Raymond, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Raymond is a city in Hinds County
, Mississippi
, United States
. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,664. Raymond is one of the two county seat
s of Hinds County (along with Jackson
) and is the home of the main campus
of Hinds Community College
.
Raymond is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
Andrew Jackson
to find a place near the center of Hinds County
for the county seat. The current location of Raymond is a ridge
about a mile from the center of the county, and was selected because the center was low and subject to flood
ing. The town of Raymond received its charter
from the Mississippi
legislature
on December 15, 1830. Because of its status as a seat of justice
and its proximity to the Natchez Trace
, Raymond developed quickly into a prosperous small town whose prosperity and smallness have remained constant to this day.
In the late 1840s, Cooper's Well, a property near Raymond with a well
that provided sulphured water, was developed into a resort for those seeking the perceived health benefits from its ingestion.
Construction of a new courthouse
was begun at the center of the town square in 1857 and completed in 1859, and was facilitated largely by slave
labor. The courthouse is still in use as a secondary location of county legal matters (the city of Jackson having become the primary county seat) and the Raymond courthouse is considered by many to be a prime example of southern Greek Revival architecture
.
The Battle of Raymond
was fought by Confederate
and Union soldiers near Raymond on May 12, 1863 as part of General
Ulysses S. Grant
's Vicksburg Campaign
during the American Civil War
. Four days later, the pivotal Battle of Champion Hill
was won by Grant's troops and sealed the fate of Vicksburg
. Grant stayed at Waverly, the plantation of by John B. Peyton, and Union soldiers used St. Mark's Episcopal Church as a hospital. Blood stains can still be seen on the church's floor today.
Construction of a water tower
was begun in 1903 in the center of the town square and it remains a key identifying structure of Raymond along with the courthouse.
A small agricultural high school was opened in 1917 which eventually became Hinds Community College
, a prominent community college
in Mississippi.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 1,664 people, 469 households, and 317 families residing in the city. The population density
was 562.1 people per square mile (217.1/km²). There were 498 housing units at an average density of 168.2 per square mile (65.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.93% White, 41.17% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.42% Asian, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 469 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples
living together, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.4% under the age of 18, 40.3% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 119.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,667, and the median income for a family was $42,639. Males had a median income of $31,106 versus $21,953 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $12,615. About 17.8% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.4% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
operates the Raymond Post Office.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services
operates the Oakley Training School
in unincorporated
Hinds County
, near Raymond.
Hinds County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 250,800 people, 91,030 households, and 62,355 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 100,287 housing units at an average density of 115 per square mile...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,664. Raymond is one of the two county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
s of Hinds County (along with Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
) and is the home of the main campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
of Hinds Community College
Hinds Community College
Hinds Community College is a community college with its main campus located in Raymond, Mississippi, about five miles west of Jackson, the state capital. The Hinds Community College District includes Hinds County, Claiborne County, part of Copiah County, Rankin County, and Warren County...
.
Raymond is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area
Jackson metropolitan area
The Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the central region of the U.S. state of Mississippi that covers five counties: Copiah, Hinds, Madison, Rankin, and Simpson. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 497,197...
.
History
In 1829, three commissioners, including John B. Peyton, were appointed by U.S. PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
to find a place near the center of Hinds County
Hinds County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 250,800 people, 91,030 households, and 62,355 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 100,287 housing units at an average density of 115 per square mile...
for the county seat. The current location of Raymond is a ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
about a mile from the center of the county, and was selected because the center was low and subject to flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing. The town of Raymond received its charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
from the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
on December 15, 1830. Because of its status as a seat of justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
and its proximity to the Natchez Trace
Natchez Trace
The Natchez Trace, also known as the "Old Natchez Trace", is a historical path that extends roughly from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee and Mississippi rivers...
, Raymond developed quickly into a prosperous small town whose prosperity and smallness have remained constant to this day.
In the late 1840s, Cooper's Well, a property near Raymond with a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
that provided sulphured water, was developed into a resort for those seeking the perceived health benefits from its ingestion.
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
was begun at the center of the town square in 1857 and completed in 1859, and was facilitated largely by slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
labor. The courthouse is still in use as a secondary location of county legal matters (the city of Jackson having become the primary county seat) and the Raymond courthouse is considered by many to be a prime example of southern Greek Revival architecture
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
.
The Battle of Raymond
Battle of Raymond
The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The bitter fight pitted elements of Union Army Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee against Confederate forces of Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton's...
was fought by Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and Union soldiers near Raymond on May 12, 1863 as part of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
's Vicksburg Campaign
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen....
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Four days later, the pivotal Battle of Champion Hill
Battle of Champion Hill
The Battle of Champion Hill, or Bakers Creek, fought May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confederate Lt. Gen. John C...
was won by Grant's troops and sealed the fate of Vicksburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
. Grant stayed at Waverly, the plantation of by John B. Peyton, and Union soldiers used St. Mark's Episcopal Church as a hospital. Blood stains can still be seen on the church's floor today.
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
was begun in 1903 in the center of the town square and it remains a key identifying structure of Raymond along with the courthouse.
A small agricultural high school was opened in 1917 which eventually became Hinds Community College
Hinds Community College
Hinds Community College is a community college with its main campus located in Raymond, Mississippi, about five miles west of Jackson, the state capital. The Hinds Community College District includes Hinds County, Claiborne County, part of Copiah County, Rankin County, and Warren County...
, a prominent community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
in Mississippi.
Geography
Raymond is located at 32°15′30"N 90°24′56"W (32.258219, -90.415520).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 city has a total area of 3 square miles (7.8 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 1,664 people, 469 households, and 317 families residing in the city. 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 562.1 people per square mile (217.1/km²). There were 498 housing units at an average density of 168.2 per square mile (65.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 57.93% White, 41.17% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.42% Asian, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 469 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% 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, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.4% under the age of 18, 40.3% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 119.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 123.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,667, and the median income for a family was $42,639. Males had a median income of $31,106 versus $21,953 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 city was $12,615. About 17.8% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.4% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The United States Postal ServiceUnited States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Raymond Post Office.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services
Mississippi Department of Human Services
The Mississippi Department of Human Services is a state agency of Mississippi, headquartered in Jackson. The department operates the state's family services.-Division of Youth Services:...
operates the Oakley Training School
Oakley Training School
The Oakley Training School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Mississippi Department of Human Services located in unincorporated Hinds County, Mississippi, near Raymond. It is Mississippi's sole juvenile correctional facility for children adjudicated into the juvenile correctional...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Hinds County
Hinds County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 250,800 people, 91,030 households, and 62,355 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 100,287 housing units at an average density of 115 per square mile...
, near Raymond.
Notable natives
- Muna LeeMuna Lee (writer)This article is about the Puerto Rico-based writer. For the American athlete, see Muna Lee .Muna Lee was an American author and poet who became widely known for her writings that promoted Pan-Americanism and Feminism.Born in Raymond, Mississippi, Lee began her writing career as a well-known lyric...
, famous Pan-American poet and first wife of Luis Muñoz MarínLuis Muñoz MarínDon José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín was a Puerto Rican poet, journalist, and politician. Regarded as the "father of modern Puerto Rico," he was the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico. Muñoz Marín was the son of Luis Muñoz Rivera, a renowned autonomist leader...
(first democratically elected governor of Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
)