Aberdeen, Mississippi

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement

Aberdeen is the county seat of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,961,<ref name="Census 2020"/> down from 5,612 in 2010.

Located on the banks of the Tombigbee River, Aberdeen was one of the busiest Mississippi ports of the 19th century. Cotton was heavily traded in town, and for a time Aberdeen was Mississippi's second largest city. Aberdeen retains many historic structures from this period, with over 200 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. In the spring of each year, Aberdeen hosts pilgrimages to its historic antebellum homes. The most prominent of these antebellum homes is The Magnolias, which was built in 1850.

Located just outside the city, Aberdeen Lock and Dam forms Aberdeen Lake, a popular recreational area. Aberdeen Lock and Dam is part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway system.

History

File:African-American barbershop in Aberdeen, Mississippi (circa 1920).jpg

Barbershop in Aberdeen, 1907

In 1540, Hernando DeSoto's expedition was the first occasion that Europeans traveled through the vicinity of Aberdeen.

Aberdeen was first settled in 1834 and chartered as a town in 1837. In 1849, it replaced Athens as the county seat.

On February 18, 1864, during the American Civil War, a skirmish occurred between the Union army and the Confederate army in Aberdeen.<ref name="Strickler1899">Template:Cite book</ref> Lieutenant Colonel Burgh and the 9th Illinois Cavalry Regiment came into contact with rebel militias, driving them back and taking possession of Aberdeen. The battle resulted in the company taking 18 prisoners of war, as well as the destruction of Confederate food supplies and machinery.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Hiram Revels, the first African-American United States senator, died in Aberdeen on January 16, 1901, while he was attending a church conference.<ref name="Rowland">Rowland, Dunbar. Encyclopedia of Mississippi history: comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions and persons, Volume 2. S. A. Brant, 1907.</ref>

Aberdeen had a population of 3,708 in 1910.<ref>The Farm Journal Complete Atlas of the World, 1912 Edition</ref> Its population had risen to 5,920 by 1950.<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica Atlas, 1959 Edition, p. 298</ref> Its population was 7,184 in 1980.<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica, 1984 edition, p. 21</ref>

Geography

Variant names are "Dundee" and "New Aberdeen".

Aberdeen is located southwest of the center of Monroe County. The downtown area lies on a low rise overlooking the original channel of the Tombigbee River to the east. U.S. Highway 45 passes through the south and west sides of the city as a bypass, leading north Template:Convert to Tupelo and south Template:Convert to Columbus. Mississippi Highway 8 passes through the south side of the city with US 45, leading northeast Template:Convert to U.S. Highway 278 at Wise Gap and west Template:Convert to Houston. State Highway 25 also passes through the south side of the city, leading north-northeast Template:Convert to Amory and southwest Template:Convert to West Point.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Aberdeen has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 2.28%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2023"/> The Tombigbee River and the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway flow southward through the east end of the city. Aberdeen Lock and Dam on the waterway is within the city limits, less than a mile south of the city's northern border.

File:TombigbeeRiver1955.jpg

Failure of the Mississippi Highway 25 N/U.S. Route 45 S bridge over the Tombigbee River in Aberdeen during the 1955 floods.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Aberdeen has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Weather box

Demographics

Template:US Census population

2020 census

Aberdeen Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
Black or African American	3,504	70.63%
White	1,247	25.14%
Native American	10	0.2%
Asian	17	0.34%
Pacific Islander	1	0.02%
Other/Mixed	127	2.56%
Hispanic or Latino	55	1.11%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,961 people, 2,016 households, and 1,195 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 5,612 people living in the city. 69.2% were African American, 28.8% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 6,415 people, 2,398 households, and 1,661 families living in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 2,730 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 60.20% African American, 38.78% White, 0.09% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.

There were 2,398 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 29.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,530, and the median income for a family was $27,611. Males had a median income of $27,857 versus $17,090 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,584. About 26.3% of families and 29.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 26.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city is served by the Aberdeen School District.

Media

Radio stations

1240 WWZQ-AM<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 105.3 WACR-FM

Infrastructure

Highways

Railroads

Notable people

Joel M. Acker, member of the Mississippi State Senate and Mississippi House of Representatives<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Stephen Adams, member of United States House of Representatives and United States Senate<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896">Template:Cite book</ref>
Steve Baylark, running back for Sacramento Mountain Lions of United Football League<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Guy Bush ("the Mississippi Mudcat"), Major League Baseball pitcher
Oliver Darden, basketball player for University of Michigan
Reuben Davis, Congressman and Confederate general
James Bell Dickson, U.S. Army Air Forces pilot
Wilma Cozart Fine, record producer<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Jeff Fort, mobster and co-founder of the Black P. Stones<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Samuel J. Gholson, congressman, judge and general in the Confederate States Army<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Joe Green, former NFL defensive back<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ann Gregory, golfer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Moses Hardy, formerly oldest living American man, one of the oldest veterans of World War I
Lock E. Houston, former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives<ref name=knox>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reggie Kelly, former NFL tight end<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Albert King, blues guitarist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Fredrick McGhee, first black lawyer in Minnesota, co-founder of the Niagara Movement
James Phelan Sr., member of the Confederate Congress from 1862 to 1864<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
James Phelan Jr., member of the United States House of Representatives from 1887 to 1891<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
R. O. Reynolds, member of the Mississippi State Senate<ref name="Memorial">Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref>
Roscoe Simmons, orator and journalist, nephew of Booker T. Washington<ref name=hall>Template:Cite book</ref>
Georgia Speller, artist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Eugene Sykes, justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi and chairman of Federal Communications Commission
Rozzell Sykes, artist<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Butch Thompson, college baseball head coach<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Frederick I. Thompson, commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission from 1939 to 1941<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Andre Townsend, former defensive end for the Denver Broncos
Jim Walden, head football coach at Washington State and Iowa State University
Channing Ward, former NFL defensive tackle<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bukka White (Booker T. Washington White), blues musician
Dwayne Whitfield, former National Basketball Association player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Chris Willis, former head football coach of the University of North Alabama<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In popular culture

The city of Aberdeen is the subject of the HGTV show Hometown Renovation, where local makeup artist and designer Billy Brasfield sets to redesign and renovate some of the city's houses and landmarks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The city is the subject of the song "Aberdeen, Mississippi", by blues artist Bukka White, later covered by guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd as "Aberdeen".<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web Template:Cbignore</ref>