Starkville, Mississippi
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Starkville is a city located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 21,869. It is the county seat of Oktibbeha CountyTemplate:GR.
Starkville is adjacent to the campus of Mississippi State University. The university dominates the city's economy.
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Geography
Starkville is located at 33°27'45" North, 88°49'12" West (33.462471, -88.819990)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 66.9 km² (25.8 mi²). 66.5 km² (25.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.58% water.
US Highway 82 and Mississippi Highways 12 and 25 are major roads through Starkville.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density is 328.7/km² (851.4/mi²). There are 10,191 housing units at an average density of 153.2/km² (396.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 64.60% White, 30.02% African American, 0.15% Native American, 3.75% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.34% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 9,462 households out of which 24.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% are married couples living together, 13.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% are non-families. 32.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.24 and the average family size is 2.92.
The age distribution, which is strongly influenced by the presence of Mississippi State, is: 20.0% under the age of 18, 29.7% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 25 years. For every 100 females there are 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 101.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $22,590, and the median income for a family is $39,557. Males have a median income of $35,782 versus $21,711 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,272. 31.1% of the population and 18.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 28.3% of those under the age of 18 and 16.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. However, traditional measures of poverty can be somewhat misleading when applied to a community with a large proportion of students, such as Starkville.
Popular culture
Johnny Cash was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing in Starkville, which was the inspiration for his song "Starkville City Jail":
They're bound to get you, 'Cause they got a curfew, And you go to the Starkville city jail.