Editing Oktibbeha County, Mississippi

{{short description|County in Mississippi, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox U.S. county
 | county               = Oktibbeha County
 | state                = Mississippi
 | ex image             = Textile Building Starkville.jpg
 | ex image size        = 220px
 | ex image cap         = Postcard. [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi|Textile Building]] of [[Mississippi State University]], [[Starkville, Mississippi|Starkville]]
 | seal                 = 
 | founded              = 1833
 | seat wl              = Starkville
 | largest city wl      = Starkville
 | area_total_sq_mi     = 462
 | area_land_sq_mi      = 458
 | area_water_sq_mi     = 3.7
 | area percentage      = 0.8
 | population_as_of     = 2020
 | population_total     = 51788
 | pop_est_as_of        = 
 | population_est       = 
 | population_density_sq_mi  = auto
 | web                  = www.oktibbehacountyms.org
 | district             = 1st
 | district2            = 3rd
 | time zone            = Central
 | named for = Often translated "icy creek", Oktibbeha is from [[Choctaw language|Choctaw]] ''okti abeha bok'' meaning "ice, there in the creek".<ref name="msencyc">{{Citation |url = https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/oktibbeha-county/ |title = Oktibbeha County |work = Mississippi Encyclopedia |publisher = [[Mississippi Humanities Council]] |access-date = March 17, 2024 |date = April 14, 2018 }}</ref>
}}

'''Oktibbeha County''' is a [[County (United States)|county]] in the east central portion of the [[United States|U.S.]] state of [[Mississippi]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] the population was 51,788.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://data.census.gov/profile/Oktibbeha_County,_Mississippi?g=0500000US28105|title=Census - Geography Profile: Oktibbeha County, Mississippi|access-date=January 14, 2023}}</ref> The [[county seat]] is [[Starkville, Mississippi|Starkville]]. The county's name is derived from a Choctaw word meaning "icy creek".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn86063034/1898-01-17/ed-1/seq-3/|title=The morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, January 17, 1898, Page 3, Image 3|access-date=August 13, 2024|date=January 17, 1898}}</ref> The [[Choctaw]] had long occupied much of this territory prior to European exploration and United States acquisition.

[[Mississippi State University]], a [[Public university|public]] [[research university]] and [[Land-grant university|land-grant institution]], is in Oktibbeha County.

Oktibbeha County is conterminous with the Starkville, MS [[Micropolitan statistical area|Micropolitian Statistical Area]]. The county is part of the [[Golden Triangle (Mississippi)|Golden Triangle]] region of Mississippi, designated for joint regional development strategies.

==History==
The name ''Oktibbeha'' is from a [[Choctaw language|Choctaw]] phrase meaning "ice, there in the creek."<ref name="msencyc"></ref>  Indian artifacts more than 2,000 years old have been found near ancient earthwork [[mound]]s located just east of Starkville, showing the area has been inhabited at least this long. The artifacts have been used to date the construction of the mounds to the [[Woodland period]], ending about 1000 A.D. The [[Choctaw people]] occupied extensive territory in this area for centuries prior to European encounter. European-American settlers named the Indian Mound Campground nearby for the earthwork monuments.

Artifacts in the form of clay pot fragments and artwork dating from that period have been found at the [[Herman Mound and Village site]], which is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. It can be accessed from the Indian Mound Campground.

[[United States|American]] settlement of the area was started formally in the 1830s during the period of [[Indian Removal]] initiated by President [[Andrew Jackson]]. The Choctaw of Oktibbeha County ceded their claims to land in the area to the United States in the [[Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek]] in 1830. They were removed to other lands west of the Mississippi River, in [[Indian Territory]], part of what became the state of [[Oklahoma]].

Like the indigenous peoples before them, European Americans were drawn to the Starkville area because of two large natural springs. The [[Agency, Mississippi|Choctaw Agency]] was set up near what is now [[Sturgis, Mississippi|Sturgis]], first to trade and manage relations with the Choctaw. What was originally a trading post was located on [[Robinson Road (Mississippi)|Old Robinson Road]], about {{convert|1.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} east of the [[Noxubee River]].<ref name="Halbert">{{cite web|last=Halbert|first=H.S.|title=The Last Indian Council on Noxubee River|publisher=Mississippi Historical Society|year=1901|url=http://www.forgottenbooks.org/readbook_text/Publications_of_the_Mississippi_Historical_Society_v4_1000473765/273|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424161459/http://www.forgottenbooks.org/readbook_text/Publications_of_the_Mississippi_Historical_Society_v4_1000473765/273|archive-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> Later the Choctaw Agency organized the sale of the former Choctaw lands to migrants arriving from other areas of the United States.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jacobson|first=Judy|title=Alabama and Mississippi Connections: Historical and Biographical Sketches of Families who Settled on Both Sides of the Tombigbee River|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Company|year=1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLAdK0_myJwC&pg=PR1|pages=25, 38–39|isbn=9780806348575}}</ref>

A lumber mill was established southwest of town; it produced [[Clapboard (architecture)|clapboards]], from which the settlement took its original name of Boardtown. In 1835, Boardtown was established as the county seat of [[Oktibbeha County]]. Its name was changed to Starkville in honor of [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] hero [[General John Stark]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.starkville.org/tourism/history/timeline.html| title=Starkville's History| access-date=August 24, 2006| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524050246/http://www.starkville.org/tourism/history/timeline.html| archive-date=May 24, 2006}}</ref>

After the Civil War, three groups of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] arose in the county: in Starkville, at Choctaw Agency (Sturgis), and in [[Double Springs, Mississippi|Double Springs]].<ref name="Reconstruction Part IV">{{cite news |last1=Browne |first1=Pastor Frederick Z. |title=Reconstruction in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi Part IV |work=East Mississippi Times |date=March 1, 1912}}</ref> They used violence against blacks to try to suppress their vote and maintain [[white supremacy]]. [[Freedmen]] had largely joined the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], headed by President [[Abraham Lincoln]], who had gained their emancipation and supported constitutional amendments to grant them citizenship and the franchise. Every election cycle was accompanied by violence of white Democrats against the mostly black Republicans.

In 1876, for example, a group of 18 white men known as White-Liners, led by Dorsey Outlaw, surrounded the Republican Club in Chapel Hill near [[Agency, Mississippi|Choctaw Agency]]. They fired upon the black members from ambush, shooting several in the back. Charles Curry was killed instantly, and 36 blacks were wounded, four of them possibly mortally. Jeff Gregory died the following day. The same group of White-Liners traveled to [[Artesia, Mississippi|Artesia]] the next day to intimidate black voters there, and on to [[Columbus, Mississippi|Columbus]] the next day.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Night of Horrors|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016555/1876-10-06/ed-1/seq-1|access-date=December 17, 2017|publisher=New Orleans Republican|date=October 6, 1876}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Full text of "Mississippi: Testimony as to denial of elective franchise in Mississippi at the elections of 1875 and 1876, taken under the resolution of the Senate of December 5, 1876"|url=https://archive.org/stream/mississippitesti00unit/mississippitesti00unit_djvu.txt|access-date=December 18, 2017|date=December 5, 1876|publisher=Washington, Govt. Printing Office }}</ref>

Following Reconstruction, white conservative Democrats dominated the state legislature.  [[Mississippi State University]] (originally known as Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.dafvm.msstate.edu/about/history |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123215920/https://www.dafvm.msstate.edu/about/history |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |access-date=August 27, 2022 |website=www.dafvm.msstate.edu |publisher=[[Mississippi State University]]}}</ref>) was founded near Starkville in 1878 as a [[land-grant university]]. It has become a major research university.

===20th century to present===
In 1912 Mann Hamilton, a black man, was accused of assaulting June Bell, a white woman, at Bell's school house near [[Maben, Mississippi|Maben]]. Although Sheriff Nickles tried to gain custody of the suspect, he was directed to the wrong location. Hamilton was captured, [[Lynching in the United States|lynched]], and hanged by a white mob without any trial.<ref name="Hamilton Lynching">{{cite news|title=A Quiet Lynching|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87065612/1912-02-16/ed-1/seq-1|access-date=December 18, 2017|publisher=The Starkville News|date=February 16, 1912}}</ref> This was one of six lynchings of African Americans committed by whites in the county in the post-Reconstruction period and extending into the early 20th century.<ref>[https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf "Supplement: Lynchings by County/ Mississippi: Oktihebba", 3rd edition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023063004/https://eji.org/sites/default/files/lynching-in-america-third-edition-summary.pdf |date=October 23, 2017 }}, p. 7, from ''Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror'', 2015, Equal Justice Institute, Montgomery, Alabama</ref>

In 1960, seven black men from [[Little Rock, Arkansas]] used the only restroom at Weaver's Amoco in [[Osborn, Mississippi|Osborn]]; it was designated for whites only. They were arrested at Mayhew Junction in Lowndes County, and required to pay a $200 per person bond. According to the law, they faced a maximum penalty of six months in jail and fines of $500 each. The case was widely anticipated as the first test of the state's sit-in law, but was settled when the defendants unexpectedly pleaded guilty and paid small fines at the county court in Starkville the next day.<ref name="Weavers">{{cite news |title=Negro Group Enters White Cafe in State |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40975255/negro_group_enters_white_cafe_in_state/ |access-date=December 23, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=Clarion-Ledger |date=April 23, 1960}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sitdowners' Guilty Pleas Bring $15 fine. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40975640/sitdowners_guilty_pleas_bring_15_fine/ |access-date=December 23, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com |location=Greenville, Mississippi |newspaper=The Delta Democrat-Times |date=April 24, 1960 |ref=Sitdowners}}</ref>

Since the late 20th century, Oktibbeha, along with [[Clay County, Mississippi|Clay]] and [[Lowndes County, Mississippi|Lowndes]] counties, has been designated as the [[Golden Triangle (Mississippi)|Golden Triangle]] in Mississippi. The three counties share a goal of collaborative economic development; they have had a history of rural and agricultural development.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.msstate.edu/about/history/|title=History|last=Team|first=ITS Web Development|website=Mississippi State University|language=en|access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|462|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|458|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|3.7|sqmi}} (0.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_28.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 6, 2014|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928074019/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_28.txt|archive-date=September 28, 2013}}</ref> The majority of the county lies within the [[Black Belt (geological formation)|Black Belt geological formation]] of fertile uplands, which had supported extensive cotton plantations, while portions of the county are in the [[Flatwoods]] region.

===Major highways===
* [[Image:US 82.svg|21px]] [[U.S. Highway 82]]
* [[Image:Circle sign 12.svg|21px]] [[Mississippi Highway 12]]
* [[Image:Circle sign 25.svg|21px]] [[Mississippi Highway 25]]

===Adjacent counties===
* [[Noxubee County, Mississippi|Noxubee County]] (southeast)
* [[Winston County, Mississippi|Winston County]] (south)
* [[Choctaw County, Mississippi|Choctaw County]] (west)
* [[Webster County, Mississippi|Webster County]] (northwest)
* [[Clay County, Mississippi|Clay County]] (north)
* [[Lowndes County, Mississippi|Lowndes County]] (east)

===National protected areas===
* [[Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge]] (part)
* [[Tombigbee National Forest]] (part)

==Demographics==
There was a marked decline from 1910 to 1920, a period when the [[Great Migration (African American)]] of African Americans out of the rural South began. Before 1940 a total of 1.5 million African Americans went to northern and Midwestern industrial cities to find work.

{{US Census population
|1840= 4276
|1850= 9171
|1860= 12977
|1870= 14891
|1880= 15978
|1890= 17694
|1900= 20183
|1910= 19676
|1920= 16872
|1930= 19119
|1940= 22151
|1950= 24569
|1960= 26175
|1970= 28752
|1980= 36018
|1990= 38375
|2000= 42902
|2010= 47671
|2020= 51788
|estyear=2023
|estimate=51203
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 5, 2024}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> 1900-1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ms190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref> 2010-2013<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28/28105.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=September 4, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607051707/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28/28105.html|archive-date=June 7, 2011}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Oktibbeha County Racial Composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US28105&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 7, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|29,224
|56.43%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|18,228
|35.2%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|93
|0.18%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|1,506
|2.91%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|10
|0.02%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|1,459
|2.82%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|1,268
|2.45%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 51,788 people, 17,798 households, and 9,263 families residing in the county.

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States Census]], there were 47,671 people living in the county. 59.2% were [[White American|White]], 36.6% [[African American|Black or African American]], 2.4% [[Asian American|Asian]], 0.2% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 0.4% of some other race and 1.2% [[Multiracial American|of two or more races]]. 1.4% were [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race).

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 42,902 people, 15,945 households, and 9,264 families living in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|94|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 17,344 housing units at an average density of {{convert|38|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 58.66% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 37.43% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.16% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 2.53% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.47% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.71% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 15,945 households, out of which 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.90% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.90% were non-families. 27.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.00% under the age of 18, 29.60% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 16.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 99.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,899, and the median income for a family was $36,914. Males had a median income of $32,162 versus $20,622 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $14,998. About 18.00% of families and 28.20% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 30.30% of those under age 18 and 17.80% of those age 65 or over.

==Government and politics==
For much of the second half of the 20th century, Oktibbeha County was rather conservative for a county influenced by a college town. While most such counties trended Democratic in the 1990s, Oktibbeha County did not support the official Democratic candidate for president from 1956 to 2004. As in most of Mississippi, conservative white voters began moving away from their [[Solid South]] roots in the 1950s, when they started splitting their tickets at the national level and voting Republican.

In 2008, Democrat [[Barack Obama]] defeated Republican [[John McCain]] [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2008&fips=28105&off=0&elect=0&f=0 by 6 votes], becoming the first official Democratic candidate to win the county since [[United States presidential election in Mississippi, 1956|1956]]. By comparison, in 2004 Republican [[George W. Bush|George Bush]] won Oktibbeha County over Democrat [[John Kerry]] 55% to 43%, as most of the majority whites still support Republicans at the national level. Obama carried the county again with an increased margin in [[United States presidential election in Mississippi, 2012|2012]]. Oktibbeha County voted for [[Joe Biden]] by nearly 6.5% in 2020, but narrowly flipped to [[Donald Trump]] in 2024.

Two small portions of the county are included within the [[Mississippi's 1st congressional district|1st congressional district]]. Most of the county, including the city of Starkville and the campus of [[Mississippi State University]], are included in the [[Mississippi's 3rd congressional district|3rd district]].

{{PresHead|place=Oktibbeha County, Mississippi|whig=no|source1=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=Uselectionatlas.org|access-date=December 3, 2017}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP/Whig vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|8,901|8,851|364|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|9,004|10,299|454|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|2016|Democratic|8,576|8,859|689|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|8,761|9,095|261|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|9,320|9,326|146|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|9,068|7,015|207|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|7,959|6,443|402|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|6,142|5,923|459|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|6,381|5,726|1,049|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|7,126|5,100|63|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|7,574|5,097|26|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|6,300|6,039|336|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|5,194|4,339|192|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|6,160|1,880|113|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|1,276|1,826|4,127|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|3,795|390|0|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1960|Dixiecrat|829|915|1,672|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|702|1,552|386|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|1,435|1,666|0|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|58|158|1,788|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|110|1,948|0|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|79|1,951|14|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|19|1,714|1|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|26|1,574|0|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|111|1,577|0|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|30|1,370|42|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|70|778|1|Mississippi}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|48|911|1|Mississippi}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|30|851|31|Mississippi}}

==Education==
The county has one school district: [[Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District]] since 2013.<ref name=consolidation /><ref>
* 2020 Map: {{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28105_oktibbeha/DC20SD_C28105.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609204540/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28105_oktibbeha/DC20SD_C28105.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |url-status=live|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Oktibbeha County, MS|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=July 18, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st28_ms/schooldistrict_maps/c28105_oktibbeha/DC20SD_C28105_SD2MS.txt Text list] - In 2020 there was one school district
* 2010 Map: {{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st28_ms/c28105_oktibbeha/DC10SD_C28105_001.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609204927/https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st28_ms/c28105_oktibbeha/DC10SD_C28105_001.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |url-status=live|title=SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Oktibbeha County, MS|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=July 18, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st28_ms/c28105_oktibbeha/DC10SD_C28105_SD2MS.txt Text list] - In 2010 there were two school districts</ref>

At one time, the county was served by a number of single-teacher schools. Gradually these were consolidated into larger schools, including [[Starkville High School]], Longview High School,<ref>{{cite news|title=Second Berry Camp at Longview Next Week|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87065612/1920-06-18/ed-1/seq-1/|access-date=December 18, 2017|publisher=Starkville News|date=June 18, 1920}}</ref> the Self Creek Consolidated School district, and many others.<ref>{{cite news|title=A & M Men Add Big Sum to Fund Rebuild at Self Creek School|url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87065612/1920-06-18/ed-1/seq-1/|access-date=December 18, 2017|publisher=Starkville News|date=June 18, 1920}}</ref>

By 1922, there were about twenty small public schools for African-American children across the rural county. The county maintained a segregated public school system until 1970, although the US Supreme Court had ruled in ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'' (1954) that such arrangements were unconstitutional. Schools for African-American students were historically underfunded.

In 1922, community groups arranged to match funds from the [[Rosenwald Fund|Rosenwald Foundation]] in order to build and operate improved [[Rosenwald schools|rural schools]] for these children; the first two were erected in the communities of Trim Cane and in Turnpike. A total of eight Rosenwald Schools were built in the county between 1922 and 1927. The largest of these, Oktibbeha County Training School, was opened in 1926 at a cost of $127,000. Other schools included a three-teacher school in Longview, Maben Colored School with two teachers; Pleasant Grove, which had four teachers; True Vine school (3 teachers), and Rock Hill School, which also had four teachers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Morgan |first1=Ruth |title=Early African American schools in Oktibbeha County - FROM DAYS PAST |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/13B918C9FA277768 |access-date=September 20, 2018 |date=December 11, 2011}}</ref>

Until 2013, Oktibbeha County was served by both the [[Oktibbeha County School District]] and the [[Starkville Public School District]]. Until 1970, the schools were segregated. From 1923 until 1970, African Americans attended schools that were located on US Highway 82, which is now known as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. These schools, originally built with Rosenwald funds, were variously known as the Oktibbeha County Training School,<ref>{{cite web|title=ABOUT O.C.T.S|url=http://octshhs.org/?page_id=1196|access-date=November 10, 2017}}</ref> Rosenwald School, and [[Henderson High School (Mississippi)|Henderson High School]]. In 1970 the schools were integrated. Henderson was designated as the junior high school. The Rosenwald School was destroyed in a fire.<ref>{{cite web|title=Segregated Education|url=http://starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu/wordpress/segregated-education/|access-date=November 10, 2017}}</ref> This site now hosts Henderson-Ward Stewart Elementary, which was built on the site of Ward Elementary in 2010 for a cost of $4.8 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Henderson Ward Elementary School Renovation |url=https://westbrothersconstruction.com/portfolio_page/henderson-ward-stewart-elementary-school-renovation/ |access-date=September 14, 2020}}</ref>

In 2013, the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill requiring that all Oktibbeha County schools be merged into the [[Starkville School District]], in order to consolidate administration.<ref name=consolidation>{{cite web|title=COMMISSION RELEASES PROPOSED PLAN FOR CONSOLIDATION STRUCTURE|url=http://starkville.ms.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=19561&|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140204160346/http://starkville.ms.schoolwebpages.com/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=19561&|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2014|publisher=Starkville, MS|access-date=February 5, 2014}}</ref>

The county has two private schools: [[Starkville Academy]] was founded in 1969 as a [[segregation academy]] to avoid integration,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Spencer|first1=Mack|title=Public domain, private options|url=http://djournal.com/news/public-domain-private-options/|website=Djournal.com|access-date=September 25, 2015|date=May 17, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.starkvilleacademy.org/index.php/mission-history/|website=Starkvilleacademy.org|access-date=December 3, 2017}}</ref> and Starkville Christian School, which was founded in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.privateschoolreview.com/county_private_schools/stateid/MS/county/28105|title=Oktibbeha County, MS Private Schools|website=Privateschoolreview.com|access-date=December 3, 2017}}</ref>

===Higher education===
In terms of higher education, Oktibbeha County is within the service area of the [[East Mississippi Community College]] system.<ref name="Coursecat0709p3">[http://www.eastms.edu/academics/documents/EMCCCATALOGfor2007-2009.pdf "CATALOG 2007-2009"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218112338/http://www.eastms.edu/academics/documents/EMCCCATALOGfor2007-2009.pdf |date=December 18, 2010 }}, East Mississippi Community College website (pg. 3); retrieved March 1, 2011.</ref> The campus of [[Mississippi State University]] is located in Oktibbeha County, partially in Starkville and partially in an [[unincorporated area]].<ref>[http://www.cityofstarkville.org/cosdocs/ZoningMap.pdf "Zoning Map"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224012004/http://cityofstarkville.org/cosdocs/ZoningMap.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031032338/http://cityofstarkville.org/cosdocs/ZoningMap.pdf |archive-date=October 31, 2010 |url-status=live |date=December 24, 2010 }}, Town of Starkville; retrieved March 1, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.msstate.edu/web/maps "Campus Map"], Mississippi State University; retrieved March 1, 2011.</ref> Its growth has led the Starkville to become the largest city by population in the Golden Triangle.

===Public libraries===
The county also runs the [[Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library System]].

==Communities==
===City===
* [[Starkville, Mississippi|Starkville]] (county seat)

===Towns===
* [[Maben, Mississippi|Maben]] (partly in [[Webster County, Mississippi|Webster County]])
* [[Sturgis, Mississippi|Sturgis]]

===Census-designated places===
* [[Longview, Mississippi|Longview]]
* [[Mississippi State, Mississippi|Mississippi State]]

===Other unincorporated communities===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Adaton, Mississippi|Adaton]]
* [[Bradley, Mississippi|Bradley]]
* [[Clayton Village, Mississippi|Clayton Village]]
* [[Hickory Grove, Mississippi|Hickory Grove]]
* [[Hickory Grove Estates, Mississippi|Hickory Grove Estates]]
* [[Morgantown, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi|Morgantown]]
* [[Muldrow, Mississippi|Muldrow]]
* [[Oktoc, Mississippi|Oktoc]]
* [[Osborn, Mississippi|Osborn]]
* [[Self Creek, Mississippi|Self Creek]]
* [[Sessums, Mississippi|Sessums]]
{{div col end}}

===Historical/ghost towns===
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
* [[Agency, Mississippi|Agency]]
{{div col end}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Mississippi}}
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://starkville.org/ Greater Starkville Development Partnership Website]

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Oktibbeha County, Mississippi
|North     = [[Clay County, Mississippi|Clay County]]
|Northeast =
|East      = [[Lowndes County, Mississippi|Lowndes County]]
|Southeast = [[Noxubee County, Mississippi|Noxubee County]]
|South     = [[Winston County, Mississippi|Winston County]]
|Southwest =
|West      = [[Choctaw County, Mississippi|Choctaw County]]
|Northwest = [[Webster County, Mississippi|Webster County]]
}}

{{Oktibbeha County, Mississippi}}
{{Mississippi}}

{{coord|33.43|-88.88|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-MS_source:UScensus1990}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Oktibbeha County, Mississippi| ]]
[[Category:Mississippi counties]]
[[Category:Mississippi placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:1833 establishments in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1833]]