Guntown, Mississippi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Guntown is a town in Lee County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,183 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Guntown is located at 34°26′42″N, 88°39′47″W (34.444966, -88.663087)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.5 mi²). 11.7 km² (4.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.22% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,183 people, 443 households, and 337 families residing in the town. The population density was 100.8/km² (261.1/mi²). There were 482 housing units at an average density of 41.1/km² (106.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.98% White, 24.18% African American, 0.34% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 0.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 443 households out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out with 34.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $29,783. Males had a median income of $27,868 versus $20,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,456. About 19.3% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Trivia

The name of Guntown is somewhat of a mystery for its residents. Some believe its name was derived from the fact that it was the site of an armory in the civil war era, while others claim (despite facts to the contrary) that Abraham Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth is buried there.

Correction: A recent newspaper interview with a resident of Guntown proves that John Wilkes Boothe lived in the attic room of an old home in his final years. He is buried in a family field cemetery just West of Guntown on the old road to Brice's Crossroad. The property is provately owned and seldom visited by those visiting the area. The resident interviewed own items and property that Wilkes Boothe left behind after his death.