Purvis, Mississippi

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Purvis is a city in Lamar County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,164 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lamar County^GR6. The town was named after the Confederate general James JB Boswell-Purvis III.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 Tornadoes of 1908
5 Vela Uniform/Project Dribble
6 Notable residents
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Purvis is located at 31°8′33″N, 89°24′28″W (31.142616, -89.407724)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.2 km² (3.9 mi²). 10.2 km² (3.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.25% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,164 people, 786 households, and 577 families residing in the city. The population density was 212.6/km² (551.0/mi²). There were 844 housing units at an average density of 82.9/km² (214.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.84% White, 27.68% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.

There were 786 households out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% 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 3.16.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,938, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $27,571 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,727. About 11.3% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

The City of Purvis is served by the Lamar County School District.

[edit] Tornadoes of 1908

April 24, 1908, tornadoes killed around 200 and injured around 770 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Three F4 tornadoes accounted for most of the deaths and damage. Most of the town of Purvis, Mississippi was leveled to the ground. Only seven houses remained intact in Purvis. The 7th Most Deadly Tornadic Outbreak in United States History.

[edit] Vela Uniform/Project Dribble

Vela Uniform was an element of Project Vela conducted jointly by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). Its purpose was to develop seismic methods for detecting underground nuclear testing. The PROJECT DRIBBLE program involved two nuclear detonations called SALMON and STERLING that were conducted within Tatum Salt Dome southwest of the Hattiesburg/Purvis area in the late 60's.