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Perry County, Mississippi facts for kids

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Perry County
Perry County courthouse New Augusta
Perry County courthouse New Augusta
Map of Mississippi highlighting Perry County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Map of the United States highlighting Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Mississippi
Founded 1820
Named for Oliver Hazard Perry
Seat New Augusta
Largest town Richton
Area
 • Total 650 sq mi (1,700 km2)
 • Land 647 sq mi (1,680 km2)
 • Water 3.0 sq mi (8 km2)  0.5%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 12,250
 • Estimate 
(2018)
11,931
 • Density 18.85/sq mi (7.28/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 4th

Perry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,250. The county seat is New Augusta. The county is named after the War of 1812 naval hero, Oliver Hazard Perry.

Perry County is part of the Hattiesburg, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Until 1906, the county seat was the old town of Augusta, near the center of the county on the east bank of the Leaf River. At Old Augusta, the outlaw James Copeland was executed by hanging on October 30, 1857. Old Augusta remains a small village today. New Augusta, two miles south of Old Augusta, was made the county seat of Perry County, because it was situated on the Mobile, Jackson & Kansas City Railroad.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 650 square miles (1,700 km2), of which 647 square miles (1,680 km2) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.5%) is water.

Major highways

  • US 98.svg U.S. Highway 98
  • Circle sign 15.svg Mississippi Highway 15
  • Circle sign 29.svg Mississippi Highway 29
  • Circle sign 42.svg Mississippi Highway 42

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • De Soto National Forest (part)
  • Black Creek Wilderness
  • Leaf River Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 2,037
1830 2,300 12.9%
1840 1,889 −17.9%
1850 2,438 29.1%
1860 2,606 6.9%
1870 2,694 3.4%
1880 3,427 27.2%
1890 6,494 89.5%
1900 14,682 126.1%
1910 7,685 −47.7%
1920 8,987 16.9%
1930 8,197 −8.8%
1940 9,292 13.4%
1950 9,108 −2.0%
1960 8,745 −4.0%
1970 9,065 3.7%
1980 9,864 8.8%
1990 10,865 10.1%
2000 12,138 11.7%
2010 12,250 0.9%
2018 (est.) 11,931 −2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2013

2020 census

Perry County racial composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 8,868 77.04%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 2,097 18.22%
Native American 45 0.39%
Asian 29 0.25%
Pacific Islander 3 0.03%
Other/Mixed 315 2.74%
Hispanic or Latino 154 1.34%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,511 people, 4,623 households, and 3,347 families residing in the county.

Communities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

  • Swords Lee, timber owner and member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Grant Parish, 1904–1908; born in Perry County in 1859

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Perry (Misisipi) para niños

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