Jasper County, Mississippi | |
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 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:32°01′N89°07′W / 32.02°N 89.12°W /32.02; -89.12 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1833 |
| Named after | William Jasper |
| Seat | Bay Springs andPaulding |
| Largest city | Bay Springs |
| Area | |
• Total | 677 sq mi (1,750 km2) |
| • Land | 676 sq mi (1,750 km2) |
| • Water | 1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,367 |
| • Density | 24.2/sq mi (9.35/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
Jasper County is located in theU.S. state ofMississippi. At the2020 census, the population was 16,367.[1] In 1906, the state legislature established two county courts, one at the first county seat ofPaulding in the eastern part of the county and also one atBay Springs in the west, where the railroad had been constructed.[2] Jasper County is part of theLaurel, MSMicropolitan Statistical Area.
Bay Springs' growth soon surpassed that of Paulding. No roadway connected the two parts of the county until one was built in 1935–1936. The still largely rural county is the major producer in the state of gas and oil, located in the southeast, and of timber, cattle, and poultry.
Developed during the period ofIndian Removal from the Southeast and increasing settlement by European Americans in the region, Jasper County was formed in 1833 from the middle section of what was previously a much larger Jones County. It was named for Sgt.William Jasper[3] who distinguished himself in the defense ofFort Moultrie in 1776 during the American Revolutionary War. When a shell from a British warship shot away the flagstaff, he recovered the flag, raised it on a temporary staff, and held it under fire until a new staff was installed. Sgt. Jasper was killed in theSiege of Savannah in 1779.
During the antebellum years, cotton was cultivated withslave labor on large plantations in the county. This was the heyday of the county seat ofPaulding, Mississippi, called the "Queen City of the East." It was a trading center for the plantations, as well as for yeomen farmers in the area. While some African Americans left the county in the early 20th century during theGreat Migration out of the rural South to northern cities, in 2010 Jasper County had a population that was 52.6 percentAfrican American, reflecting its history of cotton development and of people's ties to generations in this land.
In the late nineteenth century, when local people declined to invest in railroad construction at Paulding, developers shifted the route to the west, stimulating growth atBay Springs, where a sawmill had been built in 1880. About 1900 that community was incorporated as a city. In 1906 the state legislature designated Bay Springs as the second county seat. It attracted major timber companies, such asGeorgia Pacific, and other industries.
It was not until 1935–1936, during theGreat Depression under aWPA project, that the first east–west road was built across the county, connecting the city of Bay Springs in the west withRose Hill, north of the community of Paulding, in the east.
Medical facilities have been built at Bay Springs, with the Jasper General Hospital operating since 1962. Jasper General Patient Rehab was constructed on the hospital grounds in 2012 to supplement the offerings.
Recreation in the county includes a 9-hole golf course at the Bay Springs Country Club. Fishing and hunting are available, including around Lake Claude Bennett near Rose Hill.
In the 21st century, the county is still largely rural, leading the state in timber, cattle, and poultry production. It is the state's major producer of gas and oil, with resources concentrated near the community ofHeidelberg.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 677 square miles (1,750 km2), of which 676 square miles (1,750 km2) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4]
Interstate 59
U.S. Highway 11
Mississippi Highway 15
Mississippi Highway 18
Mississippi Highway 503
Mississippi Highway 513
Mississippi Highway 528
Mississippi Highway 531
Mississippi Highway 533| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1840 | 3,958 | — | |
| 1850 | 6,184 | 56.2% | |
| 1860 | 11,007 | 78.0% | |
| 1870 | 10,884 | −1.1% | |
| 1880 | 12,126 | 11.4% | |
| 1890 | 14,785 | 21.9% | |
| 1900 | 15,394 | 4.1% | |
| 1910 | 18,498 | 20.2% | |
| 1920 | 18,508 | 0.1% | |
| 1930 | 18,634 | 0.7% | |
| 1940 | 19,484 | 4.6% | |
| 1950 | 18,912 | −2.9% | |
| 1960 | 16,909 | −10.6% | |
| 1970 | 15,994 | −5.4% | |
| 1980 | 17,265 | 7.9% | |
| 1990 | 17,114 | −0.9% | |
| 2000 | 18,149 | 6.0% | |
| 2010 | 17,062 | −6.0% | |
| 2020 | 16,367 | −4.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 15,799 | [5] | −3.5% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2013[10] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 7,541 | 46.07% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 8,324 | 50.86% |
| Native American | 28 | 0.17% |
| Asian | 8 | 0.05% |
| Other/Mixed | 297 | 1.81% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 169 | 1.03% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 16,367 people, 6,629 households, and 4,746 families residing in the county.
There are two school districts:[12]
The county is in the zone forJones College.[13]
The Veteran's Story is a book written by Ada Christine Lightsey. The subject of the book isAmerican Civil War veteran Ransom Lightsey and Company F ("Jasper Grays"),16th Mississippi Infantry Regiment.[14]
Jasper County was originally almost unanimouslyDemocratic, and it has been a Democratic-leaning swing county ever since theCivil Rights movement. From 1984 through 2000, the county was a bellwether, predicting the presidential election winner, but it lost that status in 2004 when it voted for DemocratJohn Kerry over incumbent RepublicanGeorge W. Bush. After that it was loyal to Democrats especially through theObama era. After this the Democratic margin began narrowing and in 2024Donald Trump flipped the county with the highest Republican percentage since 1984.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 12 | 1.27% | 860 | 91.30% | 70 | 7.43% |
| 1916 | 38 | 3.41% | 1,040 | 93.27% | 37 | 3.32% |
| 1920 | 98 | 9.68% | 899 | 88.83% | 15 | 1.48% |
| 1924 | 61 | 4.62% | 1,257 | 95.30% | 1 | 0.08% |
| 1928 | 625 | 38.97% | 979 | 61.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 38 | 2.41% | 1,526 | 96.64% | 15 | 0.95% |
| 1936 | 21 | 1.04% | 2,004 | 98.87% | 2 | 0.10% |
| 1940 | 35 | 2.00% | 1,713 | 98.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 47 | 2.74% | 1,667 | 97.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 26 | 1.34% | 121 | 6.23% | 1,795 | 92.43% |
| 1952 | 668 | 26.30% | 1,872 | 73.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 287 | 11.74% | 1,958 | 80.08% | 200 | 8.18% |
| 1960 | 362 | 14.87% | 1,147 | 47.10% | 926 | 38.03% |
| 1964 | 2,994 | 92.69% | 236 | 7.31% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 373 | 8.36% | 987 | 22.13% | 3,100 | 69.51% |
| 1972 | 3,597 | 78.47% | 935 | 20.40% | 52 | 1.13% |
| 1976 | 2,356 | 42.74% | 3,109 | 56.39% | 48 | 0.87% |
| 1980 | 2,781 | 41.68% | 3,813 | 57.14% | 79 | 1.18% |
| 1984 | 3,727 | 54.00% | 3,104 | 44.97% | 71 | 1.03% |
| 1988 | 3,368 | 51.25% | 3,184 | 48.45% | 20 | 0.30% |
| 1992 | 2,789 | 43.39% | 3,059 | 47.59% | 580 | 9.02% |
| 1996 | 2,615 | 42.50% | 3,170 | 51.52% | 368 | 5.98% |
| 2000 | 3,294 | 51.09% | 3,104 | 48.15% | 49 | 0.76% |
| 2004 | 3,855 | 48.13% | 4,117 | 51.40% | 37 | 0.46% |
| 2008 | 4,135 | 44.90% | 5,025 | 54.56% | 50 | 0.54% |
| 2012 | 4,193 | 44.89% | 5,097 | 54.57% | 50 | 0.54% |
| 2016 | 4,038 | 47.65% | 4,368 | 51.54% | 69 | 0.81% |
| 2020 | 4,302 | 49.24% | 4,341 | 49.69% | 93 | 1.06% |
| 2024 | 4,118 | 52.19% | 3,722 | 47.17% | 50 | 0.63% |
Media related toJasper County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons32°01′N89°07′W / 32.02°N 89.12°W /32.02; -89.12
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Municipalities and communities ofJasper County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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