Mize, Mississippi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mize is a town in Smith County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 285 at the 2000 census. The town hosts The Mize Watermelon Festival every July. The town used to be known as the capitol of Sullivan's Hollow. It has long had a colorful history known for feuds and lawlessness. On April 6th, 2005, a F-3 tornado struck Mize High School, a pillar of the Mize community. The school's second floor was ripped off by sheer force of wind and the entire structure was severely damaged. Re-construction efforts are still being negotiated with Smith County officials. Sometimes called "The Biggest Little Town in Mississippi."

[edit] Geography

Mize is located at 31°52′2″N, 89°33′16″W (31.867332, -89.554331)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 285 people, 117 households, and 71 families residing in the town. The population density was 47.2/km² (122.2/mi²). There were 132 housing units at an average density of 21.9/km² (56.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.54% White, 1.75% African American, 0.35% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.05% of the population.

There were 117 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,000, and the median income for a family was $35,625. Males had a median income of $30,714 versus $14,688 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,647. About 26.4% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 32.8% of those sixty five or over.