Greenwood, Mississippi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greenwood, Mississippi
City
Howard Street in Greenwood
Flag Seal
Location of Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood, Mississippi Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Leflore
Area
• Total	12.69 sq mi (302.87 km2)
• Land	12.34 sq mi (301.95 km2)
• Water	0.36 sq mi (0.92 km2)
Elevation	128 ft (39 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,490
• Density	1,174.71/sq mi (453.56/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	38930, 38935
Area code(s)	662
FIPS code	28-29340
GNIS feature ID	2403757

Greenwood is a city in Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. It is the main city where the county government is located. Greenwood is on the eastern side of the Mississippi Delta region. It is about 96 miles north of Jackson, the state capital. It is also 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.

In the 1800s, Greenwood was a key place for growing cotton. The city's population was 14,490 in 2020. It is the main city in the Greenwood Micropolitan Statistical Area. Greenwood grew where the Tallahatchie and Yalobusha rivers meet. These two rivers then form the Yazoo River.

History of Greenwood

Howard Street

Front Street buildings along the Yazoo River

Early Settlement and Growth

The first European settlement along the Yazoo River began in 1834. It was a trading post started by John J. Dilliard. This place was known as Dilliard's Landing. Another landing nearby, called Point Leflore, was owned by Greenwood Leflore.

The competition between the two landings ended when James Dilliard gave away land. In return, the townspeople promised to build a good road to the eastern hills. They also built a stagecoach road to older towns in the northwest.

In 1844, the settlement officially became a city named "Greenwood." It was named after Chief Greenwood LeFlore. The city became successful because of its location. It was in the middle of the Delta, where the Tallahatchie and Yazoo rivers met. This made it easy to ship cotton to big markets. Cotton was sent to places like New Orleans, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri.

Railroads and Cotton Trade

In the 1880s, new railroads were built through the area. This helped the city grow even more. Two train lines went right into downtown Greenwood, near the Yazoo River. This made it faster to transport goods to markets. Greenwood became a very important place for shipping cotton again.

Front Street, which is downtown and borders the Yazoo River, was full of businesses that dealt with cotton. This area was even called "Cotton Row."

Greenwood in the 20th Century

Greenwood continued to do well until the 1940s. Cotton farming in Mississippi faced problems when tiny insects called boll weevils spread in the early 1900s. However, for many years, a sign on the bridge over the Yazoo River proudly said, "World's Largest Inland Long Staple Cotton Market."

Over time, cotton farming and processing became more machine-based. This meant that thousands of sharecroppers and tenant farmers lost their jobs. Since the late 1900s, some farmers in Mississippi have started growing corn and soybeans instead of cotton. These new crops are mostly used for animal feed. Farmers can get better prices for them now that textile factories have moved overseas.

Greenwood's Grand Boulevard was once called one of America's 10 most beautiful streets. This was decided by the U.S. Chambers of Commerce and the Garden Clubs of America. Sally Humphreys Gwin, who helped start the Greenwood Garden Club, planted 1,000 oak trees along Grand Boulevard. In 1950, she was honored for her work in protecting trees.

Geography and Weather

City Area

The United States Census Bureau says that Greenwood covers about 9.5 square miles (24.6 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, and a small part is water.

Climate in Greenwood

Greenwood has a climate with warm summers and mild winters. It gets a good amount of rain throughout the year.

People in Greenwood

Population Changes Over Time

Greenwood's Population in 2020

In 2020, there were 14,490 people living in Greenwood. There were 4,924 households and 2,793 families.

Greenwood's Population in 2010

In 2010, Greenwood had 15,205 people and 6,022 households. The city had about 1,238 people per square mile. There were 6,759 homes or housing units.

The population was made up of different groups:

• 30.4% White
• 67.0% Black
• 0.1% Native American
• 0.9% Asian
• Less than 0.1% Pacific Islander
• Less than 0.1% from other races
• 0.5% from two or more races.
• About 1.1% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Among the households, 28.7% had children under 18 living with them. About 29.8% were married couples. 29.0% had a female head of household with no husband present. 4.6% had a male head of household with no wife present. About 36.6% were not families.

Also, 32.5% of all households had only one person living alone. About 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years old or older. On average, there were 2.48 people per household. The average family size was 3.16 people.

Culture and Education

Mississippi Blues Trail Markers

WGRM Radio Studio Blues Trail marker

The radio station WGRM on Howard Street is famous. It was where B.B. King first broadcast live in 1940. On Sunday nights, King sang live gospel music with his quartet. To remember this, the Mississippi Blues Trail placed a historic marker there.

Another Mississippi Blues Trail marker is near the grave of blues singer Robert Johnson. A third marker is at the Elks Lodge. This was an important organization for Black people. A fourth marker honors Hubert Sumlin. It is located along the Yazoo River on River Road.

Schools in Greenwood

The Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District (GLCSD) runs the public schools. Before July 1, 2019, most of the city was in the Greenwood Public School District. Small parts were in the Leflore County School District. These two districts joined to form GLCSD.

Greenwood High School is the only public high school in Greenwood. In 2014, almost all the students there were Black. Amanda Elzy High School, which is outside Greenwood, used to be in the Leflore County district. The State of Mississippi took it over because of poor performance.

There are also private schools. Pillow Academy is in unincorporated Leflore County, near Greenwood. Delta Streets Academy is a newer private school in downtown Greenwood. It has about 50 students and is growing.

St. Francis Catholic School is run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson. It teaches children from kindergarten to sixth grade. North New Summit School helps children with special needs. It serves students from kindergarten through high school.

Media and Filming

Local Television and Radio

Greenwood has several TV and radio stations:

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

Radio stations include:

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

Movies Filmed in Greenwood

Several movies have been filmed in Greenwood. These include:

• Nightmare in Badham County (1976)
• Ode to Billy Joe (1976)
• The Help (2011)
• Mississippi Masala (1991) was also set and filmed here.

Transportation

Rail and Air Travel

Greenwood has two main train lines. Amtrak, the national passenger train system, serves Greenwood. You can travel from New Orleans to Chicago from the Greenwood station.

The Greenwood–Leflore Airport (GWO) is east of the city. Greenwood is located about halfway between Jackson, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee. It is also roughly halfway between Dallas, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia.

Major Highways

• U.S. Route 82 goes through Greenwood. It stretches from Georgia's Atlantic coast to the White Sands in New Mexico.
• U.S. Route 49 also passes through Greenwood. It runs from Piggott, Arkansas, south to Gulfport.
• Another highway in Greenwood is Mississippi Highway 7.

Notable People from Greenwood

See also

In Spanish: Greenwood (Misisipi) para niños