Coahoma

Formed February 9, 1836 (46^th county)

Coahoma County (21,393), Clarksdale (14,895)                

The Modern red brick courthouse was built in 1954 on a square at First Street, Delta Avenue, Court Street, and Yazoo Avenue.  Mississippi Highway 161 is ten blocks south of the courthouse.  There was an 1894 version of the courthouse.  The current courthouse was designed by Hanker and Heyer and remodeled and enlarged in 1999.  It features a green metal roof.  The county was created on February 9, 1836 from Native American Territory as the 46^th county with Clarksdale as the only county seat.  Its name is Native American for “red panther.”  The county seat is named for settler John Clark. 

Coahoma County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.)  Three Chancery Court Judges serve Coahoma, Bolivar, LeFlore, Quitman, Tallahatchie, and Tunica counties, Three District Court Judges serve Coahoma, Bolivar, Quitman, and Tunica counties, and One County Court Judge and a court clerk serve Coahoma County (judicial.) The county is in northwest Mississippi on the border with Arkansas.  The Mississippi River forms its western border.  Jackson, Mississippi is southeast and Memphis, Tennessee is northeast of the county.  The county center is 4.4 miles West of Clarksdale.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Tunica, Quitman, Tallahatchie, and Bolivar counties and Arkansas. 

The area of the county is 554 square miles.  It is 43 out of 82 in the state.  It ranks 44 out of 82 in population in the state.  It has a density of 38.6 persons per square mile making it 40 out of 82 in the state.  Coahoma County has 81.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 49 goes northwest to southeast in the county from Arkansas to Tallahatchie County.  United States Highway 61 travels north to south from Tunica County to Bolivar County.  United States Highway 278 enters from the east, Quitman County, and joins United States Highway 61 to go south, Bolivar County.  The county looks like a pistol facing south.  Clarksdale is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Clarksdale is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 69.6% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KOE-HOE-MA.  This county is in the Clarksdale Micropolitan Statistical Area.