Yazoo City, Mississippi
August 7, 1999Mississippi map
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In mid-Mississippi, the flat Delta plain meets the rolling hills around Yazoo City. That name comes from a group of Native Americans called the Yazoo, which became extinct about 1740. The meaning of Yazoo remains a puzzle, some saying it means river of death, others suggest it comes from Yashu, or hunting ground.

When the town first came into existence, it was called Manchester, after the city in England. It survived a disastrous fire which destroyed nearly the entire downtown area in 1904.

The town was rebuilt within a year's time, and 174 structures are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since the town was inextricably tied to the Yazoo river, residents eventually renamed their town Yazoo. With more than 12 thousand residents, it's the seat of Yazoo County, largest county in the state.

The Triangle Cultural Center downtown has exhibits of of the late Willie Morris, comedian Jerry Clower and former President Jimmy Carter. downtown Yazoo Clower is a native of Yazoo City, while Carter merely slept there. Other natives include politician Haley Barbour, actress Stella Stevens, motivational speaker Zig Ziglar and blues singers Son Thomas and Jack Owens. A beautiful home that once belonged to a prominent black family is now the Oakes African-American Cultural Center. You can prowl the countryside through the Delta National Forest, the Hillside Wildlife Refuge and the Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

 

 

YAZOO CITY

Yazoo City is a city located in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It is the county seat of Yazoo County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 14,550.

Yazoo City, Mississippi Geography

Yazoo City is located at 32°51'23" North, 90°24'27" West (32.856458, -90.407379). It is 40 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi at the junctions of Highways 3, 49E and 49W on the banks of the Yazoo River, near the Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.3 square kilometerkm˛ (10.9 square milemi˛/). 27.9 km˛ (10.8 mi˛) of it is land and 0.3 km˛ (0.1 mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 1.19% water.

Yazoo City, Mississippi History

The community now known as Yazoo City was founded in 1824, originally with the name Hannan's Bluff'''. The town was later renamed '''Manchester''' then changed to '''Yazoo City in 1839. Yazoo city became the Yazoo County seat in 1849.

A Yellow Fever epidemic struck Yazoo City in 1853.

During the American Civil War a makeshift shipyard was established on the Yazoo River at Yazoo City after the Confederate loss of New Orleans. The shipyard was destroyed by Union forces in 1863, then Yazoo City fell back into Confederate hands. Union forces retook the city the following year and burned most of the buildings in the city.

Yellow Fever returned to take more victims in 1878.

In 1904 a fire destroyed much of central Yazoo City.

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 did much damage to Yazoo City.

Yazoo City was the childhood home of blues musician Tommy McClennan, of Joe Fisher, C. H."Tally" McGraw, John Joe Humphreys, and of writers Willie Morris and Zig Ziglar. It was also the former home of Jerry Clower, originally of Liberty, Mississippi in Smith County, MississippiSmith County/, who became famous while a resident of Yazoo City.

Yazoo City, Mississippi Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 14,550 people, 4,271 households, and 2,968 families residing in the city. The population density is 521.1/km˛ (1,349.2/mi˛). There are 4,676 housing units at an average density of 167.5/km˛ (433.6/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 28.73% White (U.S. Census)White, 69.68% African American (U.S. Census)African American, 0.18% Native American (U.S. Census)Native American, 0.58% Asian (U.S. Census)Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)Pacific Islander, 0.23% from Race (U.S. Census)other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 7.47% of the population are Hispanic (U.S. Census)Hispanic or Latino (U.S. Census)Latino/ of any race.

There are 4,271 households out of which 37.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.5% are Marriagemarried couples/ living together, 32.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% are non-families. 27.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.85 and the average family size is 3.49.

In the city the population is spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 112.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 115.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $19,893, and the median income for a family is $22,470. Males have a median income of $26,109 versus $18,650 for females. The per capita income for the city is $9,251. 40.2% of the population and 35.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 52.5% of those under the age of 18 and 23.5% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

 

 

 

Haley Reeves Barbour
Sixty-third Governor of Mississippi: 2004 –

by David G. Sansing and Peggy Jeanes

Haley Barbour, inaugurated January 13, 2004, after five pre-inaugural receptions held across the state, became the second Republican governor of Mississippi since Reconstruction (twice-elected Kirk Fordice, 1992 to 2000, was the first). During his inaugural address, Barbour said that “job creation will be the first immediate goal of my administration.”

Prior to his election, Barbour was founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Barbour Griffith & Rogers, a top lobbying firm based in Washington, D.C.

Born October 22, 1947, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he has always kept his home, Barbour’s lineage is deeply rooted in the state’s history. He is a descendant of Walter Leake, the third governor of Mississippi (1822-1825), and of Louis LeFleur, the French-Canadian who established a trading post called LeFleur’s Bluff on the Pearl River which, in 1821, became the site for the capital city of Jackson.

Barbour received his law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1973. In 1982 he ran unsuccessfully for the U. S. Senate against U. S. Senator John Stennis, his only other bid for an elective office before his 2003 gubernatorial bid. Barbour later served as an advisor to President Ronald Reagan for two years as director of the White House Office of Political Affairs. Barbour served two terms, from 1993 to 1997, as chairman of the Republican National Committee. In 2000, Barbour chaired the Bush for President, Washington Campaign Advisory Committee.