Petal, Mississippi

Petal, Mississippi
City
Nickname(s): The Friendly City

Location of Petal, Mississippi
Petal, Mississippi

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 31°20′48″N 89°15′20″W / 31.34667°N 89.25556°W / 31.34667; -89.25556Coordinates: 31°20′48″N 89°15′20″W / 31.34667°N 89.25556°W / 31.34667; -89.25556
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Forrest
Government
 • Type Mayor-Council
 • Mayor Hal Marx
Area
 • Total 17.1 sq mi (44.4 km2)
 • Land 16.9 sq mi (43.7 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation 157 ft (48 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 10,454
 • Density 620/sq mi (239.3/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 39465
Area code(s) 601
FIPS code 28-56800
GNIS feature ID 0675641
Website www.cityofpetal.com

Petal is a city in Forrest County, Mississippi, along the Leaf River. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,454 in the 2010 census.[2]

The International Checker Hall of Fame was located in Petal until September 29, 2007, when 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of the 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) building caught fire.[3][4] On June 23, 2004, Sports Illustrated entitled Petal as "Sports Illustrated Sportstown for Mississippi".[5]

Geography

As of the 2010 census, the city had a total area of 17.1 square miles (44.4 km2), of which 16.9 square miles (43.7 km2) was land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km2), or 1.62%, was water.[1] The city's area had increased by nearly 75% since 2000, following an annexation effort approved in 2002. Major sub-communities as of the annex are Macedonia, Barrontown, Sunrise, and Leeville. The Harvey community (currently downtown Petal) hosts city departments.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
19808,476—
19907,883−7.0%
20007,579−3.9%
201010,45437.9%
Est. 201510,701[6]2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,454 people, 3,918 households, and 2,867 families residing in the city. The population density was 619.8 people per square mile. There were 4,261 housing units at an average density of 331.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 86.1% White, 9.9% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.5% of the population.

There were 3,918 households, out of which 23.5% had own children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals under 18 and 26.6% 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 3.13.

Sex 16+ 18+ 21+ 62+ 65+ Median age
Male 3,702 3,537 3,325 730 596 35.8
Female 4,269 4,107 3,914 1,034 844 33.8
Overall 7,971 7,644 7,239 1,764 1,440 37.5

The median income for a household in the city was $29,637, and the median income for a family was $35,343. Males had a median income of $27,500 versus $20,741 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,996. About 11.9% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city is served by the Petal School District. The district has level 6 rated schools from K thru 12. Many parents are attracted to Petal for this reason.

History

The first postmaster of Petal was Irving A. Polk.[8] The post office was established in 1903 [9] and was named after the postmaster's daughter. It is the only city in the U.S. with this name. Petal separated from the city of Hattiesburg on April 4, 1974. Petal was a community filled with farmers. This is slowly changing with new businesses coming into the city.

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Petal city, Mississippi". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  2. ↑ United States Census Bureau . Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  3. ↑ "Checker Hall of Fame: Game Over". Roadside America.
  4. ↑ "Cause Sought in Sept. 29 Fire". Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group.
  5. ↑ "Petal's power". Sports Illustrated.
  6. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  8. ↑ Gallagher, John S. and Patera, Alan H. (1996). Mississippi Post Offices, p. 247. Lake Grove, Oregon: The Depot, ISBN 0-943645-35-2.
  9. ↑ U.S. postal history website
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