Raleigh, Mississippi

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Coordinates: 32°1′59″N 89°31′22″W / 32.03306, -89.52278
Raleigh, Mississippi
Location of Raleigh, Mississippi
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Smith
Area
- Total	5.1 sq mi (13.1 km²)
- Land	5.0 sq mi (13.1 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	545 ft (166 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,255
- Density	249.0/sq mi (96.1/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	39153
Area code(s)	601
FIPS code	28-60840
GNIS feature ID	0694503

Raleigh is a town in Smith County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,255 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Smith County^[1].

1 History
- 1.1 Harrison Hotel
- 1.2 Smith County Courthouse
2 Events
3 Education
4 Facts
5 Geography
6 Demographics
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Harrison Hotel

Harrison Hotel is a famous hotel that is no longer running. Many Mississippi Governors have stayed there including Theodore G. Bilbo and Jefferson Davis.

[edit] Smith County Courthouse

The Smith County Courthouse is the major focal point of the Town. The original courhouse damaged in a fire in the eighteen hundreds that caused the loss of its signature dome. In 2005, a dedication service was held in honor of the new dome that had been built to replaced the original dome. It still is the only court building in the county.

Raleigh is also the home town of Christopher "Big Black" Boykins

In 2006, construction was planned to begin on a building that would add additional courtooms and offices. Also in 2006, plans were drawn up to give the courthouse more parking when The Short Stop, a local convenience store and gas station, was designated to be demolished after it moved to its new location.

Construction on the courthouse addition has yet to begin. Instead, The Short Stop, was converted into a temporary office building until funds were available to construct the new the courthouse additions.

[edit] Events

Raleigh has been the site for several major events including: the local event The Heritage festival, and being the former home of The National Tobacco Spitting Contest.

[edit] Education

The Town of Raleigh is served by the Smith County School District.

Raleigh High School is the educational center for the towns of Raleigh, Polkville, and Sylvarena. Its school colors are maroon and white. Its mascot is Rah Lee the Lion.

The Annual Staff produces the RahLee Yearbook every year.

They are rivals with neighboring town Taylorsville.

[edit] Facts

Raleigh's tornado activity is slightly above the state's average and 187% above the national average.

4% of the population claim German descent and 9% claim Irish descent.

[edit] Geography

Raleigh is located at 32°1′59″N, 89°31′22″W (32.033008, -89.522893)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.1 km²), of which, 5.0 square miles (13.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.40%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 1,255 people, 482 households, and 334 families residing in the town. The population density was 249.0 people per square mile (96.1/km²). There were 550 housing units at an average density of 109.1/sq mi (42.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 59.76% White, 39.68% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.32% from other races, and 0.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

There were 482 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,316, and the median income for a family was $31,458. Males had a median income of $28,646 versus $16,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,982. About 18.9% of families and 24.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.1% of those under age 18 and 25.7% of those age 65 or over.