Pearl River County, Mississippi

Pearl River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Presently over 57,000 people live in the county. As of 2000, the population was 48,621. Its county seat is Poplarville. The largest city in the county is Picayune with over 20,000 people. Picayune is the business and medical center of the county. The Picayune Police Department has achieved national accrediation. Low crime rates and low cost of living have made Picayune a growing retirement area. It is a certified retirement community.6.

History
On September 2, 2005, the 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery (Ohio Army National Guard) arrived at the National Guard armory in #REDIRECT Poplarville to assist the community and Pearl River County in recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Initial efforts were the security of banks, pharmacies and gas stations as well as inital responses to rural emergencies. The unit stayed for three weeks ultimately checking on every family and structure in the county. On December 21, 2006, an early morning fire destroyed 3 downtown

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,121 km² (819 sq mi). 2,101 km² (811 sq mi) of it is land and 20 km² (8 sq mi) of it (0.93%) is water.

Major Highways

 * [[Image:I-59.svg|20px]] Interstate 59
 * [[Image:US 11.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 11
 * [[Image:Circle sign 13.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 13
 * [[Image:Circle sign 26.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 26
 * [[Image:Circle sign 43.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 43
 * [[Image:Circle sign 53.svg|20px]] Mississippi Highway 53

Adjacent Counties

 * Lamar County (north)
 * Forrest County (northeast)
 * Stone County (east)
 * Hancock County (south)
 * St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana (southwest)
 * Washington Parish, Louisiana (west)
 * Marion County (northwest)

Demographics
The census estimates of 2006 place the county population over 57,000 and place it among the 10 fastest growing counties in the U.S. As of the census² of 2000, there were 48,621 people, 18,078 households, and 13,576 families residing in the county. The population density was 23/km² (60/sq mi). There were 20,610 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (25/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 85.55% White, 12.18% Black or African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 18,078 households out of which 34.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 12.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.90% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county the population was spread out with 27.00% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.10% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,912, and the median income for a family was $35,924. Males had a median income of $30,370 versus $21,519 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,160. About 15.50% of families and 18.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.60% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

 * Cities
 * Lumberton (mostly in Lamar County)
 * Picayune
 * Poplarville


 * Unincorporated places
 * Caesar
 * Carriere
 * McNeil
 * Nicholson