Country United States County Lincoln ZIP codes 39601-39603 Elevation 149 m Population 12,515 (2013) Area code 601 | State Mississippi Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) FIPS code 28-08820 Area 18.9 km² Local time Saturday 12:48 AM | |
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Weather 9°C, Wind W at 2 km/h, 49% Humidity | ||
Brookhaven (pronounced locally: broo-KAY-vən) is a small city in Lincoln County, Mississippi, southwest from the state capital of Jackson. The population was 12,520 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County. It was named after the Town of Brookhaven, New York, by founder Samuel Jayne in 1818.
Contents
- Map of Brookhaven MS 39601 USA
- History
- Geography
- Demographics
- Education
- Media
- Rail transportation
- Notable people
- Architecture
- References
Map of Brookhaven, MS 39601, USA
History
Brookhaven is located in what was formerly Choctaw Indian territory. The city was founded in 1818 by Samuel Jayne from New York, who named it after the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island.
The railroad came though Brookhaven in 1858. It connected Brookhaven with New Orleans to the south and Memphis to the north.
During the Civil War, Brookhaven was briefly occupied at noon on 29 April 1863 by a raiding party of Union cavalry under the command of Colonel Benjamin Grierson. The Union force burned public buildings and destroyed the railroad. This was rebuilt after the war.
In 1936 Brookhaven was chosen to be the site of the Stahl-Urban garment plant.
In 1955, Lamar Smith, a U.S. civil rights figure, black farmer, World War I veteran and an organizer of black voter registration, was shot to death mid-day on the lawn of the county courthouse in Brookhaven.
Geography
According to the United States Bureau of the Census, (in the U.S. Department of Commerce), Brookhaven has a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), of which 7.3 square miles (19 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.27%) is water.
The size of the City of Brookhaven was expanded in late 2007 to almost triple its previous area, through a vote of annexation, to bring in suburban developments surrounding the older town and equalize taxing and services provided to the new metropolitan area.
Demographics
As of the census of the United States Census of 2000, (before the additional territories annexed into the City in 2007, which would be reflected in more up-to-date census figures from the next United States Census of 2010), there were 9,861 people, 3,810 households, and 2,480 families residing in the City of Brookhaven. The population density was 1,345.6 people per square mile (519.4/km²). There were 4,240 housing units at an average density of 578.6 per square mile (223.3/km²). The racial makeup of the City was fairly evenly split with 47.55% White, 50.91% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.
There were 3,810 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the City, the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.
The median income for a household in the City was $24,632, and the median income for a family was $30,950. Males had a median income of $28,079 versus $20,047 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,695. About 23.3% of families and 26.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.8% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Brookhaven is served by the Brookhaven School District of public schools. There is also a private school, Brookhaven Academy, that serves the city and surrounding area. The statewide magnet high school, the Mississippi School of the Arts is also located in the city. Four Lincoln County public schools are also located in Brookhaven's rural areas: Bogue Chitto Attendance Center, Enterprise Attendance Center, Loyd Star Attendance Center and West Lincoln Attendance Center. The former institution of higher learning Whitworth Female College, founded in 1858, was located in Brookhaven. The all-girls college closed its doors in 1984.
Media
Brookhaven is a part of the Jackson, Mississippi Television Market, including news stations WLBT, WJTV, WAPT, and WDBD. The city is served by a daily newspaper called The Daily Leader.
Rail transportation
Amtrak's (National Rail Passenger Corporation) famous (song ballad written and sung by folk singer Arlo Guthrie from 1973) "City of New Orleans" serves Brookhaven, going north and south on the old Illinois Central and the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio railroad lines.
Notable people
Architecture
Temple B'nai Shalom, a temple/synagogue of Judaism is a rare example of Moorish Revival architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places maintained by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior.