Oktibbeha County, Mississippi

Oktibbeha County
County
Postcard. Textile Building of Mississippi State University, Starkville
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 33°26′N 88°53′W / 33.43°N 88.88°W / 33.43; -88.88
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1833
Named for	The name Oktibbeha is a Native American word meaning either "Bloody water" (because of a battle fought on the banks) or possibly "Icy creek".[1]
Seat	Starkville
Largest city	Starkville
Area
• Total	462 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	458 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Water	3.7 sq mi (10 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	51,788
• Density	110/sq mi (43/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 3rd
Website	www.oktibbehacountyms.org

Oktibbeha County is a county in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census the population was 51,788.^[2] The county seat is Starkville. The county's name is derived from a local Native American^{[clarification needed]} word meaning either "bloody water" or "icy creek". The Choctaw had long occupied much of this territory prior to European exploration and United States acquisition.

Mississippi State University, a public research university and land-grant institution, is in Oktibbeha County.

Oktibbeha County is conterminous with the Starkville, MS Micropolitian Statistical Area. The county is part of the Golden Triangle region of Mississippi, designated for joint regional development strategies.