Belzoni, Mississippi

For the Italian explorer of Egyptian antiquities, see Giovanni Battista Belzoni.
Belzoni, Mississippi
City
Motto: "Heart Of The Delta"

Location of Belzoni, Mississippi
Belzoni, Mississippi

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 33°10.9′N 90°29.1′W / 33.1817°N 90.4850°W / 33.1817; -90.4850Coordinates: 33°10.9′N 90°29.1′W / 33.1817°N 90.4850°W / 33.1817; -90.4850
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Humphreys
Government
 • Mayor Lenora Holmes Sutton[1]
Area
 • Total 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
 • Land 1.0 sq mi (2.5 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 112 ft (34 m)
Population (United States Census estimate)
 • Total 2,418
 • Density 2,519/sq mi (967/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 39038
Area code(s) 662
FIPS code 28-05140
GNIS feature ID 0666815

Belzoni (/bɛlˈzoʊnə/ bel-ZOHN-ə) is a city in Humphreys County, Mississippi, in the Mississippi Delta region, on the Yazoo River. The population was 2,663 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Humphreys County.[2] It was named for the 19th-century Italian archaeologist/explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni.[3]

The area was named Farm-Raised Catfish Capital of the World in 1976 by then Governor Cliff Finch, since it produces more farm-raised catfish than any other U.S. county.[4] About 40,000 acres (160 km2) of the county are under water, used to grow catfish. About 60% of U.S. farm-raised catfish are grown within a 65-mile (100-km) radius of Belzoni. The title "Catfish Capital" is also claimed by Savannah, Tennessee, and Des Allemands, and Selkirk, Manitoba. Belzoni is known for the World Catfish Festival held every April.[4]

History

The area that eventually became Belzoni was originally known as "Greasy Row" because of saloons along the bank of the Yazoo River, which was the main transportation route until replaced by railroads.[5] In 1895, a charter was granted for the village of Belzoni, although the area had been settled by European Americans and African Americans for several decades previously. It was developed for cotton plantations before the Civil War, and relied on agriculture well into the 20th century. Steve Castleman, who secured the charter, was elected as the first mayor of Belzoni.[5] When Humphreys County was formed by the state legislature in 1918, Belzoni was selected as the county seat.[5]

Civil Rights movement

Segregated movie theater in Belzoni, 1939

Belzoni was the site of the murder of an early civil rights pioneer. The Rev. George W. Lee, an African American minister who was seeking voting rights for the disenfranchised blacks of the Mississippi Delta and registered to vote, was murdered in 1955 in "Bloody Belzoni" by white residents committed to upholding segregation.[6] His killers were never found, as the governor of Mississippi, Hugh L. White, refused to investigate the case.[7] Many consider Lee the first martyr of the modern civil rights movement.[7]

As an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, Margot Adler, now a National Public Radio correspondent, was active in the voter registration drive in Humphreys County (Belzoni) in the summer of 1965, before passage of the Voting Rights Act on August 6 that year. In 2000, she recalled:

"I remember how difficult it was to register people: the fear was palpable. I remember that after one month of daily work there were only seven people registered, and a bunch of us almost got ourselves killed after being chased onto private property by a group of men who belonged to the White Citizens Council". She said that the civil rights movement changed Humphreys County, and bettered the lot of African Americans. "There was real change in Belzoni. Streets were paved in hog town, sewers no longer overflowed into the dirt streets. Several black families I knew from then have held political office during the last decade".[8]

Recent history

In 2006, Belzoni elected Wardell Walton as mayor, the first African American to hold the position. He was re-elected to a second term. He was succeeded in 2013 by Lenora Sutton, the first woman mayor of Belzoni.[1]

Geography

Belzoni is located at 33°10′53″N 90°29′09″W / 33.1813°N 90.4857°W / 33.1813; -90.4857 (33.1813, -90.4857).[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1900263—
19101,059302.7%
19202,277115.0%
19302,73520.1%
19403,78938.5%
19504,0717.4%
19604,1421.7%
19703,394−18.1%
19802,982−12.1%
19902,536−15.0%
20002,6635.0%
20102,235−16.1%
Est. 20152,069[10]−7.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 2,663 people, 934 households, and 640 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,777.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,072.5/km2). The 1,018 housing units averaged 1,061.9 per square mile (410.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 30.49% White, 68.08% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.60% from other races, and 0.15% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.35% of the population.

Of the 934 households, 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 28.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were not families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.49.

In the city, the population was distributed as 32.2% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,690, and for a family was $25,521. Males had a median income of $26,466 versus $15,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,022. About 29.3% of families and 35.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.4% of those under age 18 and 27.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

The City of Belzoni is served by the Humphreys County School District:

Private schools

Media

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Belzoni has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.[13]

Climate data for Belzoni, Mississippi
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 12
(54)		 14
(58)		 19
(67)		 24
(76)		 29
(84)		 33
(91)		 34
(93)		 34
(93)		 31
(88)		 26
(78)		 19
(66)		 14
(57)		 24
(75)
Average low °C (°F) 2
(35)		 3
(38)		 7
(45)		 12
(53)		 17
(62)		 21
(69)		 22
(71)		 21
(70)		 18
(64)		 11
(52)		 6
(43)		 3
(37)		 12
(53)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 137
(5.4)		 124
(4.9)		 142
(5.6)		 132
(5.2)		 124
(4.9)		 91
(3.6)		 109
(4.3)		 80
(3)		 74
(2.9)		 84
(3.3)		 119
(4.7)		 140
(5.5)		 1,356
(53.4)
Source: Weatherbase [14]

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "History Made in Belzoni with the Swearing in of Sutton; First Female Mayor" (PDF). Belzoni Banner. July 3, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Rowland, Dunbar (1907). Encyclopedia of Mississippi History: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions and Persons. S.A. Brant. page 229
  4. 1 2 "Catfish Festival". Belzoni–Humphreys Development Foundation. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 "History of Belzoni". Belzoni–Humphreys Development Foundation. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  6. ↑ Klopfer, Susan (December 2, 2005). "Rev. George Lee 'Died to Vote' in 'Bloody' Belzoni". Buzzle.com. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Rev. George W. Lee" (pdf). The Middle of the Internet. Retrieved January 17, 2010.
  8. ↑ Adler, Margot (November 23, 2000). "Margot Adler". Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement. Westwind Writers Inc. Archived from the original on October 29, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  9. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  13. ↑ Climate Summary for Belzoni, Mississippi
  14. ↑ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on September 21, 2013.
  15. ↑ Erikson, Hal (February 7, 2005). "We're Sorry". New York Times. New York: The New York Times Company. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
  16. 1 2 "City of Belzoni". Belzoni–Humphreys Development Foundation. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  17. 1 2 "Trail of the Hellhound". National Park Service. April 20, 2001.
  18. ↑ Chancey, Jill R. (June 4, 2007). "The Needle's Song: The Folk Art of Ethel Wright Mohamed". Resource Library. Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc. Retrieved August 27, 2010.

Further reading

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Belzoni.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Belzoni, Mississippi.
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