Sledge, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Sledge is a town located in Quitman County, Mississippi
Quitman County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,117 people, 3,565 households, and 2,506 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile . There were 3,923 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...

. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 529.

Famous African American Country singer Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...

 is from Sledge. Leroy Brown was an actual man from the area who may have very well have been the inspiration for the Jim Croce
Jim Croce
James Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...

 song. This area is considered by some to be the genuine birthplace of the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

. Many of the blues greats grew up and nurtured their music in the juke joints surrounding Sledge.

Geography

Sledge is located at 34°25'59" north, 90°13'12" west (34.433030, -90.220111).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all land.

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 529 people, 170 households, and 133 families residing in the town. 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 1,011.3 people per square mile (392.8/km²). There were 185 housing units at an average density of 353.7 per square mile (137.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 23.25% White, 75.99% African American, 0.00% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 170 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% 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, 29.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.55.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,500, and the median income for a family was $30,139. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $16,042 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 town was $11,569. 24.7% of the population and 23.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 37.5% of those under the age of 18 and 20.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
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