Laurel, Mississippi | |
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 Flag  City logo | |
| Nickname: "The City Beautiful" | |
  Laurel Location in the contiguous United States Show map of the United States Laurel Location in Mississippi Show map of Mississippi | |
| Coordinates:31°41′51″N89°8′22″W / 31.69750°N 89.13944°W /31.69750; -89.13944 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Jones |
| Incorporated | 1882 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Johnny Magee (D)[1][2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 16.54 sq mi (42.83 km2) |
| • Land | 16.24 sq mi (42.05 km2) |
| • Water | 0.30 sq mi (0.78 km2) |
| Elevation | 269 ft (82 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 17,161 |
| • Density | 1,057/sq mi (408.1/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 39440–39443 |
| Area codes | 601, 769 |
| FIPS code | 28-39640 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0672321 |
| Website | www |
Laurel is a city in and the secondcounty seat ofJones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161.[4] Laurel is northeast ofEllisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county courthouse. It has the second county courthouse, as Jones County has two judicial districts. Laurel is the headquarters of the Jones County Sheriff's Department, which has jurisdiction in the county. Laurel is the principal city of amicropolitan statistical area named for it. Its major employers include Howard Industries,Sanderson Farms,Masonite International, Family Health Center, Howse Implement, Thermo-Kool, andSouth Central Regional Medical Center. Laurel is home to theLauren Rogers Museum of Art, Mississippi's oldest art museum, established by the family of Lauren Eastman Rogers.
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Following the 1881 construction of theNew Orleans and Northeastern Railroad through the area,[5] economic development occurred rapidly. The city of Laurel was incorporated in 1882, with timber as the impetus.[6]Yellow pine forests in the region fueled the industry. The city was named for thickets ofmountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) native to the original town site.[7]
Located in the heart of thepiney woods ecoregion of theSoutheastern United States, the land site that eventually became Laurel was densely covered with forests of virginlongleaf pine, making the area attractive to pioneering lumberjacks and sawmill operators in the late 19th century.
In 1881, business partners John Kamper and A.M. Lewin constructed a small lumber mill on the New Orleans and Northeastern Railroad. Kamper and Lewin's mill was in an area that later became Laurel's First Avenue. The next year, in response to a Post Office Department request to provide a postal delivery name for their mill and its surrounding lumber camp, Kamper and Lewin submitted the name "Lawrell" as an homage to the area's naturally growing mountain laurel bushes. Federal postal officials soon "corrected" the peculiar spelling, giving the town its current spelling.
During its first decade or so, Laurel was little more than a glorified lumber camp surrounding Kamper and Lewin's primitive sawmill. By 1891, Kamper's company was on the verge of bankruptcy, leading him to sell the mill and extensive land holdings in the area (more than 15,000 acres), toClinton, Iowa, lumber barons Lauren Chase Eastman and George and Silas Gardiner, founders of the Eastman-Gardiner Company.
After their purchase, Eastman and the Gardiner brothers decided to make substantial improvements to Laurel's lumber operations by constructing a new, much larger, state-of-the-art lumber mill. In 1893, the new Eastman-Gardiner Company mill began operations, using the best technology and labor-saving devices of the day.
By the early 1900s, the success of Eastman-Gardner Company's operations in Laurel and the region's superabundance of timber began to attract other lumber industrialists' attention. In 1906, the Gilchrist-Fordney Company, whose founders hailed fromAlpena, Michigan, began construction on their own lumber mill in Laurel. By March 1907, theMobile, Jackson and Kansas City Railroad made four stops a day in Laurel, which was 110 track miles fromMobile, Alabama. The trains not only carried passengers, but also hauled freight that included lumber from nine sawmills. Together, they produced around 583,000 board feet (bf) a day. WM Carter Lumber Company (milepost 108) produced 20,000 bf; Eastman-Gardner and Company, 200,000 bf; Kingston Lumber Company, 200,000 bf; Geo Beckner (shingles), 20,000 bf; John Lindsey, 15,000 bf; HC Card Lumber Company (hard wood), 30,000 bf; Lindsey Wagon Works mill, 15,000 bf; WM Carter (planer). 75,000 bf; and Stainton and Weems, 8,000 bf.[8]
The Wausau-Southern mill fromWausau, Wisconsin, followed in 1911, and the Marathon mill fromMemphis, Tennessee, in 1914. By the end ofWorld War I, Laurel's mills produced and shipped more yellow pine lumber than those of any other location in the world. By the 1920s—the peak of Laurel's lumber production—the area's four mills were producing a total of one million board feet (2,400 m3) of lumber per day.[9]
The economic prosperity of Laurel's timber era (1893–1937) and "timber families" created the famedLaurel Central Historic District.[10] The area is considered Mississippi's largest, finest, and most intact collection of early 20th-century architecture, and has been listed on theNational Register of Historic Places since September 4, 1987,[11] for both its historical value and its wide variety of architectural styles. Many of the district's homes and buildings are featured on theHGTV seriesHome Town. In addition to influencing a diverse architectural district, Laurel's "timber families" influenced the building of the town's broad avenues, the design of numerous public parks, and the development of strong public schools.[12]
The city's population grew markedly during the early 20th century because rural people were attracted to manufacturing jobs and the economic takeoff ofMasonite International. Mechanization of agriculture reduced the number of farming jobs. The city reached its peak census population in 1960, and has declined about one third since then.
Laurel was the site of several notable racial incidents prior to and during theCivil Rights movement. In 1942, Howard Wash, a 45-year-old African-American man who had been convicted of murder, was dragged from jail andlynched by a mob.[13] At midnight on May 8, 1951,Willie McGee was electrocuted in Laurel after being convicted of raping a white woman.[14] Over a thousand white citizens gathered at the courthouse for the execution, which was broadcast on the radio.[15][16] In March 1968,Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the St. Paul United Methodist Church in Laurel. It was one year after theKu Klux Klan had firebombed the church.[17]
Laurel is in north-central Jones County, 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat.Interstate 59 andU.S. Route 11 pass through Laurel, both highways leading southwest 30 miles (48 km) toHattiesburg and northeast 57 miles (92 km) toMeridian.U.S. Route 84 passes through the south side of the city, leading east 30 miles (48 km) toWaynesboro and west 27 miles (43 km) toCollins.Mississippi Highway 15 passes through the south and west sides of the city, leading northwest 24 miles (39 km) toBay Springs and southeast 28 miles (45 km) toRichton.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, Laurel has an area of 16.5 square miles (42.8 km2), of which 0.3 square miles (0.8 km2), or 1.81%, is covered by water. The city lies on a low ridge between Tallahala Creek to the east and Tallahoma Creek to the west. Tallahoma Creek joins Tallahala Creek south of Laurel, and Tallahala Creek continues south to join theLeaf River, part of thePascagoula River watershed.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to theKöppen climate classification, Laurel has ahumid subtropical climate,Cfa on climate maps.[18] The area is also somewhat prone to tornadoes. OnDecember 28, 1954, an F3 tornado tore directly through the city, injuring 25 people.[19]
| Climate data for Laurel, Mississippi, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1891–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 91 (33) | 85 (29) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 99 (37) | 106 (41) | 106 (41) | 108 (42) | 105 (41) | 100 (38) | 89 (32) | 86 (30) | 108 (42) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 75.3 (24.1) | 78.8 (26.0) | 83.6 (28.7) | 86.2 (30.1) | 91.6 (33.1) | 95.4 (35.2) | 97.4 (36.3) | 97.3 (36.3) | 94.7 (34.8) | 89.7 (32.1) | 81.8 (27.7) | 77.2 (25.1) | 98.5 (36.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 59.9 (15.5) | 64.7 (18.2) | 71.9 (22.2) | 78.6 (25.9) | 85.4 (29.7) | 90.9 (32.7) | 93.2 (34.0) | 92.7 (33.7) | 88.7 (31.5) | 80.0 (26.7) | 69.7 (20.9) | 62.4 (16.9) | 78.2 (25.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 47.3 (8.5) | 51.5 (10.8) | 58.5 (14.7) | 65.2 (18.4) | 72.9 (22.7) | 79.4 (26.3) | 81.8 (27.7) | 81.2 (27.3) | 76.6 (24.8) | 66.2 (19.0) | 55.8 (13.2) | 49.7 (9.8) | 65.5 (18.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.6 (1.4) | 38.3 (3.5) | 45.0 (7.2) | 51.7 (10.9) | 60.4 (15.8) | 67.9 (19.9) | 70.3 (21.3) | 69.7 (20.9) | 64.4 (18.0) | 52.5 (11.4) | 41.8 (5.4) | 36.9 (2.7) | 52.8 (11.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 20.5 (−6.4) | 24.8 (−4.0) | 29.6 (−1.3) | 38.2 (3.4) | 47.6 (8.7) | 60.4 (15.8) | 65.6 (18.7) | 64.5 (18.1) | 53.8 (12.1) | 37.6 (3.1) | 28.0 (−2.2) | 24.3 (−4.3) | 18.4 (−7.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 3 (−16) | 10 (−12) | 17 (−8) | 27 (−3) | 36 (2) | 45 (7) | 56 (13) | 54 (12) | 40 (4) | 23 (−5) | 16 (−9) | 3 (−16) | 3 (−16) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 6.07 (154) | 5.11 (130) | 5.46 (139) | 5.10 (130) | 4.34 (110) | 5.46 (139) | 5.38 (137) | 5.48 (139) | 3.94 (100) | 3.48 (88) | 4.06 (103) | 5.76 (146) | 59.64 (1,515) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.8 | 9.0 | 9.4 | 11.3 | 13.1 | 10.9 | 7.6 | 6.4 | 8.1 | 10.5 | 117.8 |
| Source 1: NOAA[20] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[21] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 3,193 | — | |
| 1910 | 8,465 | 165.1% | |
| 1920 | 13,037 | 54.0% | |
| 1930 | 18,017 | 38.2% | |
| 1940 | 20,598 | 14.3% | |
| 1950 | 25,038 | 21.6% | |
| 1960 | 27,889 | 11.4% | |
| 1970 | 24,145 | −13.4% | |
| 1980 | 21,897 | −9.3% | |
| 1990 | 18,827 | −14.0% | |
| 2000 | 18,393 | −2.3% | |
| 2010 | 18,540 | 0.8% | |
| 2020 | 17,161 | −7.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[22] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic - NH) | 4,465 | 26.02% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 10,642 | 62.01% |
| Native American | 35 | 0.2% |
| Asian | 109 | 0.64% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% |
| Multiracial or other race | 453 | 2.64% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,455 | 8.48% |
As of the2020 United States census, 17,161 people, 6,825 households, and 4,278 families were residing in the city.
City government has a mayor-council form. The mayor is elected at-large. Council members are elected fromsingle-member districts.[24]
TheMississippi Department of Mental HealthSouth Mississippi State Hospital Crisis Intervention Center is in Laurel.[25]
Almost all of Laurel is in theLaurel School District. Small portions are in theJones County School District.[26]
Private schools:
Jones County is within the district served by theJones College community college.[28]
Amtrak'sCrescent train connects Laurel withNew York City;Philadelphia;Baltimore;Washington, D.C.;Charlotte, North Carolina;Atlanta;Birmingham, Alabama; andNew Orleans.Laurel's Amtrak station is at 230 North Maple Street.
Hattiesburg–Laurel Regional Airport is in an unincorporated area in Jones County nearMoselle,[31] 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Laurel.
InTennessee Williams' playA Streetcar Named Desire, fictional Laurel nativeBlanche DuBois is known here as a "woman of loose morals", who after the loss of her family estate "Belle Reve", frequents the Hotel Flamingo as told toStanley by the merchant Kiefaber. In an argument, Blanche tells Harold Mitchell she has brought many victims into her web, and calls the hotel the Tarantula Arms rather than the Hotel Flamingo.
Mississippi-born singer-songwriterSteve Forbert released the song "Goin' Down To Laurel" as the first track on his 1978 debut albumAlive on Arrival.[36]
Municipalities and communities ofJones County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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