West Point, Mississippi

West Point is a city in Clay County, Mississippi, in the Golden Triangle region of the state. The population was 11,307 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Clay County[4] and the principal city of the West Point Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Columbus-West Point Combined Statistical Area.

West Point, Mississippi
City
Downtown West Point from Broad Street
Seal
Nickname(s):  Point City
Location of West Point, Mississippi
West Point, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 33°36′22″N 88°39′9″W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Clay
Government
• Mayor	Robbie Robinson
Area [1]
• Total	21.13 sq mi (54.73 km^2)
• Land	20.88 sq mi (54.09 km^2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.64 km^2)
Elevation	223 ft (68 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	11,307
• Estimate  (2019)[3]	10,404
• Density	498.18/sq mi (192.35/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code	39773
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-79120
GNIS feature ID	0679519
Website	www.wpnet.org

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.1 square miles (55 km²), of which 20.8 square miles (54 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (1.28%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,392		—
1880	1,786		28.3%
1890	2,762		54.6%
1900	3,193		15.6%
1910	4,864		52.3%
1920	4,400		−9.5%
1930	4,677		6.3%
1940	5,627		20.3%
1950	6,432		14.3%
1960	8,550		32.9%
1970	8,714		1.9%
1980	8,811		1.1%
1990	8,489		−3.7%
2000	12,145		43.1%
2010	11,307		−6.9%
Est. 2019	10,404	[3]	−8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

West Point, MS is located in the North East section of Mississippi just across the Alabama state line. West Point has a rich heritage with generations of family lineage calling it home. Historically the area has a blend of African American, White and Native American lineage. The city has many social activities sponsored by church and civic organizations.

As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 11,307 people 4,444 households, and 3,043 families residing in the city. The population density was 535.13 people per square mile (225.3/km²). There were 4,856 housing units at an average density of 235.3 per square mile (90.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 37.57% White, 61.40% African American, 0.01% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 0.88% of the population. There were 3,043 households out of which 22.2% had own children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.1% were married couples living together, 28.4% had a female householder with no husband present, male household no wife present 4.9% and 31.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48, and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 20 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.4 years. The population was 53.7% female and 46.3% male. The median income for a household in the city was $30,440, and the median income for a family was $39,295. The per capita income for the city was $17,675. About 23.4% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.8% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those people age 65 or over.

Economy

Child labor in West Point Cotton Mills, May 1911. Photo by Lewis Hine.

Sallie Kate Winters Park in full bloom

Large businesses in West Point include Southern Ionics, Babcock & Wilcox, and Mossy Oak. Bryan Foods was founded in West Point in 1936 by John H. Bryan, Sr and W.B. Bryan. Bryan Foods was acquired by Sara Lee Corporation in 1968 and continued operations in West Point until March 2007. West Point has an ever-increasing economic sector with the opening of the new Prairie Belt Power Site. The Prairie Belt Power Site allows advantage to West Point with its easy access to major highways, waterways and railways; ample electric power and natural gas resources as well as access to three airports.

Arts and culture

Old Waverly Golf Club, located outside of West Point and recognized as one of Mississippi's top golf courses, hosted the 1999 U.S. Women's Open, which was won by Juli Inkster. West Point Country Club is three minutes from downtown West Point and offers 18 rounds of golf, swimming, tennis and a club house.

Payne Field was an advanced Aviation School operated from May 1918 to March 1920. About 1,500 pilots were trained there. It is recognized as the first airfield in the state of Mississippi. Despite averaging less than 1" of snow a year West Point was the home of the original Blazon-Flexible Flyer, Inc. proclaimed to make the very best snow sled in the United States, which became an American tradition. It is called The Flexible Flyer.

Waverly Plantation Mansion, just eight miles east of West Point, is a National Historic Landmark. Its four-story cantilevered stair hall and cupola is considered unique in the United States. The mansion is open daily for tours from 9 am and closes promptly at 5 pm. Admission fee charged.

West Point is the home of the Howlin' Wolf Blues Museum. Each Labor Day weekend the town of West Point hosts the Prairie Arts Festival. The weekend kicks off with the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Festival on Friday night followed by the Prairie Arts Festival during the day on Saturday. The festival showcases the areas arts and crafts with shopping, music, rides for children, a 5K race and a car show.

Education

Public education in the city of West Point is provided by the West Point School District. The West Point Green Wave football team has won the state championship for their classification 11 times, 1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

West Point is the home of three high schools: West Point High School, the town's lone public high school, offers a diverse classroom environment and is the largest of the three. Oak Hill Academy and Hebron Christian School are tuition based private schools.

Oak Hill Academy is a private PK-12 school that was founded in 1966 as a segregation academy for white students.[6]

Notable people

• Brandon Walker, Radio and Podcast personality with Barstool Sports
• Jesse Anderson, professional football player.[7]
• Tyrone Bell, professional football player.
• Orlando Bobo, professional football player.[8]
• Wirt Bowman, capitalist, entrepreneur, and one of the founder of the Agua Caliente Casino and Hotel[9]
• George W. Bryan, local businessman, former CEO of Sara Lee Foods.[10]
• John H. Bryan, local businessman and former chairman of Sara Lee Corporation.[11]
• Silas Chandler (1838-1919), co-founder of Mount Hermon Baptist Church
• John Davidson, former member of the Illinois Senate[12]
• Vontarrius Dora, American football outside linebacker[13]
• Kevin Dotson, American football offensive guard[14]
• Jesse Dukeminier (1925–2003), professor of law.
• David Gibbs, legislator, businessman
• Karl Gibbs, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives[15]
• Johnny Green, football player.
• Tom Goode, professional football player[16]
• Toxey Haas, founder and CEO of Haas Outdoors, Inc.
• Floyd Heard, retired track and field sprinter[17]
• Carey Henley, football player.[18]
• Paul V. Hester, Commander, Pacific Air Forces, and Air Component Commander for the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii from July 2004 to November 2007[19]
• Don Hopkins, pinch runner for the Oakland Athletics of major league baseball.[20]
• Dewayne Jefferson, former professional basketball player[21]
• Lyndon Johnson, American football defensive end[22]
• Reuben D. Jones, retired United States Army major general[23]
• Lenore L. Prather. Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court
• Bubba Phillips, baseball player
• Dolph Pulliam, former basketball player[24]
• Earl T. Ricks, U.S. Air Force major general, Chief of the National Guard Bureau and mayor of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
• Brad Smith (born 1968), guitarist for the band Blind Melon.
• Larry Semon, actor, director, producer, and screenwriter during the silent film era[25]
• Rogers Stevens (born 1970), guitarist for the band Blind Melon.
• Barrett Strong, Motown singer, who had Motown's first hit with "Money".
• Bennie Turner, legislator, lawyer
• Angela Turner-Ford, member of the Mississippi House of Representatives[26]
• Michael Williams, film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor[27]
• Zora Young, blues singer[28]

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
2. "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. Selection and confirmation of Federal judges: hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-sixth Congress. United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary. 1981. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
7. "Fantasy News, Fantasy Leagues, Player Projections, Cheat Sheets, Player Rankings, Draft Guides - RotoWire.com". Databasefootball.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
8. "Fantasy News, Fantasy Leagues, Player Projections, Cheat Sheets, Player Rankings, Draft Guides - RotoWire.com". Databasefootball.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
9. Paul J Vanderwood (9 April 2010). Satan's Playground: Mobsters and Movie Stars at America's Greatest Gaming Resort. Duke University Press. p. 124. ISBN 0-8223-9166-X.
10. "George W. Bryan". Soylent Communications. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
11. "John H. Bryan". NNDb.com. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
12. Illinois (1992). Laws of the State of Illinois: Passed by the ... General Assembly at Their ... Session. State Printers. p. 4589.
13. "Vontarrius Dora". LA Tech Sports. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
14. Partsch, Raymond (15 September 2016). "After rough start, Kevin Dotson emerges as starter on Cajuns' offensive line". The Acadiana Advocate. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
15. "Karl Gibbs' Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
16. "Fantasy News, Fantasy Leagues, Player Projections, Cheat Sheets, Player Rankings, Draft Guides - RotoWire.com". Databasefootball.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
17. "Floyd Heard". University of Houston Cougars. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
18. "Players: Carey Henley". Retrieved 26 December 2018.
19. "The West Point Hall of Fame". West Point, Mississippi. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
20. "Oddballs! : Crowning the King of the Pinch Runners". Baseballoddball.blogspot.com. 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
21. "Dewayne Jefferson Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
22. Groeschen, Tom. "Bearcats' LBJ standing out for more than name". cincinnati.com. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
23. Brouker, Shayna. "Maj. Gen. Reuben D. Jones honored at Veterans' Day events in Mississippi". US Army. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
24. "Dolph Pulliam named Iowa Juneteenth Observance "Citizen of the Year"". Drake University. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
25. Anthony Slide (12 March 2012). The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 462. ISBN 978-1-61703-250-9.
26. "Angela Turner-Ford's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
27. Swoope, Jan (16 March 2019). "Area filmmaker begins next feature film with MAC assist". The Dispatch. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
28. Vladimir Bogdanov; Chris Woodstra; Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2003). All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues. Backbeat Books. p. 634. ISBN 978-0-87930-736-3.