Grenada, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Grenada is a city in Grenada County
, Mississippi
, United States
. The population was 14,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
of Grenada County
.
The land from which Grenada County was formed was a part of the Choctaw Indian lands ceded to the United States under the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830. The earliest known white settlers there were missionaries who established an Indian mission school in 1815 near what later became the town of Elliott.
The first town organized in the area was Chocchuma, where the land office for the sale of the Choctaw Indian lands was located. Although the public sale of the Choctaw lands did not start until 1833, two politicians and land speculators. Hiram Runnels and Franklin Plummer were able to purchase choice sites along the banks of the Yalobusha River from individuals who received the land directly under the terms of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. The two plots of land were later sold to other parties and eventually became the rival towns of Pittsburg and Tullahoma. Town lots went on sale in Pittsburg in October, 1833 and in Tullahoma in February, 1834.
The two towns, which were separated only by a section line (now Line Street in Grenada), both prospered and became sharp rivals. In 1835, Tullahoma attempted to annex Pittsburg, and Pittsburg retaliated with an effort to annex Tullahoma. The governor refused both annexation requests.
. Grenada Lake
is located a short distance from the city.
Grenada Lake is a man made lake that falls under the supervision of the Army Corp of Engineers.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 30 square miles (77.7 km²), of which, 30 square miles (77.7 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.
of 2000, there were 14,879 people, 5,701 households, and 3,870 families residing in the city. The population density
was 496.8 people per square mile (191.8/km²). There were 6,210 housing units at an average density of 207.3 per square mile (80.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.28% White, 49.34% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races
, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.
There were 5,701 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples
living together, 22.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,589, and the median income for a family was $31,316. Males had a median income of $27,946 versus $21,913 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,734. About 20.3% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 27.3% of those age 65 or over.
and Kirk Academy, a Christian-based school system.
Newsweek Magazine recognized Grenada Elementary as one of the country's "Break the Mold" schools and named it America’s #1 rural school. The Grenada School District has won national and state awards for programs such as the "Walls that Teach" initiative, the Kidzeum and the "Discovery Lab." Grenada has also been the recipient of three Governor's Awards including one for its art programs.
The Grenada Adult Education Center is the official GED testing center for Grenada County. They also offer free adult literacy, adult basic education, and GED-preparation services. The Center partners with the Grenada League for Adult Development (GLAD http://www.grenadaliteracy.blogspot.com), the Grenada School District http://gsd.k12.ms.us/, and the Elizabeth Jones Library http://www.elizabeth.lib.ms.us to use volunteers and community resources effectively to serve adult learners in Grenada County.
The City of Grenada also has a branch of Holmes Community College http://www.holmescc.edu.
Grenada County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,263 people, 8,820 households, and 6,297 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 9,973 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 14,879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Grenada County
Grenada County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,263 people, 8,820 households, and 6,297 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 9,973 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile...
.
History
Grenada County was formed by an act of the Legislature on May 9, 1879 from lands taken from Carroll, Choctaw, Tallahatchie, and Yalobusha Counties. The city of Grenada, which was incorporated on February 27, 1836, was the largest town among the four counties which were pared to form Grenada County, and it was the natural choice to serve as the new county's seat of government.The land from which Grenada County was formed was a part of the Choctaw Indian lands ceded to the United States under the treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830. The earliest known white settlers there were missionaries who established an Indian mission school in 1815 near what later became the town of Elliott.
The first town organized in the area was Chocchuma, where the land office for the sale of the Choctaw Indian lands was located. Although the public sale of the Choctaw lands did not start until 1833, two politicians and land speculators. Hiram Runnels and Franklin Plummer were able to purchase choice sites along the banks of the Yalobusha River from individuals who received the land directly under the terms of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. The two plots of land were later sold to other parties and eventually became the rival towns of Pittsburg and Tullahoma. Town lots went on sale in Pittsburg in October, 1833 and in Tullahoma in February, 1834.
The two towns, which were separated only by a section line (now Line Street in Grenada), both prospered and became sharp rivals. In 1835, Tullahoma attempted to annex Pittsburg, and Pittsburg retaliated with an effort to annex Tullahoma. The governor refused both annexation requests.
Geography
Grenada is located at 33°46′30"N 89°48′32"W (33.775080, -89.808768). It is situated on the south bank of the Yalobusha RiverYalobusha River
The Yalobusha River is a river, long, in north-central Mississippi in the United States. It is a principal tributary of the Yazoo River, via which it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River....
. Grenada Lake
Grenada Lake
Grenada Lake is a reservoir on the Yalobusha River in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is one of four flood control lakes in North Mississippi constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Grenada Lake was constructed to help control flooding along the Yazoo River Basin...
is located a short distance from the city.
Grenada Lake is a man made lake that falls under the supervision of the Army Corp of Engineers.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 30 square miles (77.7 km²), of which, 30 square miles (77.7 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14,879 people, 5,701 households, and 3,870 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 496.8 people per square mile (191.8/km²). There were 6,210 housing units at an average density of 207.3 per square mile (80.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.28% White, 49.34% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.
There were 5,701 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 22.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 82.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,589, and the median income for a family was $31,316. Males had a median income of $27,946 versus $21,913 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $13,734. About 20.3% of families and 23.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18 and 27.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Pete BoonePete BoonePete Boone is the athletics director for the University of Mississippi .-University of Mississippi:Boone is a 1972 graduate of the University of Mississippi and a native of Grenada, Mississippi...
, University of MississippiUniversity of MississippiThe University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
athletic director, born in Grenada. - Trent LottTrent LottChester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
, U.S. senator, born in Grenada. - Magic SamMagic SamSamuel "Magic Sam" Gene Maghett was an American Chicago blues musician. Maghett was born in Grenada, Mississippi, United States, and learned to play the blues from listening to records by Muddy Waters and Little Walter...
, bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician, born in Grenada. - Donna TarttDonna TarttDonna Tartt is an American writer and author of the novels The Secret History and The Little Friend . She won the WH Smith Literary Award for The Little Friend in 2003.-Early life:...
, author, originated in Grenada. - Eddie WillisEddie WillisEddie "Chank" Willis is an African-American musician. Willis played electric guitar and occasional electric sitar for Motown Records' in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, during the 1960s and early 1970s....
, member of Funk Brothers, born in Grenada. - Jake GibbsJake GibbsJerry Dean "Jake" Gibbs is a former Major League Baseball player who played for the New York Yankees as a platoon catcher from 1962 to 1971. His strong hit record in 1968 earned him the nickname "Dead-Eye" Gibbs...
, MLB baseball player, All American football player. - William WinterWilliam Winter (politician)William Forrest Winter is an American politician from Mississippi. He served as the 58th Governor of Mississippi from 1980 to 1984 as a Democrat. He is known for his strong support of public education, racial reconciliation, and historic preservation. Winter is best remembered for the passage of...
, former governor of Mississippi. - Mississippi John HurtMississippi John HurtJohn Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
, bluesBluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
folk musician, died in Grenada. - Chris AveryChris AveryChris Avery is a professional arena football fullback / linebacker whom is a free agent in the Arena Football League...
,Proffessional football player, born in Grenada
Education
The City of Grenada is served by the Grenada School DistrictGrenada School District
The Grenada School District is a public school district based in Grenada, Mississippi . The district's boundaries parallel that of Grenada County.-Schools:*Grenada High School *Grenada Middle School...
and Kirk Academy, a Christian-based school system.
Newsweek Magazine recognized Grenada Elementary as one of the country's "Break the Mold" schools and named it America’s #1 rural school. The Grenada School District has won national and state awards for programs such as the "Walls that Teach" initiative, the Kidzeum and the "Discovery Lab." Grenada has also been the recipient of three Governor's Awards including one for its art programs.
The Grenada Adult Education Center is the official GED testing center for Grenada County. They also offer free adult literacy, adult basic education, and GED-preparation services. The Center partners with the Grenada League for Adult Development (GLAD http://www.grenadaliteracy.blogspot.com), the Grenada School District http://gsd.k12.ms.us/, and the Elizabeth Jones Library http://www.elizabeth.lib.ms.us to use volunteers and community resources effectively to serve adult learners in Grenada County.
The City of Grenada also has a branch of Holmes Community College http://www.holmescc.edu.
See also
- Billups Neon Crossing SignalBillups Neon Crossing SignalThe Billups Neon Crossing Signal was a prototypical grade crossing signal installed at a dangerous Illinois Central crossing on Mississippi Highway 7 in Grenada, Mississippi....
A unique railroad crossing signal erected in Grenada.