| Port Gibson, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Claiborne County Courthouse in Port Gibson | |
| Location of Port Gibson, Mississippi | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Claiborne |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.8 sq mi (4.5 km2) |
| • Land | 1.8 sq mi (4.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,840 |
| • Density | 1,048.0/sq mi (404.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 39150 |
| Area code(s) | 601 |
| FIPS code | 28-59560 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0676254 |
Port Gibson is a city in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,840 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Claiborne County[1].
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Chartered as a town on March 12, 1803, Port Gibson is Mississippi's third-oldest European-American settlement, being occupied in 1729 by French colonists, as it was then within French-claimed territory, La Louisiane.
Port Gibson was the site of several clashes during the American Civil War and figured in Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign. The Battle of Port Gibson occurred on May 1, 1863, and resulted in the deaths of over 200 Union and Confederate soldiers. The battle was a turning point in the Confederates' ability to hold Mississippi and defend against an amphibious attack.
Port Gibson has many historic buildings, including the Windsor Ruins, which have been shown in several motion pictures. Many of the town's historic buildings survived the Civil War because Grant proclaimed the city to be "too beautiful to burn." These words appear on the town's city limits signs.[2]
Although Port Gibson no longer has a Jewish community, it boasts the only Moorish Revival building in Mississippi and the oldest synagogue in the state, the Gemiluth Chessed synagogue, built in 1892.[3]
A historic marker has been placed by the Mississippi Blues Commission in Port Gibson commemorating the contribution the The Rabbit's Foot Company has made to the development of the blues in Mississippi. This places the site on the Mississippi Blues Trail.[4]
Port Gibson is located at (31.956243, -90.983124)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km2), all land.
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,840 people, 692 households, and 447 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,048.0 people per square mile (403.7/km²). There were 787 housing units at an average density of 448.2 per square mile (172.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 19.40% White, 80.00% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 692 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.9% were married couples living together, 27.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 80.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,848, and the median income for a family was $28,958. Males had a median income of $28,036 versus $21,115 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,928. About 26.0% of families and 31.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.9% of those under age 18 and 26.3% of those age 65 or over.
The City of Port Gibson is served by the Claiborne County School District. It is also home to the Chamberlain-Hunt Academy, a Christian military boarding school.
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