Covington County, Mississippi

Covington County, Mississippi
Covington County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded	1819
Named for	Leonard Covington
Seat	Collins
Largest city	Collins
Area
• Total	415 sq mi (1,075 km2)
• Land	44 sq mi (114 km2)
• Water	1.1 sq mi (3 km2), 0.3%
Population
• (2010)	19,568
• Density	47/sq mi (18/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.covingtoncountyms.gov

Covington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,568. Its county seat is Collins. The county is named for U.S. Army officer and Congressman Leonard Covington.

Covington County was established on January 5, 1819, less than two years after Mississippi earned statehood into the Union. The county was one of the first counties established out of the vast non-agricultural lands in the more eastern part of the state. Covington was originally cut out of Lawrence and Wayne Counties, and encompassed what is now Jefferson Davis, Covington, and Jones Counties.

In 1823, part of Covington County became Bainbridge County, most likely named after William Bainbridge, who became an American naval hero during the War of 1812. The next year, in 1824, the Mississippi legislature did away with Bainbridge County, giving its lands back to Covington County.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 415 square miles (1,070 km²), of which 414 square miles (1,070 km²) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Covington County is crossed both north-to-south and east-to-west by four-laned state highways. Highway 49, which runs north-south through all three municipalities and is commonly known as Mississippi's Main Street, connects the state's three largest cities—Jackson, Gulfport, and Hattiesburg—to Covington County as well as cities such as Wiggins, Magee, Clinton, and Yazoo City. Highway 49 brings to Covington County thousands each day.

Highway 84 cuts across Covington County east to west, and runs through the City of Collins. Highway 84 connects the mid-size cities of Laurel, Brookhaven, and Natchez to Covington County.

A network of two-laned highways runs through Covington County, connecting big cities and small communities alike. Main Street Collins is Highway 184, formerly Highway 84. Main Street Seminary is Highway 590. Others include:

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 19,568 people residing in the county. 63.0% were White, 34.9% Black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Native American, 1.0 of some other race and 0.8% of two or more races. 1.9 were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).