Raymond is a city in

Hinds County Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats (Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Mississippi with a 2020 census population of 227,742 residents. Hinds Co ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,933; in 2020, its population was 1,960. Raymond is one of two

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

s of Hinds County (along with

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

) and is the home of the main campus of Hinds Community College. Raymond is part of the Jackson

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

In 1829, three commissioners, including John B. Peyton, were appointed by U.S. President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

to find a place near the center of

for the

. The current location of Raymond is a ridge about a mile from the center of the county, and was selected because the actual center was low and subject to flooding. The town of Raymond received its charter from the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

on December 15, 1830. Because of its status as a seat of justice and its proximity to the

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Mississippi rivers. ...

, Raymond developed quickly into a prosperous small town whose prosperity and small size have continued to this day. In the late 1840s, Cooper's Well, a property near Raymond with a well that provided sulphured water, was developed into a resort for those seeking the perceived health benefits from its ingestion. Construction of a new county courthouse was begun at the center of the town square in 1857 and completed in 1859; the work was largely done by enslaved African Americans. The courthouse is still in use as a secondary location of county legal matters (the city of Jackson having become the primary county seat). The Raymond courthouse is considered by many to be a prime example of southern

Greek Revival architecture The Greek Revival was an architectural style, architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United Sta ...

. The

Battle of Raymond The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Initial Union attempts to capture the strategically important Mississippi River city of Vicksburg failed. ...

was fought by Confederate and Union soldiers near Raymond on May 12, 1863 as part of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate States of America, Confederate-controlled ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

. Four days later, the pivotal

Battle of Champion Hill The Battle of Champion Hill of May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War (1861–1865). Union Army commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Co ...

was won by Grant's troops and sealed the fate of Vicksburg. Grant stayed at Waverly, the plantation of John B. Peyton, and Union soldiers used St. Mark's Episcopal Church as a hospital. Blood stains can still be seen on the church's floor from that period. Construction of a water tower was begun in 1903 in the center of the town square. It and the courthouse are landmarks for the town. A small agricultural high school was opened in 1917; it developed as Hinds Community College, which has several sites and the largest student body of any college in the state.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...

, there were 1,960 people, 361 households, and 202 families residing in the city.

Government and infrastructure

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

operates the Raymond Post Office. The

Mississippi Department of Human Services The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) is a state agency of Mississippi, headquartered in Jackson. The department operates the state's family services. Division of Youth Services The Division of Youth Services (DYS) operates juvenile c ...

operates the

Oakley Training School Oakley Youth Development Center (OYDC),http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2010/pdf/HB/1400-1499/HB1479SG.pdf formerly known as Oakley Training School is a juvenile correctional facility of the Mississippi Department of Human Services locat ...

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

, near Raymond.Division of Youth Services
."

. Retrieved on July 1, 2010. "2375 Oakley Road , Raymond, MS 39154."

Education

Hinds Community College has a Raymond campus. Residents are within the

Hinds County School District The Hinds County School District is a public school district based in Raymond, Mississippi (US). In addition to Raymond, the district serves the communities of Bolton, Byram, Edwards, Learned, Terry, and Utica, as well as sections of Jackson. ...

, and are zoned to Raymond Elementary School, Carver Middle School, and Raymond High School.

Jackson Hinds Library System Jackson/Hinds Library System (JHLS) is the public library system of Jackson and Hinds County in Mississippi. Branches ; Jackson * Eudora Welty Library - It is the main library and is in a former Sears building, built circa 1938. As of 2018 the ...

operates the Raymond Public Library at the Hinds Courthouse annex.

Notable people

Willie Banks William Augustus Banks III (born March 11, 1956) is an American athlete. Born at Travis Air Force Base, California, he grew up in San Diego County and went to Oceanside High School. Banks is an Eagle Scout. Track and Field Banks was a track & ...

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is co ...

singer *

Cory Carter Cory Carter (born March 5, 1994) is a former American football punter. He played college football at Texas Southern. Professional career Houston Texans On January 2, 2017, Carter signed a reserve/future contract with the Houston Texans. He wa ...

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

punter * Stephen Head,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

scout *

George Caldwell Granberry George Caldwell Granberry was a state legislator, postmaster, and teacher in Mississippi. He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives during the 1882 session, representing Hinds county. He was a member of the Committee on Propos ...

, former state legislator who served as postmaster of Raymond *

Rick Lawson Rick Lawson (born 1973, Raymond, Mississippi, United States) is an American soul, blues and R&B singer. He began his singing career at the age of four as the lead vocalist for the W&W Jr. Spirituals in Raymond. When Lawson became an adult, he ven ...

, gospel music singer * Muna Lee, Pan-American poet and first wife of

Luis Muñoz Marín José Luis Alberto Muñoz Marín (February 18, 1898April 30, 1980) was a Puerto Rican journalist, politician, statesman and was the first elected governor of Puerto Rico, regarded as the "Architect of the Puerto Rico Commonwealth." In 1948 he ...

(first democratically elected governor of

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

). * Kansas Joe McCoy,

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of th ...

singer *

D. P. Porter Daniel Price Porter (1835 - June 24, 1899) was a Mississippi lawyer and politician, and the 25th Secretary of State of Mississippi, serving temporarily in late 1878. He was a Democrat. Biography Daniel Price Porter was born in 1835 near Raym ...

, 25th

Secretary of State of Mississippi The Mississippi Secretary of State is an officer of Mississippi originally established under the Article IV, §14 of Mississippi Constitution of 1817, and was reestablished under Article V, §133 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890. Several ...

Susan Dabney Smedes Susan C. née Dabney Smedes (August 20, 1840July 4, 1913) was a teacher, newspaper correspondent, and author who wrote about her father's plantation. She was born in Raymond, Mississippi, the eighth child of Thomas S. Dabney, a wealthy planta ...

, teacher and author * Jeremy Williams, American player of Canadian football * John Bell Williams,

governor of Mississippi A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

from 1968 to 1972, was born in Raymond; he formerly served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Gallery

File:Cooper's Well, Raymond..jpg, Cooper's Well, circa 1900 File:Cooper's Well Resort, Raymond..jpg, Cooper's Well Resort, circa 1900 File:Hinds County (MS) District 2 Courthouse.jpg, Raymond Courthouse File:Raymond Watertower portrait.jpg, Raymond water tower File:Cain Cochran Hall HCC.jpg, Cain Cochran Hall on the Raymond Campus of Hinds Community College

References

External links

City website

History of Raymond, Mississippi
{{Authority control Cities in Mississippi Cities in Hinds County, Mississippi County seats in Mississippi Populated places established in 1829 1829 establishments in Mississippi