Abbeville is a town in Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 423 at the 2000 census.
History
Abbeville was originally settled by pioneers from Abbeville, South Carolina in the 1830s. They lived in apparent peace with the local Chickasaw Indians, whose Chief Toby Tubby owned and operated a ferry along the Memphis-Oxford trade route.
During the American Civil War, Abbeville was almost completely destroyed in the Vicksburg Campaign.
Abbeville post office was established September 28, 1843, with John B. Davis as first postmaster.[1]
Geography
Abbeville is located at 34°30′16″N 89°30′3″W / 34.50444°N 89.50083°W / 34.50444; -89.50083 (34.504525, -89.500713)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), all of it land.
Transportation
Highways
Railroads
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 423 people, 172 households, and 130 families residing in the town. The population density was 121.5 people per square mile (46.9/km²). There were 188 housing units at an average density of 54.0/sq mi (20.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.85% White, 5.67% African American, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 172 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.86.
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1980 |
448 |
|
—
|
| 1990 |
399 |
|
−10.9% |
| 2000 |
423 |
|
6.0% |
| Est. 2006 |
428 |
|
1.2% |
In the town the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,542, and the median income for a family was $36,000. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $21,518 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,882. About 9.6% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The Town of Abbeville is served by the Lafayette County School District.
The University of Mississippi also owns and operates the University of Mississippi Field Station, which is located in Abbeville. It is a natural laboratory used to study, research and teach about sustainable freshwater ecosystems.
References
Coordinates: 34°30′16″N 89°30′03″W / 34.504525°N 89.500713°W / 34.504525; -89.500713
