Soso, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Soso, Mississippi
Town
Location of Soso, Mississippi
Soso, Mississippi Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Jones
Area
• Total	2.04 sq mi (5.28 km2)
• Land	2.03 sq mi (5.26 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	315 ft (96 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	408
• Estimate  (2019)	394
• Density	193.90/sq mi (74.87/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39480
Area code(s)	601
FIPS code	28-69160

Soso is a town in Jones County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 408 at the 2010 census.

Paul Davis, a singer and songwriter from Meridian, Mississippi, wrote a song called "Sweet Magnolia Blues", which refers to Soso.

History

According to tradition, the name "Soso" was derived from an old settler's common response to a question about how he was doing: "so-so".

After the Civil War, yeoman farmers returned to the area. The town developed a small mixed-race community. Among its notable residents was Unionist Newton Knight, who lived there mostly after the Reconstruction era with his wife Rachel and family. Knight was known for having led the Knight Company in and around Jones County, Mississippi during 1863 and 1864 in resistance to Confederate authorities, trying to protect local farmers. After the war he was living in Jasper County for a time, where he was active in the Republican Party. In 1872 he was appointed as a deputy U.S. Marshal for the Southern District. After Reconstruction ended, Knight retired from politics, as white Democrats took over county and state offices.

Rachel was a freedwoman who had aided the resistance. (In an historic photograph she appears to have been of mixed race.) She and Knight had several children together.

Geography

Soso is located at 31°45′16″N 89°16′27″W / 31.75444°N 89.27417°W / 31.75444; -89.27417 (31.754465, -89.274120).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²), of which 2.0 square miles (5.2 km²) is land and 0.50% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 408 people, 160 households, and 116 families residing in the town. The population density was 189.7 people per square mile (73.2/km²). There were 174 housing units at an average density of 87.1 per square mile (33.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.2% White, 20.3% African American, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 157 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 19, 36.5% under the age of 50 and 33.8% over the age of 50

The data below is from the 2000 census.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,135, and the median income for a family was $31,346. Males had a median income of $19,231 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,455. About 15.7% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Soso is served by the Jones County School District.

Elementary-aged students attend West Jones Elementary School, while middle and high school students attend West Jones Middle and High Schools.

See also

In Spanish: Soso (Misisipi) para niños