Aberdeen, Mississippi

Aberdeen, Mississippi
City
Aberdeen City Hall
Motto: "A Great Place To Live, Work And Play"
Location of Aberdeen, Mississippi
Aberdeen, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°49′28″N 88°32′59″W / 33.82444°N 88.54972°W / 33.82444; -88.54972Coordinates: 33°49′28″N 88°32′59″W / 33.82444°N 88.54972°W / 33.82444; -88.54972
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Monroe
Government
• Mayor	Cecil Belle
Area
• Total	11.0 sq mi (28.4 km2)
• Land	10.7 sq mi (27.7 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	240 ft (73 m)
Population (2010)[1]
• Total	5,612
• Density	510/sq mi (200/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	39730
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-00180
GNIS feature ID	666129[2]

Aberdeen is a city in Monroe County, Mississippi. The population was 5,612 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County.^[3]

Located on the banks of the Tombigbee River, Aberdeen was one of the busiest Mississippi ports of the 19th century. Cotton was heavily traded in town, and for a time Aberdeen was Mississippi's second largest city. Today Aberdeen retains many historic structures from this period, with over 200 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. In the spring of each year, Aberdeen hosts pilgrimages to its historic antebellum homes. The most prominent of these antebellum homes is The Magnolias, which was built in 1850.

Located just outside the city, Aberdeen Lock and Dam forms Aberdeen Lake, a popular recreational area. Aberdeen Lock and Dam is part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway system.

History

Barbershop in Aberdeen, 1907

In 1540, Hernando DeSoto's expedition were the first Europeans to travel through the vicinity of Aberdeen.

Aberdeen was first settled in 1834 and chartered as a town in 1837. In 1849, it became the county seat when Monroe County was formed.

Hiram Revels, the first African-American United States Senator, died on January 16, 1901, while attending a church conference in Aberdeen.^[4]

Aberdeen had a population of 3,708 in 1910.^[5] Its population had risen to 5,920 by 1950.^[6] Its population was 7,184 in 1980.^[7]

Geography

According to the United States Geological Survey, variant names are Dundee and New Aberdeen.

East Aberdeen is located at 33°49′18″N 88°30′59″W / 33.82167°N 88.51639°W / 33.82167; -88.51639 (East Aberdeen), across the Tombigbee River from Aberdeen proper. Variant names for East Aberdeen are Howards Bluff, Howards Farm, Howards Ferry, Howards Store, Martins Bluff, and Murffs.^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, Aberdeen has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28 km²), of which 10.7 square miles (28 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (2.19%) is water.

Failure of the Mississippi Highway 25 N/U.S. Route 45 S bridge over the Tombigbee River in Aberdeen during the 1955 floods.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Aberdeen has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[9]

Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,612 people residing in the city. 69.2% were African American, 28.8% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race and 1.0% of two or more races. 1.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 6,415 people, 2,398 households, and 1,661 families residing in the city. The population density was 598.8 people per square mile (231.3/km²). There were 2,730 housing units at an average density of 254.8 per square mile (98.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.20% African American, 38.78% White, 0.09% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.

There were 2,398 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 29.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 78.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 69.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,530, and the median income for a family was $27,611. Males had a median income of $27,857 versus $17,090 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,584. About 26.3% of families and 29.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 26.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The City of Aberdeen is served by the Aberdeen School District.

Media

Radio stations

1240 WWZQ-AM^[13] 105.3 WACR-FM

Infrastructure

Highways

• U.S. Highway 45
• Mississippi Highway 25
• Mississippi Highway 145

Railroads

• Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway
• Alabama and Gulf Coast Railway
• Kansas City Southern Railway

Notable people

• Stephen Adams, member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate^[14]
• Steve Baylark, American football running back for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League^[15]
• Guy Bush ("the Mississippi Mudcat"), Major League Baseball pitcher who won 176 games and gave up Babe Ruth's last 2 career home runs.
• Reuben Davis, Congressman and Confederate general resided at Reuben Davis House.
• John Gregg, Confederate general in the Civil War.
• Moses Hardy, formerly oldest living American man, one of the oldest veterans of World War I.
• Jane Nickerson, author of young adult novels set in historical Mississippi.^[16]
• Bukka White (Booker T. Washington White), Blues musician.
• Eugene Sykes, Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi and the first chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

In popular culture

The city of Aberdeen is the subject of the HGTV show Hometown Renovation, where local makeup artist and designer Billy Brasfield sets to redesign and renovate some of the city's houses and landmarks.^[17]

See also

• Aberdeen Lake
• Aberdeen Lock and Dam
• Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

References

External links

• City of Aberdeen website
• Aberdeen Visitors Bureau

Municipalities and communities of Monroe County, Mississippi, United States County seat: Aberdeen Cities Aberdeen Amory Towns Caledonia‡ Hatley Nettleton‡ Smithville Village Gattman CDPs Hamilton New Hamilton Other unincorporated communities Athens Becker Bigbee Binford Bristow Central Grove Darracott Flinn Gibson Greenwood Springs Lackey Mormon Springs Muldon Parham Prairie Quincy Riggins Sipsey Fork Splunge Strong Tranquil Wise Gap Westville Wren Ghost towns Bolivar Camargo Cotton Gin Port Footnotes ‡This town also has portions in adjacent county or counties