Collins

History

Collins was originally incorporated as Williamsburg Depot in 1899. The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad had completed construction, and bypassed Williamsburg, the county seat at that time. The sawmills moved to the new town of Williamsburg Depot in order to be closer to the railroad. As lumber was an important industry during the time, the town moved with them. Not long after, Williamsburg Depot grew to a town of 6,000 - 7,000 people. Eventually, the difficulties of having such a long town name, Williamsburg Depot, became clear. The length caused many people to write it over their stamps, voiding the postage. In order to correct this issue, the postmaster asked to have the town name changed in 1905, and the postal service came up with a short and easy name "Bad". For reasons that may be clear, the residents rejected this name, and eventually came up with Collins, in honor of Fred W. Collins, leader of the state's Republican party and U. S. Marshal for the Southern District of Mississippi. The town's name was officially changed on November 24, 1906. In 1906, a portion of the west side of Covington County became Jefferson Davis County. As a result, Williamsburg lost its position at the center of the county, and a new county seat was needed. Collins eventually emerged over Seminary and Ora, Mississippi, and a new county courthouse was built. The first court place was held in 1908.

Geography

Collins is located near the center of Covington County, along the southwest side of Okatoma Creek, a tributary of the Bowie River and part of the Pascagoula River watershed. According to the United States Census Bureau, Collins has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.37%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  98
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  83
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  79
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  72
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  66
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  57
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  50
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  48

Largest nearby schools

• SEMINARY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · Seminary · 427 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• SEMINARY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · SEMINARY · 388 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• SEMINARY MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · Seminary · 383 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• COLLINS ELEMENTARY
  Elementary · COLLINS · 368 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• MOUNT OLIVE ATTENDANCE CENTER
  Other · Mount Olive · 333 students · 9.3:1 ratio
• CARVER MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · COLLINS · 266 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• COLLINS HIGH SCHOOL
  High · COLLINS · 242 students · 10.1:1 ratio
• HOPEWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · COLLINS · 202 students · 9.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3 — 2025-03-15
  5 km NNE of Magee, Mississippi