Editing Collins, Mississippi

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Collins, Mississippi
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = Come Grow With Us!

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Covington County Courthouse, Collins, MS 2015.jpg
|image_caption            = Covington County Courthouse in Collins
|image_flag               = Flag of Collins, Mississippi.png
|image_seal               = Seal of Collins, Mississippi.png

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map = Covington_County_Mississippi_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Collins_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Collins, Mississippi
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
| pushpin_map = USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Mississippi]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Mississippi|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Covington County, Mississippi|Covington]]
|named_for = Fred W. Collins
|established_title        = Settled
|established_date         = Late 1800s
|established_title1       = Incorporated
|established_date1        = November 24, 1906
|government_type          = [[Mayor-Council]]
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Hope Magee Jones<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cityofcollins.com/mayor/|title=Mayor-City of Collins|author=<!--Not stated--> |website= City of Collins|publisher=City of Collins|access-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref>
|leader_title1            = [[City Clerk]]
|leader_name1             = Suzette Davis
|leader_title2            = Deputy Clerk
|leader_name2             = Carrie Underwood
|leader_title3            = Alderman At-Large & Mayor Pro Tem
|leader_name3             = Bobby A. Mooney

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_28.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 20.69
|area_land_km2            = 20.62
|area_water_km2           = 0.08
|area_total_sq_mi         = 7.99
|area_land_sq_mi          = 7.96
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.03

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 2342
|population_density_km2   = 113.59
|population_density_sq_mi = 294.18

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = &minus;6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = &minus;5
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 89
|elevation_ft             = 292
|coordinates              = {{coord|31|38|32|N|89|33|34|W|type:city_region:US-MS|display=it}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 39428
|area_code                = [[Area code 601|601]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 28-15140
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0668700
|website                  = {{URL|www.cityofcollins.com}}
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}

'''Collins''' is a city in [[Covington County, Mississippi|Covington County]], [[Mississippi]], United States. The population was 2,586 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US2815140| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212184828/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US2815140| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Collins city, Mississippi| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=October 7, 2014}}</ref> It is the [[county seat]] of Covington County.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=2011-06-07 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=2011-05-31 }}</ref>

==History==

===From Williamsburg Depot to Collins===
Collins was originally incorporated as Williamsburg Depot in 1899. The [[Gulf and Ship Island Railroad]] had completed construction, and bypassed Williamsburg, the county seat at that time. The sawmills moved to the new town of Williamsburg Depot in order to be closer to the railroad. As lumber was an important industry during the time, the town moved with them. Not long after, Williamsburg Depot grew to a town of 6,000 - 7,000 people.<ref name="City of Collins">{{cite web|title=About Collins|url=http://cityofcollins.com/town-history/|website=City of Collins|access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref>

Eventually, the difficulties of having such a long town name, Williamsburg Depot, became clear. The length caused many people to write it over their stamps, voiding the postage. In order to correct this issue, the postmaster asked to have the town name changed in 1905, and the postal service came up with a short and easy name "Bad". For reasons that may be clear, the residents rejected this name, and eventually came up with Collins, in honor of Fred W. Collins, leader of the state's Republican party and U. S. Marshal for the Southern District of Mississippi. The town's name was officially changed on November 24, 1906.<ref name="City of Collins History">{{cite web|last1=Norris-Bryant|first1=Sandra|title=City of Collins|url=http://www.covingtonchamber.com/in/index.php/tutorials/collins|website=Covington County Chamber of Commerce|access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref>

===Becoming the county seat===

In 1906, a portion of the west side of [[Covington County, Mississippi|Covington County]] became [[Jefferson Davis County]]. As a result, Williamsburg lost its position at the center of the county, and a new county seat was needed. Collins eventually emerged over [[Seminary, Mississippi|Seminary]] and [[Ora, Mississippi]], and a new county courthouse was built. The first court place was held in 1908.<ref name="City of Collins History"/>

===Decline and resurgence===
Eventually, the lumber industry in Collins exhausted the timber resources and moved. The town population dwindled from 7,000 to 700. However, industry began to return to the town in 1936 when U.S. 49 and U.S. 84 were built, putting the town at the crossroads of these two major highways. In addition, the [[Plantation Pipeline]] was run from [[Baton Rouge]] to the east coast. It passed through the community of Kola, which was soon annexed by Collins.<ref name="City of Collins History"/>

===Hurricane Katrina and Duryea Adopt-A-Town===
In September 2005, [[Hurricane Katrina]] struck Collins. As most aid agencies were concentrating on major metropolitan areas such as [[New Orleans]], small towns like Collins were seemingly overlooked. [[Duryea, Pennsylvania]], which had experienced similar flooding as the result of [[Hurricane Agnes]] in 1972, sought a town similar in size and demographics to "adopt" and help rebuild after the devastation wrought by the largest natural disaster in the history of the town. By hosting a bazaar and through other various fundraising efforts, Duryea helped rebuild. Collins Mayor V.O. Smith and his wife, Ada, flew to Duryea to thank their mayor Keith Moss, organizer Trina Moss and the townspeople of Duryea. This led to a bond between the two towns and has included several visits to both towns.<ref name="Collins, MS and Duryea, PA - FLHurricane">{{cite web|title=Sister City|url=http://flhurricane.com/cyclone/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=57596&an=0&page=2|website=Central Florida Hurricane Center|access-date=November 6, 2015}}</ref>

==Geography==
Collins is located near the center of Covington County, along the southwest side of [[Okatoma Creek]], a tributary of the [[Bowie River]] and part of the [[Pascagoula River]] watershed.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Collins has a total area of {{convert|20.7|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|20.6|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.1|km2|disp=flip|2}}, or 0.37%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

{{Weather box  <!-- Infobox begins -->
|single line= Imperial    
|location= Collins, Mississippi (1981-2015)
<!-- Average high temperatures -->
|Jan high F=  57.8
|Feb high F=  62.0
|Mar high F=  69.1
|Apr high F=  75.7
|May high F=  82.3
|Jun high F=  88.0
|Jul high F=  90.3
|Aug high F=  90.2
|Sep high F=  85.5
|Oct high F=  76.7
|Nov high F=  68.3
|Dec high F=  59.6
|year high F= 
<!-- Mean daily temperature -->
|Jan mean F=  46.2
|Feb mean F=  50.1
|Mar mean F=  57.0
|Apr mean F=  64.2
|May mean F=  71.8
|Jun mean F=  78.1
|Jul mean F=  80.7
|Aug mean F=  80.4
|Sep mean F=  75.1
|Oct mean F=  65.0
|Nov mean F=  56.5
|Dec mean F=  48.4
|year mean F= 
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
|Jan low F=  34.6
|Feb low F=  38.2
|Mar low F=  45.0
|Apr low F=  52.6
|May low F=  61.3
|Jun low F=  68.3
|Jul low F=  71.1
|Aug low F=  70.6
|Sep low F=  64.7
|Oct low F=  53.3
|Nov low F=  44.8
|Dec low F=  37.1
|year low F= 
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
<!-- IMPORTANT: use only one unit type! -->
|Jan precipitation inch= 5.69
|Feb precipitation inch= 5.50
|Mar precipitation inch= 5.84
|Apr precipitation inch= 4.84
|May precipitation inch= 5.10
|Jun precipitation inch= 4.49
|Jul precipitation inch= 4.83
|Aug precipitation inch= 4.61
|Sep precipitation inch= 3.90
|Oct precipitation inch= 3.86
|Nov precipitation inch= 5.05
|Dec precipitation inch= 5.25
|year precipitation inch= 
<!-- Snowfall -->
<!-- IMPORTANT: use only one unit type! -->
|Jan snow inch= 0.0
|Feb snow inch= 0.0
|Mar snow inch= 0.1
|Apr snow inch= 0.0
|May snow inch= 0.0
|Jun snow inch= 0.0
|Jul snow inch= 0.0
|Aug snow inch= 0.0
|Sep snow inch= 0.0
|Oct snow inch= 0.0
|Nov snow inch= 0.0
|Dec snow inch= 0.1
|year snow inch= 
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
|source 1= National Weather Forecast Office<ref name= "National Weather Forecast Office Jackson, MS">{{Cite web |url=http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=jan|title= National Weather Service Forecast Office |access-date=November 6, 2015 }}</ref>
}}<!-- Infobox ends -->

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1910= 2581
|1920= 1389
|1930= 935
|1940= 1100
|1950= 1293
|1960= 1537
|1970= 1934
|1980= 2131
|1990= 2541
|2000= 2683
|2010= 2586
|2020= 2342
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Collins racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2815140&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-17|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|939
|40.09%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|1,225
|52.31%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|11
|0.47%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|2
|0.09%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|57
|2.43%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|108
|4.61%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 2,342 people, 905 households, and 661 families residing in the city.

==Arts and culture==
===Annual cultural events===
====Okatoma Festival====
Named after the [[Okatoma Creek]], which flows through the county, the Okatoma Festival is held the first Saturday in May. It is held in downtown Collins, and features carnival rides, vendor booths, and local cuisine. In addition, there is a 5K run held in the morning.

====Mitchell Farms Pumpkin Patch====
On Saturdays and Sundays, from the middle of September to the beginning of November, Mitchell Farms hosts the Mitchell Farms Pumpkin Patch & Maze. The event consists of many attractions, such as wagon rides, corn maze, animal barn, and a goat castle.<ref name="Mitchell Farms Pumpkin Patch & Maze">{{cite web|title=Mitchell Farms Pumpkin Patch & Maze|url=http://www.mitchellfarms-ms.com/mitchell-farms-pumpkin-patch.htm|website=Mitchell Farms|publisher=Mitchell Farms|access-date=November 6, 2015}}</ref>

====Christmas in the Park====
From the day after Thanksgiving to the day after Christmas, the Chamber of Commerce hosts "Christmas in the Park". This is a massive, drive through light display that takes up the entirety of Bettie D. Robertson Memorial Park. All items in the display are donations from local individuals. It features secular and religious aspects of the holiday.

The city has recently come under scrutiny as a result of this display. On October 19, 2015, the [[Freedom from Religion Foundation]] sent a letter to the City of Collins, on behalf of a local citizen, asking for displays of a religious nature to be removed from the Bettie D. Robertson City Park.<ref name="FFRF objects to Miss. park filled with Christian displays">{{cite news|title=FFRF objects to Miss. park filled with Christian displays|url=http://ffrf.org/news/news-releases/item/24542-ffrf-objects-to-miss-park-filled-with-christian-displays|access-date=November 5, 2015|publisher=FFRF|date=October 29, 2015}}</ref> The letter stated that, among other things, permanent displays of 3 Latin crosses, a statue of [[Jesus]] carrying a cross, and a globe with City of Collins displayed above Matthew 8:12 "I am the Light of the World" are unconstitutional and "tremendously un-welcoming to non-Christians".<ref name="Letter of complaint to City of Collins">{{cite web|last1=Cavell|first1=Elizabeth|title=Unconstitutional religious display in city park|url=http://ffrf.org/images/CityofCollinsMS.pdf|website=FFRF.org|access-date=November 5, 2015|ref=3}}</ref> It asks for immediate removal of the displays from Bettie D. Robertson Park. The letter was met with great hostility from the citizens, with some calling for the complainant to leave the county.<ref name="This misrepresentation of church and state">{{cite news|last1=Baer|first1=Holly|title=This misrepresentation of church and state|url=http://thedmonline.com/this-misrepresentation-of-church-and-state/|access-date=November 5, 2015|work=Daily Mississippian|date=November 3, 2015|ref=6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106035305/http://thedmonline.com/this-misrepresentation-of-church-and-state/|archive-date=November 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Tourism===
The city features Grand Paradise Water Park. In addition, Mitchell Farms offers tours of the original farm buildings and event planning services, in addition to seasonal fruits and vegetables. Okatoma Golf club provides an 18-hole course in Oak Hills Subdivision.<ref name="Attractions">{{cite web|title=Attractions - City of Collins|url=http://cityofcollins.com/community/attractions/|website=City of Collins|access-date=November 5, 2015}}</ref>

==Parks and recreation==
There are two major parks in the city of Collins: Bettie D. Robertson and Westside Park. Robertson Park is home to Christmas in the Park, and features athletic fields, a walking track and playground. There is also a duck pond and bird sanctuary. Westside Park features basketball courts and a playground as well.<ref name="Attractions"/>

==Education==
The city of Collins is served [[Covington County School District (Mississippi)|Covington County School District]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28031_covington/DC20SD_C28031.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Covington County, MS|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-09-27}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28031_covington/DC20SD_C28031_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> There are three schools within Collins:<ref name="Covington County Schools - Schools">{{cite web|title=Covington County Schools - Schools|url=http://cov.k12.ms.us/schools|website=Covington County Schools|publisher=Covington County Schools|access-date=October 28, 2015|ref=Schools in Cov County}}</ref>

* Collins Elementary (K-4)
* Carver Middle School (5-8)
* [[Collins High School (Mississippi)|Collins High School]] (9-12)

The school district also has a Vocational Center located in Collins, that encompasses, but is not limited to, programs of study such as Health Sciences, Construction Trades, Teacher Academy, and Business & Marketing.<ref name="Covington County Schools - Vo-tech - Programs of Study">{{cite web|title=Covington County Schools - Vo-tech - Programs of Study|url=http://cov.k12.ms.us/schools/vo-tech/programs-of-study/|website=Covington County Schools|publisher=Covington County Schools|access-date=October 28, 2015|ref=Cov Schools Vo-Tech|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035601/http://www.cov.k12.ms.us/schools/vo-tech/programs-of-study/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The county is in the zone for [[Jones College (Mississippi)|Jones College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jcjc.edu/about/profile.php|title=Profile|publisher=[[Jones College (Mississippi)|Jones College]]|access-date=2024-09-27}}</ref>

==Media==

The city is served by the ''News-Commercial'', a local paper based out of Collins. The paper publishes every Wednesday. ''[[The Clarion-Ledger]]'', a regional paper based in Jackson, is available as well.

Both [[WDAM]] and [[WHLT]] provide the city with local over-the-air television service. The former is based out of Laurel, MS, while the latter is based out of Hattiesburg, MS. There is not a local cable station located within the city.

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
The city of Collins lies near the intersection of two major highways, [[U.S. Route 49 in Mississippi|U.S. Routes 49]] and [[U.S. Route 84|84]].
U.S. 49 passes through the city southwest of the downtown; it leads {{convert|63|mi}} northwest to [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]], the state capital, and {{convert|28|mi}} southeast to [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi|Hattiesburg]]. U.S. 84 bypasses the center of the city, crossing U.S. 49 at an interchange in the northern part of the city, and leads east {{convert|27|mi}} to [[Laurel, Mississippi|Laurel]] and west {{convert|55|mi}} to the vicinity of [[Brookhaven, Mississippi|Brookhaven]].

There is not a mass transit system in place in the city of Collins; as a result, many residents drive cars in their daily lives. However, there are sidewalks in many of the subdivisions around the city that link with the city center.

===Utilities===
The city is served by Southern Pines Electric Power Association, out of [[Taylorsville, MS]].

===Healthcare===
The city is served by Covington County Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital that opened in 1951. The hospital is active in the community, funding local educational extra-curricular activities and after school programs.<ref name="Covington County Hopsital History">{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.covingtoncountyhospital.com/getpage.php?name=history&sub=About+Us|website=Covington County Hospital|access-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107093032/http://www.covingtoncountyhospital.com/getpage.php?name=history&sub=About+Us|archive-date=November 7, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Dana Andrews]], film legend born on a farmstead near Collins, raised in [[Huntsville, Texas]]
* [[L. Venchael Booth]], [[Baptist]] minister<ref>{{cite web |title=Rev. L. Venchael Booth |url=http://library.cincymuseum.org/aag/bio/booth.html |website=Cincinnati History Library and Archives |publisher=Cincinnati Museum Center |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=September 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180909142637/http://library.cincymuseum.org/aag/bio/booth.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Correll Buckhalter]], former NFL running back 
* [[Demario Davis]], NFL linebacker
* [[Billy Hamilton (baseball, born 1990)|Billy Hamilton]], professional baseball player ([[Kansas City Royals]])<ref>{{cite web|title=Billy Hamilton|website=Baseball Reference|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hamilt002bil|access-date=November 17, 2014}}</ref>
* [[Dale Houston]], singer
* [[Mack A. Jordan]], [[United States Army]] soldier during the [[Korean War]] who was [[posthumous recognition|posthumously]] awarded the [[Medal of Honor]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Mack Jordan |url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/2287 |website=Hall of Valor Project |access-date=10 September 2020}}</ref>
* [[Randolph Keys]], NBA player
* [[Brandon McDonald (gridiron football)|Brandon McDonald]], former NFL [[cornerback]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Brandon McDonald |url=https://gotigersgo.com/sports/football/roster/brandon-mcdonald/2539 |website=University of Memphis Athletics |access-date=10 September 2020}}</ref>
* [[Gerald McRaney]], actor
* [[Marilyn Mims]], soprano with the [[Metropolitan Opera]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Collins}}
* [http://www.cityofcollins.com/ City of Collins official website]
* [http://www.covingtonchamber.com/in/ Covington County Chamber of Commerce]

{{Covington County, Mississippi}}
{{Mississippi county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Cities in Covington County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:County seats in Mississippi]]