Guntown, Mississippi


Guntown is a town in Lee County, Mississippi, located in the northern part of the Tupelo micropolitan area. The population was 2,083 at the 2010 Census.
The community most likely has the name of James Gunn, a pioneer citizen.

History

Guntown was established in the 1850s, and incorporated as a village in 1867. It was declared a town in 1905 after its population had risen to 330.

Geography

Guntown is located at . The town lies along Mississippi Highway 145, with the older parts of town lying further to the east near the railroad tracks. U.S. Route 45 traverses the western part of the town, running roughly parallel to MS 145. Baldwyn lies just to the north of Guntown, and Saltillo lies just to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and 0.22% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,183 people, 443 households, and 337 families residing in the town. The population density was 261.1 people per square mile. There were 482 housing units at an average density of 106.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 74.98% White, 24.18% African American, 0.34% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 0.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.
There were 443 households out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town, the population was spread out with 34.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $27,188, and the median income for a family was $29,783. Males had a median income of $27,868 versus $20,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,456. About 19.3% of families and 24.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 17.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Guntown is served by the Lee County School District.