Escatawpa, Mississippi

Escatawpa is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,722 at the 2010 census.

History
Small clusters of people have inhabited the area now known as Escatawpa since well before the Civil War. At various points in its history, the town has been known as "Dog River", "Dutch Bayou", and "Tugas". The name "Escatawpa" comes from the Choctaw Indian name for the area, Oestcatawpa, which literally translates to "trim cane", with the word uska meaning "cane" and tapa meaning "cut" in Choctaw. In the early 19th century, settlers adopted the native name and eventually changed the spelling to its current form. The name "Escatawpa" is believed to have become official when Henry Ehlers opened the Escatawpa post office in 1855. In 1990, the original center of Escatawpa was annexed into the city of Moss Point, located just to the south. The adjoining unincorporated area north of Moss Point is the current Escatawpa census-designated place.

Geography
The Escatawpa CDP is in eastern Jackson County on the east side of the Pascagoula River. It is bordered to the south by the city of Moss Point. The original community of Escatawpa, now a neighborhood in Moss Point, was centered just north of present-day Interstate 10. The current CDP is 5 mi north of the center of Moss Point and 9 mi north of Pascagoula, the Jackson county seat. Mississippi Highway 613 is the main road through the center of Escatawpa, and four-lane Mississippi Highway 63 forms the eastern edge of the community.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Escatawpa CDP has a total area of 17.9 km2, of which 17.3 km2 are land and 0.6 km2, or 3.49%, are water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,566 people, 1,310 households, and 1,002 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 552.8 people per square mile (213.5/km²). There were 1,434 housing units at an average density of 222.3/sq mi (85.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 80.45% African American, 17.64% White, 0.31% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.

Households
There were 1,310 households out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.06.

Ages
In the CDP, the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

Income
The median income for a household in the CDP was $41,101, and the median income for a family was $48,942. Males had a median income of $35,050 versus $20,762 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,850. About 5.5% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Escatawpa is served by the Moss Point School District. It includes two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Students in Escatawpa attend schools in Moss Point, Mississippi.

Schools

 * Moss Point High School
 * Magnolia Middle School
 * Escatawpa Upper Elementary School (Grades 3-5)
 * Kreole Primary School (Grades K-2)

Notable people

 * 3 Doors Down, rock band
 * Wendell Davis, professional football player