Austin, Mississippi

Austin, Mississippi
Census-designated place
1862 map showing Austin
Austin, Mississippi Show map of Mississippi Austin, Mississippi Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 34°38′32″N 90°26′52″W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Tunica
Area [1]
• Total	0.10 sq mi (0.26 km^2)
• Land	0.10 sq mi (0.26 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation [2]	194 ft (59 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	51
• Density	504.95/sq mi (195.89/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	38676
GNIS feature ID	2812747[2]

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

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	51		—
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

• Sport McAllister (1874–1962), professional baseball player.[13]

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. 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. "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. "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.