National protected areas

• Natchez Trace Parkway
  Natchez Trace Parkway
  The Natchez Trace Parkway is a National Park Service unit in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Old Natchez Trace and preserves sections of the original trail....
  
   (part)
• Tombigbee National Forest
  Tombigbee National Forest
  Tombigbee National Forest is a U.S. National Forest in eastern and northeastern Mississippi. It is named for the nearby Tombigbee River. It is divided geographically into two non-contiguous sections. The larger southern section, about 60% of the total acreage, is located north of Louisville, in...
  
   (part)

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 19,440 people, 7,253 households, and 5,287 families residing in the county. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 39 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 7,981 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 56.89% White

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 41.26% Black

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.19% Native American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.17% Asian

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.04% Pacific Islander

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.99% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.46% from two or more races. 2.29% of the population were Hispanic

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 7,253 households out of which 36.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.80% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 18.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.10% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% 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 3.17.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 21.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,364, and the median income for a family was $33,819. Males had a median income of $25,459 versus $20,099 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $13,279. About 16.80% of families and 20.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.90% of those under age 18 and 22.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Cities
  • Houston
    Houston, Mississippi
    Houston is a city in and one of two county seats of Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,079 at the 2000 census. The land on which Houston, MS resides was donated to the city by Judge Joel Pinson on the condition that it would be named for Sam Houston, a childhood...
    
    
  • Okolona
    Okolona, Mississippi
    Okolona is a city in and one of the county seats of Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,056 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Okolona is located at ....
    
    

• Towns
  • New Houlka
    New Houlka, Mississippi
    New Houlka is a town in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States, which includes the older settlement of "old Houlka", the oldest white settlement in the county, established in 1812 at the intersection of the Natchez Trace and Gaines Trace, approximately one mile from the Chickasaw Indian Agency...
    
    

• Villages
  • Woodland
    Woodland, Mississippi
    Woodland is a village in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 159 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Woodland is located at ....
    
    

• Unincorporated places
  • Buena Vista
  • Egypt
    Egypt, Chickasaw County, Mississippi
    Egypt is an unincorporated community in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. Egypt is south of Okolona....
    
    
  • McCondy
  • Pyland
  • Sparta
    Sparta, Mississippi
    Sparta is a small unincorporated community in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States, in the northeastern part of the state.A fictionalized Sparta was featured in the 1967 film In the Heat of the Night and the television series in the 1980s and '90s. This fictional version of Sparta differs...
    
    
  • Thorn
  • Trebloc
    Trebloc, Mississippi
    Trebloc is a very small unincorporated community in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. It is located at the intersections of Highways 8 and 47, just outside of Houston....
    
    
  • Van Vleet
    Van Vleet, Mississippi
    Van Vleet is an unincorporated community in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. Van Vleet is located at the junction of Mississippi Highway 32 and Mississippi Highway 385 northeast of Houston. Van Vleet has a post office with ZIP code 38877....
    
    

Famous citizens

Chickasaw County was the birthplace of singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry

Bobbie Gentry

Roberta Lee Streeter , professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is a former American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material...

, and served as the setting and inspiration for many of her songs, including her biggest hit "Ode to Billie Joe

Ode to Billie Joe

"Ode to Billie Joe" is a 1967 song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry , a singer-songwriter from Chickasaw County, Mississippi. The single, released in late July, was a number-one hit in the United States, and became a big international seller. The song is ranked #412 on Rolling Stones list of...

" (1967). Early blues performer Bukka White was also born in Chickasaw County. Milam Williams, keyboardist with the popular 70s funk and Rhythm and Blues band the "Commodores" graduated from Okolona High School. William Raspberry, a nationally noted journalist grew up in Okolona as well. Tim Bowen,an all pro lineman for the Miami Dolphins was born and grew up in the city of Okolona.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Chickasaw County, Mississippi