, it is one of only three basic flight training bases in the United States, and prized as the only one where regular flight conditions may be experienced. (The other two are in the arid conditions of the desert Southwestern United States). Despite this, CAFB has repeatedly hung in the balance during Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) hearings.
Columbus boasted a number of industries during the mid-twentieth century, including the world's largest toilet seat manufacturer and major mattress, furniture, and textile plants. Most of these had closed by 2000. A series of new plants, capped by the proposed SteelCorr minimill, have been planned to revitalize the local economy. American Eurocopter has constructed a facility at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. Aurora Flight Sciences is planning on locating at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
Columbus is also the birthplace of famous playwright Tennessee Williams, author of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire. His birthplace, formerly the rectory of nearby St. Paul's Episcopal Church, is now the welcome center for Columbus (300 Main St., Columbus).
It is also the birthplace of baseball announcer Red Barber and boxing's first three-time world heavyweight champion, Henry Armstrong.
In The News
Columbus has made the national news at least three times in the past two decades. On June 12, 1990, a fireworks stand exploded, detonating a blast felt as far as thirty miles away from Columbus. Two workers were killed in the blast. On June 26, 2000, the television show 48 Hours did an investigative report of five murders of senior citizens occurring in an eighteen month period between late 1997 and early 1999. And on February 16, 2001, straight winds measured at 74 miles per hour destroyed many homes and trees but fortunately resulted in no fatalities. The city was declared a federal disaster area the next day by President George W. Bush. Columbus continues to recover from the damage even until this day.
Media
Columbus' city newspaper is the Commercial Dispatch. Two television stations, WCBI-TV and UPN-MS, are located in the city's historic downtown area.
Geography
Columbus is located at (33.501750, -88.415128)[Geographic references#1GR1].According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 57.8 km² (22.3 mi²). 55.5 km² (21.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (4.03%) is water.
Columbus lies on U.S. Highways 82 and 45. It is also served by state routes 12, 50, 69, and 182. Columbus is the eastern terminus of the Columbus and Greenville Railway; it is also served by the BNSF Railway (on the original right-of-way of the St. Louis - San Francisco Railway), the Norfolk Southern, and the CN (using the original right-of-way of the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio). The local airport is Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
The city is located on the east bank of the Tombigbee River and the associated Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Columbus Lake, formed by the John C. Stennis Lock and Dam, is approximately two miles north of downtown. The Luxapalila Creek runs through the town, separating East Columbus from Columbus proper (both are within city limits). The Lux, as it is locally known, joins the Tombigbee about three miles south of downtown.
Demographics
Columbus' population has grown steadily since the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1900, 6,484 people lived in Columbus; in 1910, 8,988; in 1920, 10,501; and in 1940, 13,645. As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 25,944 people, 10,062 households, and 6,419 families residing in the city. The population density was 467.6/km² (1,211.5/mi²). There were 11,112 housing units at an average density of 200.3/km² (518.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 43.62% White, 54.41% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.There were 10,062 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,393, and the median income for a family was $32,596. Males had a median income of $30,773 versus $20,182 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,848. About 21.0% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.9% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Columbus is home to a state university, the Mississippi University for Women. MUW, a liberal arts college, has received numerous distinctions by U.S. News and World Report. The MUW campus is also home to the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, a state-funded school for academically gifted high school juniors and seniors.Columbus High School, located in the eastern part of the town, is the largest high school in the city and enrolls approximately 1370 students. Columbus High is a public school and a member of the Columbus Municipal School District under the direction of superintendent Dr. Lester Beason. Columbus High School was formerly two separate campuses but merged in 1997 to create what is now the 5th largest high school in Mississippi. Columbus High School has graduated past Gates Millennium Scholars and Military Academy Appointees. Not only does the premier public school excel in academics, CHS is known for its athletics.
Heritage Academy is another local school. It is kindergarten-12th Grade. It is a Christian School. Teaching High Moral Standards and Academic Excellence.
External links
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