Houston, Mississippi

For the city in Texas, see Houston.

Houston, Mississippi
City
Carnegie Library in Houston
Location of Houston, Mississippi Location of Houston, Mississippi
Houston, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Chickasaw
Area
• Total	7.39 sq mi (19.15 km2)
• Land	7.38 sq mi (19.11 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation	354 ft (108 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	3,623
• Density	491/sq mi (189.6/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	38851
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-33900
GNIS feature ID	0693543

Houston is a city in and one of two county seats of Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The population was 3,623 at the 2010 census. The land on which Houston resides was donated to the city by Judge Joel Pinson on the condition that it would be named for Sam Houston, a childhood friend.

In 1909, Houston became home to the first Carnegie library in the state after L.B. Reid, then-superintendent of schools, wrote to Andrew Carnegie telling of the need for a public library.

Houston hosts the Mississippi Flywheel Festival in April and September of every year.

Geography

Houston is located west of the center of Chickasaw County at (33.898090, -89.001646). Mississippi Highway 8 passes through the city, leading east 29 miles (47 km) to Aberdeen and west 18 miles (29 km) to Calhoun City. Mississippi Highway 15 bypasses the city to the west, crossing Highway 8 within a western extension of the city limits. Highway 15 leads north 26 miles (42 km) to Pontotoc and south 27 miles (43 km) to Mathiston. The Natchez Trace Parkway passes about 3 miles (5 km) east of the city center.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.39 square miles (19.15 km²), of which 7.38 square miles (19.11 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²), or 0.25%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	400		—
1880	480		20.0%
1890	893		86.0%
1900	677		−24.2%
1910	1,400		106.8%
1920	1,408		0.6%
1930	1,477		4.9%
1940	1,729		17.1%
1950	1,664		−3.8%
1960	2,577		54.9%
1970	2,720		5.5%
1980	3,745		37.7%
1990	3,903		4.2%
2000	4,079		4.5%
2010	3,623		−11.2%
Est. 2014	3,543		−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,079 people, 1,589 households, and 1,088 families residing in the city. The population density was 537.4 people per square mile (207.5/km²). There were 1,721 housing units at an average density of 226.8 per square mile (87.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.89% White, 36.58% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 2.70% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.12% of the population.

There were 1,589 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,709, and the median income for a family was $31,979. Males had a median income of $27,214 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,482. About 22.6% of families and 21.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 28.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Houston was once served by both the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad and Okolona, Houston & Calhoun City Railway. Today both of these rail lines are abandoned.

Education

The city of Houston is served by the Houston School District. Houston High School is the community's high school.

Houston Public Schools system is home to 11-time National Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge Championships.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Houston has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.