Magee, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Magee, Mississippi
City
Downtown Magee in March 2013
Location of Magee, Mississippi
Magee, Mississippi Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Simpson
City	February 25, 1900
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
Area
• Total	5.26 sq mi (13.62 km2)
• Land	5.26 sq mi (13.62 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	433 ft (132 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	4,408
• Estimate  (2019)	4,097
• Density	779.05/sq mi (300.80/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39111
Area code(s)	601
FIPS code	28-44600
GNIS feature ID	0673055
Website	www.cityofmagee.com

Magee is a city in Simpson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Jackson metropolitan area.

History

The first white settlers in the area were Arthur Mangum and Phil Magee, both of whom entered the area around 1820. Pioneers from Virginia and the Carolinas followed. The town of Magee was once named Mangum, named after Arthur Mangum and it was named Mangum until 1859. In 1840, Willis Magee built a grist mill on Little Goodwater Creek, inside the present city limits. On February 25, 1900, the community was incorporated as a village, with a population of 685 in 1910. The Magee Public School mascot is the Trojan. Magee's zip code is 39111.

Windham's Restaurant is located in Magee, locally known as "Zip's". In 2015, it was voted as serving the best hamburger in Mississippi.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km²), all land. Magee is located between Jackson and Hattiesburg on U.S. Highway 49 at the intersection of three Mississippi Highways: 541, 545, and 28.

Water tower

Climate

Magee has a humid subtropical climate, with an annual mean temperature 65.8 degrees and average annual rainfall of 56.9 inches (1,450 mm).

March 2009 tornado

On March 26, 2009, around 1:30 a.m., an EF3 tornado struck the north part of the city. The tornado destroyed 60 homes and 25 injuries occurred, with no fatalities. The tornado significantly damaged the town's water treatment plant, interrupting service to the entire town. Circuit Riders and other technicians from the Mississippi Rural Water Association worked with the city staff, local contractors and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to restore water service. Using four MEMA generators, the rural water staff was able to restore service to Magee by 2:20 p.m. the next day.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,988 people, 1,465 households, and 933 families residing in the city.

Arts and culture

Magee has a modern auditorium and local arts group include Artists Mississippi, the Simpson County Arts Council, and the Lamplight Theatre.

The Chamber of Commerce sponsors the annual Homecoming, the Christmas Parade, tree lighting and caroling.

Crazy Day comes once a year located on main street in Magee. It usually comes the third Saturday of the month September. Many locals go there to set up booths to sell homemade goods. Crazy day is all about people coming together and having a good time.

A new modern Civic Center provides space for meetings for civic clubs and other organizations and houses the Magee Chamber of Commerce office. The Civic Center has complete modern kitchen facilities and was built by the city with financial help from various individuals and organizations.

Magee Public Library, the first public library in Magee, was established in 1935 through the interest of business and professional people in the town. Mrs. Maude Turner was librarian. In 1937, the library was named Mims Williams Memorial Library. The library is now a member of the Central Mississippi Regional Library System. The new library was built in 1975. It is staffed by two full-time workers and one part-time worker. The Old Magee Cemetery is the burial place of some of Magee's earliest settlers.

The Sanatorium Museum, a museum of memorabilia from the old tuberculosis hospital, includes the old telephone switchboard, a patient bedroom with nightstand, equipment and many photographs, located on Highway 49 North two miles (3 km) north of Magee, in Sanatorium, Mississippi.

Economy

Magee Post Office

Main Street

Prominent area industries include Tyson Foods, Polk's Meat Products, Real Pure Beverage Group, and Howard Industry.

The Simpson County Development Foundation Industrial Park is an ultramodern, 205-acre (0.83 km²) industrial park located on four-lane Highway 49.

Education

The City of Magee is served by the Simpson County School District.

Public schools

• Magee High School
• Magee Middle School
• Magee Elementary

Higher learning

A branch of Copiah-Lincoln Community College is located in Magee.

Infrastructure

Transportation

• Highways: U.S. Hwy 49; State Highways 28, 545, and 541.
• Railroad: Canadian National Railway (formally Illinois Central) serves the Magee area.
• Bus lines: Greyhound Bus serves the area.
• Airport: The Magee Municipal Airport (FAA identifier 17M) is located three miles west of Magee. It maintains a lighted 3,104 ft (946 m) × 50 ft (15 m) runway and is attended 24 hours a day. There is a hangar, lobby and office building complex (no control tower). The complex is equipped with automatic dusk to dawn lights, a beacon, and a wind directional device.

Public services

A new city hall, police station and city jail have been completed. There are 16 full-time police personnel, including the Chief of Police and 12 auxiliary officers.

Magee has 36 trained volunteer firemen and one full-time Fire Marshall, four class A pumpers, 1 class A pumper/tanker, 1 ladder truck, one rescue unit and two utility trucks. Emergency medical services are provided by ASAP EMS, CORP.

In the Magee, Mississippi National Guard Unit, there are 149 members with five full-time personnel.

Notable people

• Roland Dale, professional football player
• Woody Evans, librarian and writer

• John Mangum, professional football player
• Kris Mangum, professional football player
• David Myers, politician
• Dan Monroe Russell Jr., United States federal judge
• Terrill Shaw, professional football player
• Harold Shaw, professional football player
• Prentiss Walker, farmer, businessman and politician
• Joshua Hayes, professional baseball player

See also

In Spanish: Magee para niños