Laurel, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laurel, Mississippi
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| Nickname(s):
"The City Beautiful"
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 Laurel, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Laurel, Mississippi
Location in Mississippi
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| Country | United States | ||
| State | Mississippi | ||
| County | Jones | ||
| Incorporated | 1882 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Mayor-Council | ||
| 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)
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| • Total | 17,161 | ||
| • Density | 1,056.97/sq mi (408.10/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) | ||
| ZIP codes |
39440–39443
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| Area code(s) | 601, 769 | ||
| FIPS code | 28-39640 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0672321 | ||
Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. Laurel is northeast of Ellisville, 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 administers in the county. Laurel is the principal city of a micropolitan statistical area named for it. Major employers include Howard Industries, Sanderson Farms, Masonite International, Family Health Center, Howse Implement, Thermo-Kool, and South Central Regional Medical Center. Laurel is home to the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Mississippi's oldest art museum, established by the family of Lauren Eastman Rogers.
Contents
History
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Laurel was founded in 1882 as a lumber town, as the industry harvested yellow pine forests in the region. The city was named for laurel thickets near the original town site.
By the turn of the century, the city became a site of cotton mills, to process and manufacture textiles from the state's commodity crop of cotton. The city population grew markedly during the early 20th century, as rural people were attracted to manufacturing jobs. Mechanization of agriculture reduced the number of farming jobs. The city reached its peak of population in 1960, and has declined about one third since then.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.8 square miles (41 km2), of which 15.4 square miles (40 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), or 2.09%, is water.
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, Laurel has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 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 | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,465 | 26.02% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 10,642 | 62.01% |
| Native American | 35 | 0.2% |
| Asian | 109 | 0.64% |
| Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 453 | 2.64% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1,455 | 8.48% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 17,161 people, 6,825 households, and 4,278 families residing in the city.
Education
Public schools
Almost all of Laurel is in the Laurel School District. Small portions are in the Jones County School District.
- The area is served by Laurel High School.
Private schools
- Laurel Christian School
- Laurel Christian High School
- St. John's Day School (affiliated with the Episcopal Church)
Media
- WDAM-TV
- WHLT-TV
- WLAU (99.3 FM, SuperTalk Mississippi)
- The Laurel Leader-Call newspaper
- The Chronicle
- WXRR (104.5 FM, "Rock104")
- WBBN (95.9 FM, "B-95")
- Impact Laurel
Infrastructure
Amtrak's Crescent train connects Laurel with New York City; Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta; Birmingham, Alabama; and New Orleans. Laurel's Amtrak station is at 230 North Maple Street.
Hattiesburg–Laurel Regional Airport is in an unincorporated area in Jones County near Moselle, 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Laurel.
- Major highways
U.S. Route 84
U.S. Route 11
Mississippi Highway 15
Notable people
- Jake Allen, professional football player
- Lance Bass, musician
- Marsha Blackburn, U.S Senator, former congresswoman from Tennessee
- Ralph Boston, Olympic champion athlete
- Correll Buckhalter, former professional football player
- Lee Calhoun, Olympic champion athlete
- Jason Campbell, professional football player
- David and the Giants, Christian rock band
- Akeem Davis, professional football player
- Mary Elizabeth Ellis, actress
- Carroll Gartin, former lieutenant governor
- Ed Hinton, sportswriter
- Tess Holliday, model
- Robert Hyatt, computer scientist
- BoPete Keyes, professional football player
- Diane Ladd, actress, raised in Meridian
- Mark A. Landis, painter
- Tom Lester, television actor
- Mundell Lowe, jazz musician
- Doug Marlette, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist
- Chris McDaniel, attorney and politician
- Mary Mills, professional golfer
- Ben and Erin Napier, Home Town television personalities
- Kenny Payne, former professional basketball player
- Charles W. Pickering, politician and judge
- Chip Pickering, former congressman
- Stacey Pickering, State Auditor of Mississippi
- Clinton Portis, former professional football player
- Parker Posey, actress
- Leontyne Price, opera singer
- Omeria McDonald Scott, state representative
- Ray Walston, actor
- Lloyd Wells, musician
- Will Wheaton, singer-songwriter
In popular culture
Laurel residents Erin and Ben Napier are featured in the HGTV series Home Town, which premiered on March 21, 2017. The show portrays renovations of local homes in and near Laurel.
In Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire, fictional Laurel native Blanche 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 to Stanley by the merchant Kiefaber. In an argument, Blanche tells Harold Mitchell she's brought many victims into her web, and calls the hotel the Tarantula Arms rather than the Hotel Flamingo.
Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert had a hit with the song "Goin' Down to Laurel" (released on his 1978 album Alive on Arrival) which refers to visiting the town of Laurel.
See also
In Spanish: Laurel (Misisipi) para niños
