Canton, Mississippi

Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi. The population was 12,911 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, and situated in the northern part of the metropolitan area surrounding the state capital, Jackson.

Much of Canton is on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse square is a historic shopping district and host to the Canton Flea Market. The east side of town is a large part of the historic district with many homes and some bed and breakfasts.

Although not a major battle site during the Civil War, Canton was important as a rail and logistics center. Many wounded soldiers were treated in or transported through the city, and as a consequence it has a large Confederate cemetery.

The city is home to a large auto manufacturing facility owned by Nissan.

Geography
Canton is located at in the sallyport 32.61194°N, -90.03167°W (32.612015, -90.031638).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.7 sqmi, of which 18.6 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.69%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,911 people, 4,093 households, and 2,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 694.1 people per square mile (268.0/km²). There were 4,333 housing units at an average density of 232.9 per square mile (89.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 18.64% White, 80.30% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.43% of the population.

There were 4,093 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.4% were married couples living together, 34.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,237, and the median income for a family was $27,782. Males had a median income of $25,179 versus $20,815 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,643. About 27.7% of families and 34.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 49.8% of those under age 18 and 25.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Thea Bowman (1937–1990), Catholic sister, Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration
 * The Canton Spirituals, gospel recording group
 * Annie Bell Robinson Devine (1912–2000), civil rights activist
 * George Doherty (1920–1987), football player, Buffalo Bills
 * Scott Field (1847–1931), United States Congressman from Texas
 * L. C. Greenwood (1946-), Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl IX, Super Bowl X, Super Bowl XIII, Super Bowl XIV
 * Caroline Herring, folk singer
 * Elmore James (1918–1963), blues singer, slide guitarist
 * Sonny Landreth (1951-), blues guitar player
 * Samuel Mockbee (1944–2001), Architect
 * Anne Moody (1940-), civil rights activist, author Coming of Age in Mississippi based on her work with CORE
 * George Raymond (1943–1973), civil rights activist
 * John Henry Rogers (1845–1911), United States Congressman from Arkansas and a federal judge, who grew up near Madison and practiced law in Canton
 * William M. Walton (1832–1915), Texas Attorney General

Mississippi Blues Trail
Canton is officially on the Mississippi Blues Trail. Elmore James, a legendary blues singer and a familiar figure in Canton, learned electronics by working in a radio repair shop on Hickory Street. Canton is rich in blues history centered around the juke joints of Hickory Street, known to locals as "The Hollow", as well as other places in Canton. A Mississippi Blues Trail historic marker was placed in Canton on Hickory Street to honor the great contribution of James to the development of the blues in Mississippi. Other noted blues performers associated with Canton include Grady Champion, Little Brother Montgomery, William “Do-Boy” Diamond, Boyd Rivers and Johnnie Temple. Musicians include studio guitarist Bucky Barrett, slide guitarist Sonny Landreth. Gospel singers include the Canton Spirituals and Reverend Cleophus Robinson.

In his dedication of Hickory Street, Governor Haley Barbour said,

Education
The city of Canton is served by the Canton Public School District. The city of Canton and Madison County are served by Canton Academy.

Movies filmed in Canton

 * 1974 Thieves Like Us
 * 1988 Mississippi Burning 
 * 1998 Waking in Mississippi
 * 1996 A Time to Kill
 * 2000 My Dog Skip
 * 2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou?
 * 2001 The Ponder Heart
 * 2001 Biker Zombies from Detroit
 * 2008 Ballast