Escatawpa, Mississippi

Escatawpa, Mississippi
CDP
Location of Escatawpa, Mississippi Location of Escatawpa, Mississippi
Escatawpa, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Jackson
Area
• Total	6.6 sq mi (17.0 km2)
• Land	6.5 sq mi (16.7 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	13 ft (4 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	3,566
• Density	552.8/sq mi (213.4/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	39552
Area code(s)	228
FIPS code	28-22900
GNIS feature ID	0669806

Escatawpa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, Mississippi. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,566 at the 2000 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 Indian 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 the year 1990, Escatawpa was annexed into Moss Point, located just south of Escatawpa.

Geography

Escatawpa is located at (30.489200, -88.551168).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17 km²), of which 6.4 square miles (17 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (1.83%) is 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.

High School (Grades 9-12)

• Moss Point High School

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

• Magnolia Middle School

Elementary Schools (Grades K-5)

• Escatawpa Upper Elementary School(Grades 3-5)
• Kreole Primary School(Grades K-2)