Greenwood, Mississippi | |
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.jpg) Howard Street in Greenwood | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Greenwood, Mississippi | |
  Greenwood, Mississippi Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates:33°31′07″N90°12′02″W / 33.51861°N 90.20056°W /33.51861; -90.20056 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Leflore |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kendrick Cox (D)[1][2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 116.94 sq mi (302.87 km2) |
| • Land | 116.58 sq mi (301.95 km2) |
| • Water | 0.36 sq mi (0.92 km2) |
| Elevation | 128 ft (39 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 14,490 |
| • Density | 1,174.7/sq mi (453.56/km2) |
| 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[4] |
| Website | www |
Greenwood is a city in and thecounty seat ofLeflore County, Mississippi, United States.[5] It is located approximately 96 miles north of the state capital,Jackson, at the eastern edge of theMississippi Delta,Memphis, Tennessee is and 130 miles to its north. As of to the2010 census, the population was 15,205. It is the principal city of the GreenwoodMicropolitan Statistical Area.
The first European-American settlement in the area was established in 1834 next to theYazoo River. A nearby settlement was founded by Chief Greenwood Leflore. The city was incorporated as "Greenwood" in 1844. It became a center ofcottonplanting in the 19th century, as it is located in the fertile Mississippi delta, and became a port for shipping cotton to markets along the Mississippi. Railroads built in the 1880s bolstered the local economy, especially the cotton business. In the first half of the 20th century, Cotton growing and processing became largely mechanized, reducing the need forsharecroppers and farmerworkers. Later in the 20th century, some farmers shifted to corn and soybeans.
Sally Humphreys Gwin planted 1,000 oak trees along the city's Grand Boulevard.Stokely Carmichael gave his "Black Power" speech in Greenwood in 1966.
The first settlement by European-Americnas in the area, next to theYazoo River, was a trading post founded in 1834.[6]: 7 [7] Three miles up the river was another settlement founded by Chief Greenwood Leflore called Point Leflore. Soon an exchange of some parcels of land were made by Leflore for a commitment from the townsmen to maintain roads to the hilly area to the east and to some more established settlements to the northwest.[8]
The settlement was incorporated as "Greenwood" in 1844, named after the chief. During this period, the city began producing a crop much in demand,cotton, due its fertile location in the Mississippi delta'salluvial plain near the interseciton of theTallahatchie and theYalobusha rivers, which combine to form the Yazoo. The city became as a shipping point for cotton to markets inNew Orleans,Vicksburg, Mississippi,Memphis, Tennessee, andSt. Louis, Missouri.[9]
The construction of theYazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad and theGeorgia Pacific Railway through the city in the 1880s revitalized the local economy[6]: 8 and shortened transportation time to markets. Along the banks of the Yazoo, the city's Front Street became a hub for cottonfactors and related businesses, and was nicknamed "Cotton Row".
Business was brisk into the 1940s except for during theboll weevil infestation in the early 20th century. A sign seen on the city's bridge over the Yazoo river read "World's Largest Inland Long Staple Cotton Market". Growing and processing cotton became mechanized in the first half of the 20th century, and thousands of tenant farmers, farmworkers andsharecroppers in the area were displaced. Later in the 20th century, as textile manufacturing moved out of the U.S., some local farmers began to grow corn and soybeans for animal feed instead of cotton.[10]
The U.S. Chambers of Commerce and the Garden Clubs of America have called city's Grand Boulevard one of America's 10 most beautiful streets. Sally Humphreys Gwin, a founder of the Greenwood Garden Club, planted 1,000oak trees along the Grand Boulevard. In 1950, Gwin received a citation from the National Congress of theDaughters of the American Revolution for her work in the conservation of trees.[11][12]
ActivistStokely Carmichael notably gave his "Black Power" speech during aMarch Against Fear rally which was held in Greenwood on June 16, 1966.[13]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.5 square miles (25 km2), of which 9.2 square miles (24 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) is water.[citation needed]
| Climate data for Greenwood, Mississippi (Greenwood–Leflore Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1948–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) | 84 (29) | 88 (31) | 94 (34) | 100 (38) | 104 (40) | 105 (41) | 106 (41) | 103 (39) | 100 (38) | 89 (32) | 85 (29) | 106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 73.9 (23.3) | 76.7 (24.8) | 82.8 (28.2) | 86.8 (30.4) | 91.7 (33.2) | 95.0 (35.0) | 97.9 (36.6) | 98.8 (37.1) | 96.0 (35.6) | 89.9 (32.2) | 81.8 (27.7) | 75.7 (24.3) | 99.8 (37.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.2 (12.3) | 58.8 (14.9) | 67.2 (19.6) | 75.2 (24.0) | 82.9 (28.3) | 89.1 (31.7) | 91.5 (33.1) | 91.9 (33.3) | 87.3 (30.7) | 77.3 (25.2) | 65.7 (18.7) | 57.1 (13.9) | 74.8 (23.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 44.4 (6.9) | 48.3 (9.1) | 56.1 (13.4) | 64.0 (17.8) | 72.3 (22.4) | 79.0 (26.1) | 81.5 (27.5) | 81.1 (27.3) | 75.6 (24.2) | 64.9 (18.3) | 53.8 (12.1) | 47.1 (8.4) | 64.0 (17.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 34.7 (1.5) | 37.9 (3.3) | 45.1 (7.3) | 52.8 (11.6) | 61.7 (16.5) | 68.8 (20.4) | 71.6 (22.0) | 70.4 (21.3) | 63.8 (17.7) | 52.4 (11.3) | 41.9 (5.5) | 37.0 (2.8) | 53.2 (11.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 16.6 (−8.6) | 21.4 (−5.9) | 27.0 (−2.8) | 35.8 (2.1) | 46.5 (8.1) | 58.6 (14.8) | 63.9 (17.7) | 61.9 (16.6) | 48.0 (8.9) | 33.9 (1.1) | 25.7 (−3.5) | 21.5 (−5.8) | 14.6 (−9.7) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −2 (−19) | −4 (−20) | 15 (−9) | 28 (−2) | 35 (2) | 49 (9) | 53 (12) | 52 (11) | 35 (2) | 27 (−3) | 15 (−9) | 2 (−17) | −4 (−20) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.52 (115) | 5.04 (128) | 4.76 (121) | 5.82 (148) | 4.44 (113) | 3.74 (95) | 3.82 (97) | 3.21 (82) | 3.83 (97) | 3.41 (87) | 3.86 (98) | 5.33 (135) | 51.78 (1,315) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.6 | 10.0 | 10.7 | 8.9 | 9.8 | 9.0 | 9.3 | 8.2 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 10.2 | 107.4 |
| Source:NOAA[14][15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 308 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,055 | 242.5% | |
| 1900 | 3,026 | 186.8% | |
| 1910 | 5,836 | 92.9% | |
| 1920 | 7,793 | 33.5% | |
| 1930 | 11,123 | 42.7% | |
| 1940 | 14,767 | 32.8% | |
| 1950 | 18,061 | 22.3% | |
| 1960 | 20,436 | 13.1% | |
| 1970 | 22,400 | 9.6% | |
| 1980 | 20,115 | −10.2% | |
| 1990 | 18,906 | −6.0% | |
| 2000 | 18,425 | −2.5% | |
| 2010 | 15,205 | −17.5% | |
| 2020 | 14,490 | −4.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[16] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 3,646 | 25.16% |
| Black or African American | 10,198 | 70.38% |
| Native American | 7 | 0.05% |
| Asian | 154 | 1.06% |
| Other/Mixed | 276 | 1.9% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 209 | 1.44% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 14,490 people, 4,924 households, and 2,793 families residing in the city.
At the 2010 census,[18] 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/km2). 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 orLatino 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.
Radio stationWGRM on Howard Street was the location ofB.B. King's first live broadcast in 1940. On Sunday nights, King performed livegospel music as part of a quartet.[19] In memory of this event, theMississippi Blues Trail has placed its third historic marker in this town at the site of the former radio station.[20][21]Another Mississippi Blues Trail marker is placed near the grave of the blues singerRobert Johnson.[22] A third Blues Trail marker notes theElks Lodge in the city, which was an important black organization.[23] A fourth Blues Trail marker was dedicated toHubert Sumlin that is located along the Yazoo River on River Road.[24]
Greenwood is governed under acity council form of government, composed of council members elected from sevensingle-member wards and headed by a mayor, who is electedat-large.
In 2025, Democrat Kenderick Cox defeated incumbent mayor Carolyn McAdams, who had been serving since 2009.[29][30][31]
Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District (GLCSD) operates public schools. Previously the majority of the city was inGreenwood Public School District while small portions were in theLeflore County School District.[32] These two districts consolidated into GLCSD on July 1, 2019.[33]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 inunincorporatedLeflore 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 theRoman Catholic Diocese of Jackson, provides classes from kindergarten through sixth grade.[34]
In addition, North New Summit School provides educational services for special-needs and at-risk children from kindergarten through high school.
Nightmare in Badham County (1976),Ode to Billy Joe (1976), andThe Help (2011) were filmed in Greenwood.[35] The 1991 movieMississippi Masala was also set and filmed in Greenwood.[36]
Greenwood is served by two major rail lines.Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Greenwood, connecting New Orleans to Chicago fromGreenwood station.
Greenwood is served byGreenwood–Leflore Airport (GWO) to the east, and is located midway betweenJackson, Mississippi, andMemphis, Tennessee. It is about halfway betweenDallas, Texas, andAtlanta, Georgia.
Municipalities and communities ofLeflore County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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| Geographic | |
| Other | |
