Walnut Grove, Mississippi

Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Town
Location of Walnut Grove, Mississippi Location of Walnut Grove, Mississippi
Walnut Grove, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Leake
Government
• Mayor	Brian Gomillion
Area
• Total	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Land	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	361 ft (110 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	488
• Density	610.2/sq mi (235.6/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	39189
Area code(s)	601
FIPS code	28-77520
GNIS feature ID	0679299

Walnut Grove is a town in Leake County, Mississippi. The population was 1,911 at the 2010 census.

Golden Memorial State Park is located east of the town.

History

Walnut Grove began in a nearby location, now referred to as "Old Walnut Grove". It was incorporated in 1884. A post office was established in 1854, and in the early 1900s, electricity and street lights were installed.

The Jackson and Eastern Railway was completed to Walnut Grove in 1923, and then extended to nearby Tuscola in 1925.

The town was surveyed at its present location in 1923. Two canals were built near Walnut Grove in the late 1920s. Walnut Grove received a telephone franchise in 1927, and was connected to the Forest exchange. In 1962, a sewage and water system was installed, and in 1966, natural gas was installed. In 1970, the town organized and trained a volunteer fire department, though the first fire truck was not purchased until 1974.

Walnut Grove's Marshall, Jake Trest, was murdered in 1979. His killer, Edward Earl Johnson, was executed in 1987.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all land.

Cityscape

The community's town hall, post office, and library are not in the central part of Walnut Grove.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	166		—
1900	207		24.7%
1910	199		−3.9%
1930	753		—
1940	653		−13.3%
1950	517		−20.8%
1960	433		−16.2%
1970	398		−8.1%
1980	439		10.3%
1990	389		−11.4%
2000	488		25.4%
2010	1,911		291.6%
Est. 2014	1,921		0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 488 people, 215 households, and 127 families residing in the town. The population density was 610.2 people per square mile (235.5/km²). There were 239 housing units at an average density of 298.9 per square mile (115.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 57.38% White, 40.78% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.20% Pacific Islander, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population.

There were 215 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 36.7% 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 2.27 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,719, and the median income for a family was $27,981. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $26,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,851. About 25.2% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.1% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.

The 2006 population estimate had 1,424 residents; this is due to the annexation of the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility.

Economy

Marco Apparel, a clothing manufacturer, opened in Walnut Grove in 1984. In 2001, it laid off over 100 employees.

In 2001, the Walnut Grove Correctional Facility opened. It was reported that in 2011, nearly 15 percent of the town's annual budget came from the facility, which paid the town $15,000 each month. The town also received $4,500 per month from a grant paid to the prison. Walnut Grove's former mayor, Grady Sims, who owned 18 snack machines inside the prison, stated: "It's been a sweet deal for Walnut Grove" (in 2012, Sims was convicted of witness tampering after he had sex with a female inmate in a motel room in Carthage, and then instructed her to lie to federal investigators). Since 2012, the prison has been owned by the Walnut Grove Development Authority, and operated by Management and Training Corporation.

Government

The Town of Walnut Grove has an alderman/mayor form of government with the mayor voting in case of a tie. City government is made up of five elected aldermen, an elected mayor, an elected municipal clerk, and an appointed police chief.

The mayor is Brian Gomillion, and the Board of Aldermen includes: Jerry Darby, Teresa Darby, Pamela Gill, Chip Jones, Cindy Jones, and Mike Johnson.

Education

The Town of Walnut Grove is served by the Leake County School District.

Notable people

• Sue Gunter, Olympic silver medalist and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Ken Lewis, former CEO, President, and Chairman of Bank of America.
• Luther Riley, college basketball coach; grew up in Walnut Grove.

External links

• Town website