Jones County, Mississippi

Jones County Education, Geography, and History

Jones County is a county located in the state of Mississippi. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 67,761. Its county seats are Laurel and Ellisville.

Jones County is part of the Laurel, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Jones County Name

Jones is named for naval leader John Paul Jones.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Jones County History

Jones County was established January 24, 1826, during the administration of Governor Holmes. It was named in honor of Commodore John Paul Jones, the founder of the American navy. Jones County has two county seats, Laurel and Ellisville. It was formed from the counties of Covington and Wayne and its boundaries were declared to be:

"all that part of Covington County lying west of the center of range fourteen, and all that part of Wayne County lying west of range nine."

Its northern boundary is formed by the Old Choctaw line established by the Treaty of Mt. Dexter, November 16, 1805, which divides it from Jasper County, and its southern boundary is formed by the line between townships five and six, which divides it from Perry County.

Ten years later, in 1836, the county had a population of only 1,017 whites and 108 slaves, and, until the advent of the railroads, it remained one of the most sparsely settled and unproductive counties in the whole State.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 700 square miles (1,812 km²), of which, 694 square miles (1,797 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (15 km²) of it (0.84%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Jasper County (north)
• Wayne County (east)
• Perry County (southeast)
• Forrest County (southwest)
• Covington County (west)
• Smith County (northwest)

Education

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