Pearl, Mississippi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pearl is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 21,961 at the 2000 census.
Today, Pearl is a growing community across the Pearl River from Jackson. It is Mississippi's 13th largest city. Pearl has a new baseball team, named the Mississippi Braves, who moved from Greenville, South Carolina in time for the 2005 season. The team is a Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Pearl has opened a new Bass Pro Shop off of I-20, next to the baseball stadium Trustmark Park. It will sit next to a 17 acre (69,000 m²) lake. The development will have a new hotel and new shops set around a river walk.
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[edit] Geography
Pearl is located at (32.271979, -90.105266)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 57.1 km² (22.0 mi²). 56.5 km² (21.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.00%) is water. Neighbors include Flowood, and Brandon, as well as other closeby cities.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 21,961 people, 8,608 households, and 6,025 families residing in the city. The population density was 388.4/km² (1,005.9/mi²). There were 9,128 housing units at an average density of 161.4/km² (418.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.18% White, 16.24% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.03% of the population.
There were 8,608 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,617, and the median income for a family was $42,013. Males had a median income of $30,860 versus $24,610 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,136. About 9.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 12.4% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Pearl's public schools are operated by the Pearl Public School District.
Schools that serve Pearl include Pearl Lower Elementary (Kindergarten through 1st grade), Northside Elementary (2 through 3), Pearl Upper Elementary (4 through 5), Pearl Junior High School (6 through 8), and Pearl High School (9 through 12).
Pearl High School is currently rated a 5, which is the highest education level a school can reach in our Nation's Standard as set down by the No Child Left Behind Act, signed by President George W. Bush. Schools ratings are based on the Mississippi Curriculum Tests, which are issued every year to determine a school's effectiveness on its students.
[edit] Newsworthy
On October 1, 1997, 16-year old Luke Woodham stabbed his mother to death. He then took a rifle to his school, Pearl High School (PHS). He shot and killed his ex-girlfriend and another student while maiming another seven. Six other boys were later arrested for conspiring with Luke in the school shooting, although all save one were cleared of all charges. The assistant principal of Pearl High, Joel Myrick, pulled a gun from his pickup truck, intercepted Woodham and held him until police arrived. Woodham was a part of a group who planned a school shooting. When his girlfriend broke up with him, he jumped the gun and went on with the shooting by himself. If she had not broken up with him the shooting would have been much worse.
In 2005, the schools were patrolled with police officers, every hour on the hour at PHS. This was to help break up fights, prevent violence from escalating, and stop unauthorized visitors into the building. Also, many new dress-code bi-laws have been enacted to prevent the instigating of violence.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
