Columbia, Mississippi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Columbia is a city in Marion County, Mississippi, which was formed six years before Mississippi was admitted to statehood. Columbia was named for Columbia, South Carolina, from which many of the early settlers had come. The population was 6,603 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Marion County^GR6.

[edit] Geography

Columbia is located at 31°15′24″N, 89°49′44″W (31.256781, -89.828779)^GR1. It is located on the east bank of the Pearl River and is 81 miles south of Jackson, Mississippi and 103 miles north of New Orleans, Lousisana.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.5 km² (6.4 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 6,603 people, 2,497 households, and 1,620 families residing in the city. The population density was 399.0/km² (1,033.5/mi²). There were 2,821 housing units at an average density of 170.5/km² (441.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.56% White, 35.64% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population.

There were 2,497 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $19,644, and the median income for a family was $28,493. Males had a median income of $28,173 versus $17,847 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,592. About 24.5% of families and 29.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.0% of those under age 18 and 24.3% of those age 65 or over.