Editing Pickens, Mississippi

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Pickens, Mississippi
| settlement_type    = [[Town]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Pickens, Mississippi.png
| image_seal         = Seal of Pickens, Mississippi.png

<!-- Maps -->| image_map          = Holmes_County_Mississippi_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Pickens_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Pickens, Mississippi
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Mississippi]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Mississippi|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Holmes County, Mississippi|Holmes]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Paulette Moore
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- 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     = 3.37
| area_land_km2      = 3.31
| area_water_km2     = 0.06
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1.30
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1.28
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.02

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 920
| population_density_km2 = 278.24
| population_density_sq_mi = 720.44
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = <!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 74
| elevation_ft       = 243
| coordinates        = {{coord|32|53|12|N|89|58|12|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 39146
| area_code          = [[Area code 662|662]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 28-57200
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0675699
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Pickens''' is a town in [[Holmes County, Mississippi|Holmes County]], [[Mississippi]], United States. Per the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 920.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pickens town, Mississippi|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2857200|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 15, 2022}}</ref>

==History==
The town was named for landowner James Pickens<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rowland|first=Dunbar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1iQVAAAAYAAJ&q=Pickens%2C+Mississippi|title=Encyclopedia of Mississippi History: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions and Persons{{!}}Pickens, Mississippi (page 426)|date=1907|publisher=S. A. Brant|language=en}}</ref> and was incorporated in 1858.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mississippi Rails{{!}}Pickens, Mississippi|url=https://www.msrailroads.com/Towns/Pickens.htm|access-date=October 11, 2021|website=www.msrailroads.com}}</ref>

On May 9, 1919, an [[African American veterans lynched after WWI|African American veteran]] was lynched as part of the [[Red Summer|Red Summer of 1919]] because of an “improper note” written to a white woman.<ref>{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Mikkelsen |first=Vincent |date=2007 |title=Coming from Battle to Face a War: the Lynching of Black Soldiers in the World War I Era |publisher=The Florida State University}}</ref>

==Geography==
Pickens is located in the southeast corner of Holmes County at {{coord|32|53|12|N|89|58|12|W|type:city}} (32.886672, -89.970092),<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> on the west side of the [[Big Black River (Mississippi)|Big Black River]]. It is bordered to the south by [[Yazoo County, Mississippi|Yazoo County]] and to the east across the Big Black by [[Attala County, Mississippi|Attala County]].

[[U.S. Route 51]] passes through the town, leading northeast {{convert|7|mi|0}} to [[Goodman, Mississippi|Goodman]] and south {{convert|19|mi}} to [[Canton, Mississippi|Canton]]. [[Mississippi Highway 17]] follows US 51 through Pickens, but leaves the highway south of town to lead southeast {{convert|13|mi}} to [[Camden, Mississippi|Camden]], and splits from US 51 north of Pickens to lead north {{convert|18|mi}} to [[Lexington, Mississippi|Lexington]], the Holmes County seat. [[Mississippi Highway 432]] leads west from Pickens {{convert|18|mi}} to [[Benton, Mississippi|Benton]]. [[Interstate 55]] passes {{convert|3|mi|0}} west of Pickens, with access from Exit 139 (Highway 432) and Exit 144 (Highway 17). I-55 leads south {{convert|44|mi}} to [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]], the state capital, and north {{convert|70|mi}} to [[Grenada, Mississippi|Grenada]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town of Pickens has a total area of {{convert|3.4|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|0.07|km2|order=flip|2}}, or 1.96%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2857200| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Pickens town, Mississippi| work=American Factfinder| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| accessdate=August 18, 2017| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213105251/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2857200| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 122
|1900= 504
|1910= 619
|1920= 457
|1930= 635
|1940= 688
|1950= 638
|1960= 727
|1970= 1012
|1980= 1386
|1990= 1285
|2000= 1325
|2010= 1157
|2020= 920
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Pickens town, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pickens town, Mississippi|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2857200&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pickens town, Mississippi|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2857200&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|138
|62
|11.93%
|6.74%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|1,003
|847
|86.69%
|92.07%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|6
|3
|0.52%
|0.33%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|0
|6
|0.00%
|0.65%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|10
|2
|0.86%
|0.22%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''1,157'''
|'''920'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|}

===2000 Census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,325 people, 452 households, and 333 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|1,062.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 496 housing units at an average density of {{convert|397.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 11.92% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 87.70% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.08% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.08% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.23% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.28% of the population.

There were 452 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 33.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.52.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $17,330, and the median income for a family was $20,956. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $17,574 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $10,812. About 36.1% of families and 40.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 51.4% of those under age 18 and 41.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The town of Pickens is served by the [[Holmes County School District (Mississippi)|Holmes County School District]]. It is served by Goodman-Pickens Elementary School, between Pickens and [[Goodman, Mississippi|Goodman]]. In 2006 the school had about 379 students.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20060504020621/http://holmes.k12.ms.us/GPE/GPE%20History.htm Goodman-Pickens History]." Goodman-Pickens Elementary School. May 4, 2006. Retrieved on July 9, 2017.</ref> High school students are zoned to [[Holmes County Central High School]].

==Notable people==
* [[Gus Courts]], [[Civil and political rights|civil rights]] activist<ref name="Howell2017">{{cite book|author=Jeffery B. Howell|title=Hazel Brannon Smith: The Female Crusading Scalawag|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t3rCDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT53|date=March 22, 2017|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-4968-1080-9|pages=53}}</ref>
* [[Odas Nicholson]], attorney, judge and delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention

==References==
<references />

{{Holmes County, Mississippi}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Holmes County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Towns in Mississippi]]