Austin is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Tunica County, Mississippi, United States.[3] Per the 2020 Census, the population was 51.[4]

Once a thriving shipping port on the Mississippi River, Austin served as county seat from 1847 to 1888. Earlier county seats were Commerce and Peyton.[5][6]

History

Austin was founded in 1847 and named for Austin Miller, who donated the land on which the town and a courthouse were built.[6]

Austin was burned in 1863 by Union soldiers of the Mississippi Marine Brigade under the command of Alfred W. Ellet. Two houses were spared.[7]

The town rebuilt and was incorporated in 1871, though it is no longer incorporated.[6]

In 1884, the area was flooded when a nearby levee broke. When waters receded, a large sandbar had been left between the town and the Mississippi River, and steamboats could no longer land. The completion of the Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway 3 mi (4.8 km) east of Austin in the late 1880s further contributed to its isolation.

In 1888, the county seat was moved to Tunica, a more accessible location.[6] According to a 1906 article, "Austin, the former seat of Tunica county, was situated on the Mississippi river, and at one time claimed a population of over 2,000. It did a large river and inland trade. A substantial courthouse, costing $35,000, was erected there in 1868. That is the only building still standing in the deserted and dismantled town."[8]

The construction of the Hardin Cutoff in 1942, which created Tunica Lake, moved the Mississippi River an additional 7 mi (11 km) west of Austin.[9]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
202051—
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
2020[11]

2020 census

Austin CDP, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2020[11] % 2020
White alone (NH) 3 5.88%
Black or African American alone (NH) 44 86.27%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 0 0.00%
Asian alone (NH) 0 0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 0 0.00%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 3 5.88%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1 1.96%
Total 51 100.00%

Education

Residents are in the Tunica County School District.[12] Rosa Fort High School is the district's comprehensive high school.

Notable person

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Austin, Mississippi
  3. ^ "Austin". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  4. ^ "Austin CDP, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  5. ^ Ensign, Bridgman & Fanning's Lake and River Guide: Being a Traveler's Companion to the Cities, Towns, and Villages on the Western Waters of the United States. Ensign, Bridgman & Fanning. 1856.
  6. ^ a b c d "Communities of Tunica County, Mississippi". MSGenWeb. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Jones, Terry L. (2002). Historical Dictionary of the Civil War. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810866119.
  8. ^ "Lost Villages of Mississippi". Jackson Daily News. August 5, 1906. p. 15. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  9. ^ Bragg, Marion (1977). "Historic Names and Places on the Lower Mississippi River" (PDF). Mississippi River Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2013.
  10. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau.
  11. ^ a b "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Austin CDP, Mississippi". United States Census Bureau.
  12. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Tunica County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 31, 2022. - Text list
  13. ^ "Sport McAllister". BaseballReference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin,_Mississippi
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