The first settlement at Highland was made in 1837 by missionaries. Highland was laid out in 1857. It was named after the city ofHighland, Illinois. The founders of Highland planned from the start for their city to be a place of higher learning, and soon after the town was laid out, Highland University was established.
Geography
Highland is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
At the 2010 census, there were 1,012 people, 296 households and 155 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 372 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 84.7% White, 10.0% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 296 households of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couplesliving together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.6% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 21.8 years. 12.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 41.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.6% were from 25 to 44; 17.2% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The sex makeup of the city was 53.3% male and 46.7% female.
At the 2000 census, there were 976 people, 316 households and 169 families living in the city. The population density was 1,842.6 per square mile. There were 344 housing units at an average density of 649.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 90.27% White, 5.74% African American, 1.02% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.92% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population. There were 316 households of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.76. 12.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 36.5% from 18 to 24, 14.2% from 25 to 44, 15.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males. The median household income was $25,250 and the median family income was $37,969. Males had a median income of $30,298 compared with $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,341. About 9.0% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
