Poplarville, Mississippi

Poplarville, Mississippi
City
Pearl River County Courthouse
Nickname(s):  P-Ville, PopVegas[citation needed]
Location of Poplarville, Mississippi
Poplarville, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 30°50′26″N 89°32′2″W / 30.84056°N 89.53389°W / 30.84056; -89.53389
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Pearl River
Government
• Mayor	Louise Smith
Area [1]
• Total	5.42 sq mi (14.04 km2)
• Land	5.41 sq mi (14.01 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation	318 ft (97 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,833
• Density	523.85/sq mi (202.26/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39470
Area code	601/769
FIPS code	28-59480
GNIS feature ID	0676247
Website	www.poplarvillems.gov

Poplarville is a city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,894. It is the county seat of Pearl River County.^[2] It hosts an annual Blueberry Jubilee, which includes rides, craft vendors and rodeos.

Poplarville was named for Poplar Jim Smith, the original owner of the town site.^[3]

Four lynchings have been committed in Poplarville since the Civil War.^[4] The most recent occurred in 1959 when Mack Charles Parker, an African-American accused of rape, was abducted from the Pearl River County jail in Poplarville by a mob^[5] and shot to death. No charges were filed against anyone.^[6]

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted damage on Poplarville, with storm's most powerful, unofficially recorded gust of wind reported at Pearl River Community College, at 135 mph (217 km/h). On September 2, 2005, Ohio Army National Guard arrived in Poplarville to assist with recovery. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as initial responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on every family and structure in the county. On September 5, 2005, George W. Bush, Laura Bush, and Governor Haley Barbour visited Pearl River Community College in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.^[7]

On March 25, 2014 citizens voted to allow for beer and wine sales. The final vote count was 361 votes for the measure and 149 against.^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10 km²), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,833 people, 733 households, and 499 families residing in the city.

As of the census^[13] of 2000, there were 2,601 people, 852 households, and 558 families residing in the city. The population density was 676.5 inhabitants per square mile (261.2/km²). There were 936 housing units at an average density of 243.4 per square mile (94.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.32% White, 23.95% African American, 0.50% Asian, 0.15% Native American, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.65% of the population.

There were 852 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 20.8% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,417, and the median income for a family was $32,339. Males had a median income of $35,250 versus $21,667 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,833. About 20.8% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.8% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

• Theodore G. Bilbo, U.S. Senator, was born in 1877 in Juniper Grove, an eastern township of Poplarville.
• Jimmy Buffett, musician, lived in Poplarville for a period of time starting in 1959.^[14]
• Grady C. Cothen, preacher and president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary from 1970 to 1974^[15]
• Glen Day, PGA Tour Golfer.
• Jonathan J. C. Grey, federal judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
• Chapel Hart, country music group.
• Jim Henderson, radio voice announcer for the New Orleans Saints from 2012 to 2018^[16]
• Hudson Holliday, politician and Major General in the Mississippi National Guard^[17]
• Zac Houston, Major League Baseball pitcher^[18]
• John Lumpkin, head football coach of the Mississippi State Teachers for the 1930 season^[19]
• Whitney Miller, the United States' first MasterChef.
• Jansen Owen, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives^[20]
• Mack Charles Parker, African-American victim of lynching in the United States, accused of raping a pregnant white woman.
• Argile Smith, pastor and president of Louisiana Christian University from 2014 to 2015^[21]
• Larkin I. Smith, member of U.S. House of Representatives.
• Martin T. Smith, lawyer and politician.^[22]
• Ahmos Zu-Bolton, activist, poet, playwright^[23]

The City of Poplarville is served by the Poplarville School District and is home to Pearl River Community College.

• Media related to Poplarville, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website