Bentonia, Mississippi
Location of Bentonia, Mississippi
Coordinates: 32°38′38″N 90°22′5″W / 32.64389, -90.36806
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Yazoo
Area
- Total	1.4 sq mi (3.5 km²)
- Land	1.4 sq mi (3.5 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	197 ft (60 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	500
- Density	366.0/sq mi (141.3/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	39040
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-05380
GNIS feature ID	0666837

Bentonia is a town in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 500 at the 2000 census. Some blues scholars maintain that there is a "Bentonia School" of blues singing and guitar-playing, and that "Bentonia-style" is a distinct style of Delta Blues, but Bentonia lies outside the Mississippi Delta proper.

Geography

Bentonia is located at 32°38′38″N, 90°22′5″W (32.643889, -90.368121)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.5 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 500 people, 203 households, and 130 families residing in the town. The population density was 366.0 people per square mile (140.9/km²). There were 214 housing units at an average density of 156.6/sq mi (60.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 62.80% White, 35.80% African American, 0.20% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population.

There were 203 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 21.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 79.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,458, and the median income for a family was $39,583. Males had a median income of $28,000 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,440. About 23.3% of families and 27.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.5% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Town of Bentonia is served by the Yazoo County School District.

Films

• Deep Blues (1991). Directed by Robert Mugge.

References

1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Bentonia, Mississippi is at coordinates 32°38′38″N 90°22′05″W / 32.643889, -90.368121 (Bentonia, Mississippi)Coordinates: 32°38′38″N 90°22′05″W / 32.643889, -90.368121 (Bentonia, Mississippi)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Yazoo County, Mississippi
County seat: Yazoo City
Cities	Yazoo City
Towns	Bentonia
Villages	Eden | Satartia
Unincorporated communities	Anding | Benton | Holly Bluff | Tinsley | Vaughan