Bude, Mississippi

History

Bude was founded by European Americans in 1912 and named for the former home in England of Mrs. F.L. Peck, whose husband was one of the town's founders.

Geography

Bude is located in central Franklin County. It is 3 miles (5 km) east of Meadville, the county seat. US 84 leads east 28 miles (45 km) to Brookhaven, and US 98 leads southeast 35 miles (56 km) to McComb. The two highways together lead west 36 miles (58 km) to Natchez.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Bude has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.7 km²), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km²), or 0.33%, is water.

As the town is in the center of southwest Mississippi, there is a Mississippi Public Broadcasting radio and TV antenna located in the town.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,037 people, 426 households, and 270 families residing in the town. The population density was 733.5 people per square mile (284.0/km²). There were 505 housing units at an average density of 357.2 per square mile (138.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 55.06% African American, 44.17% White, 0.48% Native American, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.

There were 426 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 24.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out with 30.4% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $16,125, and the median income for a family was $25,000. Males had a median income of $24,063 versus $15,921 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,058. About 30.5% of families and 32.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 26.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Bude is served by the Franklin County School District.

In popular culture

Bude is mentioned in John Grisham's novel The Chamber:

The white male selected a phone number. His conversation went something like this: "Hello, this is Lester Crosby, from Bude, Mississippi. I'm calling about the execution of Sam Cayhall. Yes ma'am. My number? It's 555-9084. Yes, that's right, Bude, Mississippi, down here in Franklin County."

Notable people