Community Health Assessment: Corinth/Alcorn County, Mississippi Community

Community Health Assessment: Corinth/Alcorn County, Mississippi

Community Health Assessment

Description of the Core Community

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Mississippi - a quite brisk -19° -- was recorded on January 30, 1966, in Corinth. But except for this rather anomalous example of extreme conditions, this city in Alcorn County is not particularly extreme. It is, in fact representative of other small cities across Mississippi and indeed across the entire South.

According to statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the city spans slightly over 30 square miles in area, with over 99.5% of the territory being land and the rest (.43%) water.

Corinth is a city that to some extent lives on the glory (and the tragedy) of its past, for its position at the juncture of a number of different railroads during the Civil War made it an important site during that terrible conflict and hundreds of thousands of soldiers drawn from both armies occupied Corinth between 1861 and 1865:

On April 6-7, 1862, the Confederate army made a preemptive strike north of Corinth to protect the city against Union troops being amassed along the Tennessee River. The result of the Confederate strike was the Battle of Shiloh where 44,000 Confederate troops and 65,000 Union troops met on an isolated field of battle. After their defeat at Shiloh, the Confederates withdrew to Corinth and evacuated the city on May 29, 1862.

Later, on October 3-5, 1862, the Confederate forces attempted to retake the city of Corinth. The Battle of Corinth was the bloodiest in Mississippi and opened the way for Grant's campaign against Vicksburg (http://www.corinth.net/history.htm).

The Civil War history of the town is reflected not only in the way that the townspeople feel about their home but also in the physical structure of the city, which is still surrounded by a series of earthworks that were built as fortifications during the Civil War. Now designated as National Historic Landmarks, these fortifications remind those who come to Corinth, as well as those who grow up there, that this was once the heart of contested territory - both geographically and morally.

Much of the town's commerce benefits from its historical connections, not only the earthworks and other structures in the city itself (such as the 1857 the Curlee House that served as headquarters for both Confederate and Union generals, including Braxton Bragg, John Bell Hood, Earl Van Dorn and General Henry W. Halleck) but also because of its proximity to the battlefield of Shiloh, which is located 22 miles northeast of Corinth. The Shiloh National Military Park marks the site of the largest battle during 1862.

Demographics

The 2000 census provided this overall picture of the county:

As of the census of 2000, there are 14,054 people, 6,220 households, and 3,800 families residing in the city. The population density is 178.2/km2 (461.5/mi2). There are 7,058 housing units at an average density of 89.5/km2 (231.8/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 76.28% White, 21.60%

African-American, 0.09%

Native American, 0.36%

Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 1.73% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 6,220 households out of which 26.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% are married couples living together, 14.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% are non-families. 35.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.19 and the average family size is 2.82.

In the city the population is spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 81.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $23,436, and the median income for a family is $35,232. Males have a median income of $29,027 versus $21,071 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,452. 22.2% of the population and 18.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 26.2% are under the age of 18 and 23.9% are 65 or older. (http://www.4reference.net/encyclopedias/wikipedia/Corinth_Mississippi.html)

The following table provided by the U.S. Census provides a more detailed breakdown of both the communities racial and economic statistics.

Like many cities in the South, Corinth is not unintegrated but not as integrated as the major cities on the coasts. While there is a high percentage of whites and a relatively high percentage of African-Americans, there is a relatively low percentage of other races.

Table 1. Population by Race, Gender, and Ethnicity, 2000, for Corinth, Mississippi, and the U.S.

Corinth

Mississippi

U.S.

Males

Females

Whites

Blacks

American Indian/Alaska Natives

Asians

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders