Greenwood is situated in Leflore County, Mississippi at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta, approximately 96 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, and 130 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,425. It is the county seat of Leflore County. The Tallahatchie River and the Yalobusha River meet at Greenwood to form the Yazoo River. Greenwood is the gateway to the Delta and has a vast array of things to do, places to visit, first-class shopping and wonderful world-renowned dining and lodging options. It is home to such corporations as Viking Range, Milwaukee Electric Tool, Staplcotn, America's Catch and Heartland Catfish, John-Richard, Balkamp and more. Greenwood is alive with cultural opportunities, including live blues music, live theater productions, museum exhibits, offerings of various art and culinary classes and much more.
Greenwood is located at 33°31'7" North, 90°11'2" West (33.518719, -90.183883).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.7 km2 (9.5 mi2). 23.9 km2 (9.2 mi2) of it is land and 0.8 km2 (0.3 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 3.15% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 18,425 people, 6,916 households, and 4,523 families residing in the city. The population density is 771.6/km2 (1,997.8/mi2). There are 7,565 housing units at an average density of 316.8/km2 (820.3/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 32.82% White, 65.36% Black, 0.11% Native American, 0.91% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 6,916 households out of which 34.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.4% are married couples living together, 27.4% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% are non-families. 31.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.59 and the average family size is 3.29.
In the city the population is spread out with 31.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 75.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $21,867, and the median income for a family is $26,393. Males have a median income of $27,267 versus $18,578 for females. The per capita income for the city is $14,461. 33.9% of the population and 28.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 47.0% of those under the age of 18 and 20.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The flood plain of the Mississippi River has long been an area rich in vegetation and wildlife, feeding off the Mississippi and its numerous tributaries. Long before Europeans migrated to America, the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian nations settled in the Delta's marsh and swampland. In 1830, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek was signed by Choctaw Chief Greenwood Leflore, opening the swampland to European settlers.
The first settlement on the banks of the Yazoo River was a trading post founded by John Williams in 1830 and known as Williams Landing. The settlement quickly blossomed, and in 1844 was incorporated as Greenwood, named after Chief Greenwood Leflore. Growing into a strong cotton market, the key to the city's success was based on its strategic geographic location in the heart of the Delta; on the easternmost point of the alluvial plain and astride the Tallahatchie River and the Yazoo River. The city served as a shipping point to New Orleans, Louisiana, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee and St. Louis, Missouri. Greenwood continued to prosper until the latter part of the American Civil War.
During that war, Greenwood played an important, if little-known, role in the famous Siege of Vicksburg. In early 1863, it was clear that the Union intended to attack the strategic port of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. After failed attempts at a frontal assault of the city, General Ulysses S. Grant hatched a new plan to attack from the rear by way of the Tallahatchie and Yazoo Rivers. A hastily constructed Confederate fort was placed between the two rivers at Fort Pemberton. Here the Confederates met the oncoming Union flotilla with fierce resistance, successfully stopping their advance. As a result, Grant abandoned the Yazoo Expedition and retreated north to the Mississippi River to assault Vicksburg by another route.
The end of the Civil War in the mid-1860's and the following year of Reconstruction severely diminished the cotton industry and crippled the city's previously thriving economy. Greenwood saw very little growth during these years of hardship.
The arrival of railroads in the 1880's saved the city - with two lines running to downtown Greenwood, close to the Yazoo River. Once again, Greenwood emerged as a prime shipping point for cotton. Downtown's Front Street bordering the Yazoo bustled with cotton factors and other related businesses, earning that section the name Cotton Row. The city continued to prosper in this way well into the 1940's.
Today, in the twenty-first century, Greenwood is experiencing a renaissance. Its historic downtown boasts dozens of completed renovations with several others in progress. There are upscale shops, unique dining experiences, a boutique hotel, galleries and museums. All the while, Greenwood has retained its small-town beauty, Delta personality and deep-South hospitality.
(from the Greenwood Convention and Visitor's Bureau).
Source:
GreenwoodMississippi.com
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