Magee, Mississippi

Magee, Mississippi
City
Downtown Magee in March 2013

Location of Magee, Mississippi
Magee, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 31°52′22″N 89°44′1″W / 31.87278°N 89.73361°W / 31.87278; -89.73361Coordinates: 31°52′22″N 89°44′1″W / 31.87278°N 89.73361°W / 31.87278; -89.73361
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Simpson
Village February 25, 1900
Government
 • Mayor Dale Berry[1]
Area
 • Total 4.9 sq mi (12.6 km2)
 • Land 4.9 sq mi (12.6 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 433 ft (132 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 4,408
 • Estimate (2016)[2] 4,315
 • Density 900/sq mi (350/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code 39111
Area code(s) 601
FIPS code 28-44600
GNIS feature ID 0673055
Website www.cityofmagee.com

Magee is a city in Simpson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Jackson metropolitan area.

History

The first settlers in the area were Arthur Mangum and Phil Magee, who came into the area around 1820. Pioneers from Virginia and the Carolinas followed. The town of Magee was originally named Mangum, after Arthur Mangum; it kept this name until 1859.[3][3]

In 1840, Willis Magee built a grist mill on Little Goodwater Creek, inside the present city limits. He started the first and only postal service in the area in 1855.[4]

On February 25, 1900, the community was incorporated as a village, and had a population of 685 in 1910.

Magee's zip code is 39111.[5]

Magee's first mayor was R.P. Vinson, who served from 1900 to 1907.[6]

Windham's Restaurant is located in Magee, and was established in 1963, locally known as "Zip's". In 2015, the Zip Burger was voted the best hamburger in Mississippi.[7][8]

In 2017, the Magee Sportsplex was renamed the Jimmy Clyde Sportsplex in honor of former Magee mayor Jimmy Clyde.[9]

As of 2017, the mayor of Magee is Dale Berry.[10]

The population of Magee in 2018 was 4,418.[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km2), all land. Magee is located between Jackson and Hattiesburg on U.S. Highway 49 at the intersection of three Mississippi Highways: 541, 545, and 28.

Water tower

Climate

Magee has a humid subtropical climate, with an annual mean temperature 65.8 degrees and average annual rainfall of 56.9 inches (1,450 mm).

March 2009 tornado

On March 26, 2009, around 1:30 a.m., an EF3 tornado struck the north part of the city. The tornado destroyed 60 homes and caused 25 injuries, with no fatalities. The tornado significantly damaged the town's water treatment plant, interrupting service to the entire town. Circuit Riders and other technicians from the Mississippi Rural Water Association worked with the city staff, local contractors and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to restore water service.[12] Using four MEMA generators, the rural water staff was able to restore service to Magee by 2:20 p.m. the next day.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1910685—
19207306.6%
193096432.1%
19401,22126.7%
19501,73842.3%
19602,03917.3%
19702,97345.8%
19803,49717.6%
19903,6073.1%
20004,20016.4%
20104,4085.0%
Est. 20164,315[2]−2.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
Main Street
Zip's Restaurant in Magee

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 4,200 people, 1,573 households, and 984 families residing in the city. The population density was 860.5 people per square mile (332.3/km2). There were 1,725 housing units at an average density of 353.4 per square mile (136.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.67% White, 33.88% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 2.31% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.62% of the population.

There were 1,573 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,779, and the median income for a family was $24,176. Males had a median income of $23,690 versus $16,767 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,257. About 24.6% of families and 28.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.9% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Prominent area industries include Tyson Foods, Polk's Meat Products, Real Pure Beverage Group, and Howard Industry.

The Simpson County Development Foundation Industrial Park is an ultramodern, 205-acre (0.83 km2) industrial park located on four-lane Highway 49.

Rail services are available through Canadian National Railway. There is an abundant water supply and an Entergy substation providing ample electrical service to the park. Magee Industrial Park in South Magee offers similar facilities.

Arts and culture

Magee has a modern auditorium and local arts group include Artists Mississippi, the Simpson County Arts Council, and the Lamplight Theatre.

The Chamber of Commerce sponsors the annual Homecoming, the Christmas Parade, tree lighting and caroling.

Crazy Day is an annual event on Main Street, traditionally held the third Saturday of the month of September. Locals set up booths to sell products or homemade goods. Crazy Day is celebrated by the locals of Magee as a way to strengthen their community bonds and to have fun with the other citizens of the area.

A new civic center provides space for meetings for civic clubs and other organizations and houses the Magee Chamber of Commerce office. The center has complete modern kitchen facilities and was built by the city with financial help from various individuals and organizations.

Magee Public Library, the first public library in Magee, was established in 1935. Maude Turner was librarian. In 1937, the library was named Mims Williams Memorial Library. It is now a member of the Central Mississippi Regional Library System. The new library was built in 1975. It is staffed by two full-time workers and one part-time worker.

The Old Magee Cemetery is the burial place of some of Magee's earliest settlers.

Education

The City of Magee is served by the Simpson County School District.

Public schools

  • Magee High School
  • Magee Middle School
  • Magee Elementary

Higher learning

A branch of Copiah-Lincoln Community College is located in Magee.

Media

Newspapers

The Magee Courier and Simpson County News serve Magee.

Radio and television

Infrastructure

Transportation

  • Highways: U.S. Hwy 49; State Highways 28, 545, and 541.
  • Railroad: Canadian National Railway (formally Illinois Central) serves the Magee area.
  • Bus lines: Greyhound Bus serves the area.
  • Airport: The Magee Municipal Airport (FAA identifier 17M) is located three miles west of Magee. It maintains a lighted 3,104 ft (946 m) × 50 ft (15 m) runway and is attended 24 hours a day. There is a hangar, lobby and office building complex (no control tower). The complex is equipped with automatic dusk to dawn lights, a beacon, and a wind directional device.

Health care

Magee General Hospital is a modern 64-bed facility with swing bed capability. Ithas modern delivery suites with a newborn nursery. On staff are a number of specialists. The radiology department features a CAT scanner, nuclear medicine and ultrasound. The laboratory features the latest technology in computerized diagnostic equipment. The hospital offers 24-hour emergency services.

Magee Medical & Surgical Clinic, adjacent to the hospital, has five family practitioners. This building also houses the hospital's physical therapy department. Five dentists have practices in Magee. Other facilities include Hillcrest Health Center, Boswell Regional Center for adults with developmental disabilities, and Millcreek Rehabilitation Center, a private residential center for mental, emotionally and physically handicapped. Five home health agencies serve the area. Magee also has one fully licensed 12-bed assisted living facility.

Public services

A new city hall, police station and city jail have been completed. There are 16 full-time police personnel, including the Chief of Police and 12 auxiliary officers.

Magee has 36 trained volunteer firemen and one full-time Fire Marshall, four class A pumpers, 1 class A pumper/tanker, 1 ladder truck, one rescue unit and two utility trucks. Emergency medical services are provided by American Medical Response.

In the Magee, Mississippi National Guard Unit, there are 149 members with five full-time personnel.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Our City Welcomes You". City Of Magee. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "mangum - magg07.htm - Generated by Personal Ancestral File". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  4. ↑ Magee The First 100 Years 1900-2000. John P. "Pat" Brown.
  5. ↑ "Zip Code 39111, Magee, MS". Zip-codes.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  6. ↑ Magee The First 100 Years 1900-2000. John P. "Pat" Brown.
  7. ↑ "Zip Burger in Magee Named Best Burger in Mississippi". Eat, Drink, Mississippi. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  8. ↑ Honea, Sue. "Zip Burger named top burger in State - MageeNews.com". Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Ratcliffe, Jason (July 8, 2017). "Jimmy Clyde Sportsplex". Magee News.
  10. ↑ Honea, Sue. "Magee's Mayor Dale Berry - MageeNews.com". Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  11. ↑ "Magee, MS population". Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  12. ↑ "Rural Water assists Mississippi town after tornado". National Rural Water Association. 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  13. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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