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Philadelphia, Mississippi
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Philadelphia is the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. With a population of 7,303 at the 2000 census, Philadelphia is most noted for the racial violence, murders, and other civil rights violations that occurred in the mid 1960s. As has been common for small towns across the U.S. in the last part of the twentieth century and since, the economic base of the town and surrounding area has been adversely affected by the abandonment by long-present industries that have down-sized, consolidated or moved to more financially beneficial locations.
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Encyclopedia
Philadelphia is the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. With a population of 7,303 at the 2000 census, Philadelphia is most noted for the racial violence, murders, and other civil rights violations that occurred in the mid 1960s. As has been common for small towns across the U.S. in the last part of the twentieth century and since, the economic base of the town and surrounding area has been adversely affected by the abandonment by long-present industries that have down-sized, consolidated or moved to more financially beneficial locations. However, this adverse effect has been offset or even reversed by the development of an entertainment and casino center at Pearl River Resort, located on the nearby reservation of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
Overview
Built on the site of a former Choctaw settlement, the town was first named “Neshoba Courthouse”, with that town charter being signed by President Martin Van Buren in 1841. Philadelphia was incorporated as a municipality and given its current name in 1903, two years before the railroad brought new opportunities and prosperity to the newly renamed town. The history of the town and its influences- social, political and economic- can still be seen in the many points of interest within and beyond the city limits, from the large ceremonial Indian mound and cave at Nanih Waiya to the still thriving Williams Brothers Store, a true old-fashioned general store founded in 1907 and featured in National Geographic in 1939 as a source of anything from “needles to horse collars”, and still offering everything from bridles, butter and boots to flour, feed and fashion.
Murders of three civil rights workers
Philadelphia is known as the site of one of the most infamous race-related crimes in American history. In 1964,
three civil rights workers were murdered by white supremacists in Philadelphia. The crime and decades-long legal aftermath inspired the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning.
Ronald Reagan's visit
On Sunday Aug. 3, 1980, Ronald Reagan gave his first post-convention speech after being officially chosen as the Republican nominee for President of the United States a few miles from Philadelphia. At the annual Neshoba County Fair he announced that with specific regard to economic policy,
- "I believe in states' rights ... I believe we have distorted the balance of our government today by giving powers that were never intended to be given in the Constitution to that federal establishment." He went on to promise to "restore to states and local governments the power that properly belongs to them".
Some thought Reagan's speech marked the continuation of the successful Republican "Southern strategy"; this was supposedly evidence of Reagan's libertarian belief in federalism and a greater role for states in determining their own policies. However, given the history of Philadelphia, and Reagan's use of the words "states' rights", often interpreted as a desire to return to pre-Civil Rights laws regarding segregation, many felt that Reagan was at least insensitive to the concerns of blacks, or that he even was using this location and these words as a cynical appeal to the white racist vote.
Eulogizing on Reagan's death Washington Post columnist William Raspberry noted of the incident
- "It was bitter symbolism for black Americans (though surely not just for black Americans). Countless observers have noted that Reagan took the Republican Party from virtual irrelevance to the ascendancy it now enjoys. The essence of that transformation, we shouldn't forget, is the party's successful wooing of the race-exploiting Southern Democrats formerly known as Dixiecrats. And Reagan's Philadelphia appearance was an important bouquet in that courtship."
Others, including the Washington Post editorial page, noted that there was nothing racist about Reagan's use of the phrase "states' rights" in the context of the speech; the New Republic criticized Jimmy Carter's allegations of racism, calling them "frightful distortions, bordering on outright lies."
Geography
Philadelphia is located at (32.774070, -89.112891).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27.5 km˛), of which, 10.6 square miles (27.5 km˛) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km˛) of it (0.19%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,303 people, 2,950 households, and 1,899 families residing in the city. The population density was 688.1 people per square mile (265.8/km˛). There were 3,302 housing units at an average density of 311.1/sq mi (120.2/km˛). The racial makeup of the city was 55.54% White, 40.12% African American, 2.01% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 1.51% of the population.
There were 2,950 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,438, and the median income for a family was $30,756. Males had a median income of $30,731 versus $20,735 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,787. About 25.1% of families and 28.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.1% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The City of Philadelphia is served by the Philadelphia Public School District. Neshoba Central County Schools is the county school present
Attractions
Economy
Notable natives
- Marty Stuart, country music entertainer and Grand Ole Opry star
- Billy Cannon, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner
- Fred McAfee, considered by many to be one of the best special teams players in NFL history. He retired as a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2006 and now is their Director of Player Development.
- Otis Rush, blues artist
- members of the country music band Pearl River
- Stan Frazier, professional wrestler better known as Uncle Elmer
- Marcus Dupree, professional football player for the NFL and USFL, also known for building the Mount Nebo Baptist Church in Philadelphia.
Public utilities
Cable television services for the city of Philadelphia are contracted to MetroCast Communications. Electrical utilities, as well as water and sewer service, are provided by the City of Philadelphia as Philadelphia Utilities. The natural gas utility is CentrePoint Energy. AT&T is the local telephone service provider.
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