Bude, Mississippi


Bude is a town in Franklin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,063 at the 2010 census. Bude is located on the north bank of the Homochitto River, which bisects the county on a diagonal running from northeast to southwest, where it flows on its way to the Mississippi River. U.S. Routes 98 and 84 run by Bude.
American Railcar Industries operates a large maintenance shop in Bude.
Bude appeared in a March 2017 segment of 60 Minutes because its chess team won the state championship.

History

Bude was founded by European Americans in 1912 and named for the former home in England of Mrs. F.L. Peck, whose husband was one of the town's founders.

Geography

Bude is located in central Franklin County. It is east of Meadville, the county seat. US 84 leads east to Brookhaven, and US 98 leads southeast to McComb. The two highways together lead west to Natchez.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Bude has a total area of, of which, or 0.33%, is water.
As the town is in the center of southwest Mississippi, there is a Mississippi Public Broadcasting radio and TV antenna located in the town.

Demographics

RaceNum.Perc.
White 34444.1%
Black or African American 40652.05%
Other/Mixed182.31%
Hispanic or Latino121.54%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 780 people, 359 households, and 175 families residing in the town.

Education

Bude is served by the Franklin County School District.

In popular culture

Bude is mentioned in John Grisham's novel The Chamber:
The white male selected a phone number. His conversation went something like this: "Hello, this is Lester Crosby, from Bude, Mississippi. I'm calling about the execution of Sam Cayhall. Yes ma'am. My number? It's 555-9084. Yes, that's right, Bude, Mississippi, down here in Franklin County."

Notable people