Montgomery County is a county in Mississippi, United States, centred on the crossroads town of Winona in the hill country between the Delta and the Black Prairie. It had a population of 9,822 at the 2020 census and covers 408 square miles (1,060 km2) centred near 33°30′N 89°37′W.
Winona is the county seat, and its postal code is 38967. The county has one city, two towns, and one census-designated place, plus a scatter of unincorporated communities. It sits in the Central time zone and carries FIPS code 28097.
Towns & Villages in Montgomery County
Montgomery County has three incorporated municipalities — one city and two towns — along with the census-designated place of Stewart and a dozen unincorporated crossroads communities. The table below lists every named place carried forward from county records, with 2020 census figures where the place is tabulated separately.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winona | City · seat | 4,505 | 38967 |
| Duck Hill | Town | 619 | 38925 |
| Kilmichael | Town | 639 | 39747 |
| Stewart | CDP | — | — |
| Alva | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Cedar Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Eskridge | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Foltz | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Fox | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Hendrix | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Huntsville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lilac | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Lodi | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Minerva | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Poplar Creek | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Poplar Springs | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sawyer | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sibleyton | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sugar Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sweatman | Unincorp. | — | — |
Winona is the only city; Duck Hill and Kilmichael are the county’s two incorporated towns. Stewart, in the county’s southeast, is unincorporated but large enough to be tracked as its own census-designated place. The remaining names are rural crossroads and former rail sidings without their own municipal government or census tabulation.
ZIP Codes
- 38967 — Winona (also serves surrounding rural Montgomery County)
- 38925 — Duck Hill
- 39747 — Kilmichael
Stewart and the smaller unincorporated communities use the ZIP code of their nearest post office town rather than one of their own.
Geography
Montgomery County lies in the north-central hill country of Mississippi, on the transitional ground between the Yalobusha Hills to the north and the Black Prairie belt farther east. Most of the county is rolling, wooded upland cut by small creeks; the far western edge dips toward the Delta lowlands. The Big Black River rises in the county and drains much of its southern half, while smaller streams feed Grenada Lake to the north. Of the county’s 408 square miles, 407 square miles are land and 0.9 square miles are water.
Montgomery County borders Grenada County to the north, Webster County to the northeast, Choctaw County to the east, Attala County to the south, and Carroll County to the west.
Demographics
Montgomery County recorded a population of 9,822 at the 2020 census, spread across roughly 24 people per square mile. Winona, the county seat, is by far the largest place with 4,505 residents; Kilmichael, the second-largest municipality, has 639. Median household income in the county runs well below the Mississippi median of $54,203, reflecting the area’s rural, agriculture- and timber-based economy.
Economy & Local Life
Timber and forest products have anchored the local economy since the post-Civil War era, when the county’s hilly eastern half turned to pine and hardwood harvesting. That base persists today: Biewer Lumber announced a $130 million sawmill development for Winona in 2021, expected to bring more than 150 jobs to the area. Winona also sits at the junction of Interstate 55 and U.S. Highways 51 and 82, giving it a long history as a distribution and travel-center stop — Pilot Travel Centers opened a location there in 2005. The Winona-Montgomery County Consolidated School District serves the whole county. Away from Winona, farming and cattle raising remain the mainstay of the smaller communities.
History
Montgomery County was organized in 1871 out of parts of Carroll and Choctaw counties, and named either for Revolutionary War general Richard Montgomery or, indirectly, after Montgomery County, Tennessee. Winona was incorporated earlier, in 1861, once the railroad reached the site, and a fire in April 1888 destroyed roughly 80 percent of its business district. The county carries a heavier civil-rights history than most: Winona is where Fannie Lou Hamer was arrested and beaten in the county jail on June 9, 1963, and Duck Hill was the site of the widely publicized 1937 lynching of Roosevelt Townes and Robert McDaniels, an atrocity that helped drive federal anti-lynching legislation efforts in Congress, though those bills were ultimately blocked by Southern Democratic senators.
Getting There
Interstate 55 runs north–south through the county, crossed by U.S. Highways 51 and 82 at Winona.
- Grenada — 20 miles north
- Kosciusko — 25 miles south
- Greenwood — 30 miles west
- Starkville — 45 miles east
The nearest commercial airport is Golden Triangle Regional Airport near Columbus, roughly 75 miles to the east.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Montgomery County, Mississippi?
It lies in north-central Mississippi, along Interstate 55 between Grenada and Winona, roughly halfway between Memphis and Jackson.
What is the population of Montgomery County?
9,822 residents at the 2020 census.
How big is Montgomery County?
408 square miles (1,060 km2), of which 407 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Montgomery County?
Winona is the county seat.
How many towns are in Montgomery County?
One city (Winona) and two towns (Duck Hill and Kilmichael), plus the CDP of Stewart and about a dozen unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Montgomery County?
38967 (Winona), 38925 (Duck Hill), and 39747 (Kilmichael).
What is Montgomery County known for?
Its role in the civil rights movement — Fannie Lou Hamer’s 1963 arrest and beating in the Winona jail — and its position at the I-55/U.S. 51/U.S. 82 crossroads, which locals call “The Crossroads.”
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Mississippi.