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Greenwood, Mississippi
City
Howard Street in Greenwood
FlagSeal
Location of Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood, MississippiLocation in the United States
Coordinates: 33°31′07″N 90°12′02″W / 33.51861°N 90.20056°W / 33.51861; -90.20056
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Leflore
Government
• Mayor	Carolyn McAdams (I)
Area
• Total	12.69 sq mi (302.87 km)
• Land	12.34 sq mi (301.95 km)
• Water	0.36 sq mi (0.92 km)
Elevation	128 ft (39 m)
Population
• Total	14,490
• Density	1,174.71/sq mi (453.56/km)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	38930, 38935
Area code	662
FIPS code	28-29340
GNIS feature ID	2403757
Website	www.greenwoodms.com

Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, and 130 miles south of the riverport of Memphis, Tennessee. It was a center of cotton planter culture in the 19th century.

The population was 15,205 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Greenwood Micropolitan Statistical Area. Greenwood developed at the confluence of the Tallahatchie and the Yalobusha rivers, which form the Yazoo River.

History

European settlement

The first Euro-American settlement on the banks of the Yazoo River was a trading post founded in 1834 by Colonel Dr. John J. Dilliard and known as Dilliard's Landing. The settlement had competition from Greenwood Leflore's rival landing called Point Leflore, located three miles up the Yazoo River. The rivalry ended when Captain James Dilliard donated parcels in exchange for a commitment from the townsmen to maintain an all-weather turnpike to the hill section to the east, along with a stagecoach road to the more established settlements to the northwest.

The settlement was incorporated as "Greenwood" in 1844, named after Chief Greenwood LeFlore. The success of the city, founded during a strong international demand for cotton, was based on its strategic location in the heart of the Delta: on the easternmost point of the alluvial plain, and astride the Tallahatchie and Yazoo rivers. The city served as a shipping point for cotton to major markets in New Orleans, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri.

The construction of railroads through the area in the 1880s revitalized the city; two rail lines ran to downtown Greenwood close to the Yazoo River, and shortened transportation to markets. Greenwood again emerged as a prime shipping point for cotton. Downtown's Front Street, bordering the Yazoo, was dominated by cotton factors and related businesses, earning that section the name "Cotton Row".

20th century

The city continued to prosper well into the 1940s. Cotton production suffered in Mississippi during the infestation of the boll weevil in the early 20th century; however, for many years the bridge over the Yazoo displayed the sign "World's Largest Inland Long Staple Cotton Market".

Cotton cultivation and processing became largely mechanized in the first half of the 20th century, displacing thousands of sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Since the late 20th century, some Mississippi farmers have begun to replace cotton with corn and soybeans as commodity crops; with the textile manufacturing industry having shifted overseas, farmers can gain stronger prices for the newer crops, used mostly as animal feed.

Greenwood's Grand Boulevard was once named one of America's 10 most beautiful streets by the U.S. Chambers of Commerce and the Garden Clubs of America. Sally Humphreys Gwin, a charter member of the Greenwood Garden Club, planted the 1,000 oak trees that line Grand Boulevard. In 1950, Gwin received a citation from the National Congress of the Daughters of the American Revolution in recognition of her work in the conservation of trees.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.5 square miles (25 km), of which 9.2 square miles (24 km) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km) is water.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 14,490 people, 4,924 households, and 2,793 families residing in the city.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 15,205 people and 6,022 households in the city. The population density was 1,237.7 inhabitants per square mile (477.9/km). There were 6,759 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 30.4% White, 67.0% Black, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, <0.1% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

Among the 6,022 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.8% were married couples living together, 29.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals living alone and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.16.

Arts and culture

Mississippi Blues Trail markers

Radio station WGRM on Howard Street was the location of B.B. King's first live broadcast in 1940. On Sunday nights, King performed live gospel music as part of a quartet. In memory of this event, the Mississippi Blues Trail has placed its third historic marker in this town at the site of the former radio station. Another Mississippi Blues Trail marker is placed near the grave of the blues singer Robert Johnson. A third Blues Trail marker notes the Elks Lodge in the city, which was an important black organization. A fourth Blues Trail marker was dedicated to Hubert Sumlin that is located along the Yazoo River on River Road.

Government

Local government

Greenwood is governed under a city council form of government, composed of council members elected from seven single-member wards and headed by a mayor, who is elected at-large.

Education

Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District (GLCSD) operates public schools. Previously the majority of the city was in Greenwood Public School District while small portions were in the Leflore County School District. These two districts consolidated into GLCSD on July 1, 2019. Greenwood High School is the only public high school in Greenwood. As of 2014, the student body is 99% black. Amanda Elzy High School, outside of the Greenwood city limits, was formerly of the Leflore County district. It was recently taken over by the State of Mississippi for poor performance as a result of deficient leadership.

Pillow Academy, a private school, is located in unincorporated Leflore County, near Greenwood.

Delta Streets Academy, a newly founded private school located in downtown Greenwood, has an enrollment of nearly 50 students. It has continued to increase enrollment.

St. Francis Catholic School, run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson, provides classes from kindergarten through sixth grade.

In addition, North New Summit School provides educational services for special-needs and at-risk children from kindergarten through high school.

Media

Newspapers, magazines and journals

• The Greenwood Commonwealth

Television

• WABG-TV – ABC/Fox affiliate
• WMEL-TV - MeTV affiliate
• WMAO-TV – PBS affiliate

AM/FM radio

• WABG, 960 AM (blues)
• WGNG, 106.3 FM (hip-hop/urban contemporary)
• WGNL, 104.3 FM (urban adult contemporary/blues)
• WGRM, 1240 AM (gospel)
• WGRM-FM, 93.9 FM (gospel)
• WMAO-FM, 90.9 FM (NPR broadcasting)
• WKXG, 92.7 FM (Country music) KIX-92.7
• WYMX, 99.1 FM (classic rock)

Filming location

Nightmare in Badham County (1976), Ode to Billy Joe (1976), and The Help (2011) were filmed in Greenwood. The 1991 movie Mississippi Masala was also set and filmed in Greenwood.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Railroads

Greenwood is served by two major rail lines. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Greenwood, connecting New Orleans to Chicago from Greenwood station.

Air transportation

Greenwood is served by Greenwood–Leflore Airport (GWO) to the east, and is located midway between Jackson, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee. It is about halfway between Dallas, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.

Highways

• U.S. Route 82 runs through Greenwood on its way from Georgia's Atlantic coast (Brunswick, Georgia) to the White Sands of New Mexico (east of Las Cruces).
• U.S. Route 49 passes through Greenwood as it stretches between Piggott, Arkansas, south to Gulfport.
• Other Greenwood highways include Mississippi Highway 7.

Notable people

• Valerie Brisco-Hooks, Olympic athlete
• C. C. Brown, professional football player
• Nora Jean Bruso, blues singer and songwriter
• Louis Coleman, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Byron De La Beckwith, white supremacist, assassin of civil rights leader Medgar Evers
• Carlos Emmons, professional football player
• Betty Everett, R&B vocalist and pianist
• James L. Flanagan, electrical engineer and speech scientist
• Alphonso Ford, professional basketball player
• Webb Franklin, United States congressman
• Morgan Freeman, actor
• Jim Gallagher, Jr., professional golfer
• Bobbie Gentry, singer/songwriter
• Sherrod Gideon, professional football player
• Gerald Glass, professional basketball player
• Guitar Slim, blues musician
• Lusia Harris, basketball player
• Endesha Ida Mae Holland, American scholar, playwright, and civil rights activist
• Dave Hoskins, professional baseball player
• Kent Hull, professional football player
• Tom Hunley, ex-slave and the inspiration for the character "Hambone" in J. P. Alley's syndicated cartoon feature, Hambone's Meditations
• Robert Johnson, blues musician
• Jermaine Jones, soccer player for the New England Revolution and United States national team
• Cleo Lemon, Toronto Argonauts quarterback
• Walter "Furry" Lewis, blues musician
• Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida
• Della Campbell MacLeod (ca. 1884 – ?), author and journalist
• Paul Maholm, baseball pitcher
• Matt Miller, baseball pitcher
• Mulgrew Miller, jazz pianist
• Juanita Moore, actress
• Carrie Nye, actress
• W. Allen Pepper Jr., US federal judge
• Fenton Robinson, blues singer/guitarist
• Laverne Smith, NFL player
• Tonea Stewart, actress
• Hubert Sumlin, blues guitarist
• Donna Tartt, novelist
• James K. Vardaman, Mississippi governor, senator, and white supremacist
• Charlie Wells, mystery writer, author of Let the Night Fall (1953) and The Last Kill (1955)
• Willye B. White, Olympic athlete

See also

References

1. "Carolyn McAdams – Delta Business Journal". Retrieved November 29, 2024.
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Greenwood, Mississippi
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. ^ Donny Whitehead; Mary Carol Miller (September 14, 2009). Greenwood. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-6786-0. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
6. Smith, Frank E. (1954). The Yazoo River. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 57-58. ISBN 0-87805-355-7
7. "Greenwood, Mississippi | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation". www.achp.gov. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
8. Krauss, Clifford. "Mississippi Farmers Trade Cotton Plantings for Corn", The New York Times, May 5, 2009
9. "NewspaperArchive® - Genealogy & Family History Records". Newspaperarchive.com. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
10. Kirkpatrick, Mario Carter. Mississippi Off the Beaten Path, GPP Travel, 2007.
11. "NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
12. "Station: Greenwood Leflore AP, MS". U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
13. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
14. "Explore Census Data". Data.census.gov. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
15. "Greenwood Mississippi". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
16. Cloues, Kacey. "Great Southern Getaways - Mississippi" (PDF). Atlantamagazine.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 25, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
17. "Historical marker placed on Mississippi Blues Trail". Associated Press. January 25, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
18. "Film crew chronicles blues markers" (PDF). The Greenwood Commonwealth. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
19. Widen, Larry. "JS Online: Blues trail". Jsonline.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
20. "Mississippi Blues Commission - Blues Trail". Msbluestrail.org. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
21. "Mississippi Blues Commission - Blues Trail". Msbluestrail.org. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
22. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Leflore County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
23. "School District Consolidation in Mississippi Archived 2017-07-02 at the Wayback Machine." Mississippi Professional Educators. December 2016. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. Page 2 (PDF p. 3/6).
24. "Home". St. Francis Catholic School. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
25. Barth, Jack (1991). Roadside Hollywood: The Movie Lover's State-By-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More. Contemporary Books, p. 169. ISBN 9780809243266.
26. "Mississippi Masala (1991) Filming & Production". IMDb. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
27. Mike Celizic (February 11, 1985). "Stardom Comes too Slowly for Speedster". The Record. p. s09.
28. "C.C. Brown". Detroit Lions. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
29. Richard Skelly. "Nora Jean Bruso | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
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31. "A Little Abnormal: The Life of Byron De La Beckwith". Time. July 5, 1963. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
32. "Football Signings in the Mid-South". The Commercial Appeal. February 7, 1991. p. D5.
33. "Betty Everett, 61, of 'The Shoop Shoop Song'". New York Times. August 23, 2001. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
34. Bryan Crawford (October 29, 2009). "Ford left huge legacy in Euroleague basketball". Greenwood Commonwealth.
35. "Franklin, William Webster, (1941 - )". U.S. Congress. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
36. ^ "Carl Small Town Center Continues Making a Difference in the Delta". US Fed News. December 4, 2013.
37. Bill Burrus (July 19, 2012). "A hectic week for golfing Gallaghers". Greenwood Commonwealth.
38. John Howard (October 10, 2001). Men Like That: A Southern Queer History. University of Chicago Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-226-35470-5.
39. "Sherrod Gideon". TheProFootballArchives. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
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44. Filip Bondy (April 27, 2010). Chasing the Game: America and the Quest for the World Cup. Da Capo Press, Incorporated. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-306-81905-6.
45. "Cleo Lemon". Nfl.com. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
46. Paul Oliver (September 27, 1984). Songsters and Saints: Vocal Traditions on Race Records. Cambridge University Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-521-26942-1.
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50. Bob Doerschuk (2001). 88: The Giants of Jazz Piano. Backbeat Books. p. 287. ISBN 978-0-87930-656-4.
51. "Juanita Moore dies at 99; 'Imitation of Life' actress earned Oscar nod". Los Angeles Times. January 2, 2014.
52. Max Apple (1976). Mom, the Flag, and Apple Pie: Great American Writers on Great American Things. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-385-11459-2.
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54. Nigel Williamson; Robert Plant (April 2, 2007). The rough guide to the blues. Rough Guides. p. 308. ISBN 978-1-84353-519-5.
55. Bob McCann (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-7864-5804-2.
56. Jas Obrecht (2000). Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists. Miller Freeman Books. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-87930-613-7.
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External links

• City of Greenwood

v t e Municipalities and communities of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States
County seat: Greenwood
Cities	Greenwood Itta Bena
Towns	Morgan City Schlater Sidon
CDP	Mississippi Valley State University
Unincorporated communities	Berclair Browning Highlandale McNutt Minter City‡ Money Quito Rising Sun Ruby Shellmound Sunnyside Swiftown Wildwood
Ghost town	Colony Town
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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