Leland, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
| City of Leland | |
 | |
  Leland, Mississippi Location in the United States  Leland, Mississippi Leland, Mississippi (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 33°24′18″N 90°53′50″W / 33.40500°N 90.89722°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| County | Washington |
| Settled | 1834 |
| Incorporated | February 20, 1886 |
| Founded by | Captain James Alexander Ventress Feltus (1840–1908) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Mayor | Kenny Thomas |
| • Council | Members
|
| Area | |
• Total | 3.63 sq mi (9.41 km2) |
| • Land | 3.58 sq mi (9.28 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 125 ft (38 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,988 |
| • Density | 1,113.03/sq mi (429.70/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 38756 |
| Area code | 662 |
| FIPS code | 28-40280 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0672400 |
| Website | www |
Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. It is located within the Mississippi Delta, on the banks of Deer Creek. The population was 4,481 at the 2010 census. It was once a railway town and had long been a center of cotton culture, which is still an important commodity crop in the rural area. It was once considered the second-largest city in Washington County in 1920 due to its rapid growth of residents, businesses, and schools.[2]
Since before the Civil War, farming has been the basis of the local economy. There are several privately owned farms within and around the boundaries of the town. Mississippi State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintain an agriculture research station at Stoneville on Leland's outskirts.[3] Other agricultural companies in the area are Lauren Farms BASF Stoneville Cotton, Bayer Crops Science, GreenPoint Ag, Azlin Seed Service, Corteva Agriscience, Pettiet Agricultural Services, Inc., Nutrien Ag Solutions, K-I Chemical U.S.A., Greenland Planting Company, Ayers-Delta Implement, Edward's Flying Service, Essie Patterson Farm Trucking, and Southern Seed Association. Cotton, soybeans, rice and corn are the leading commodity crops along with catfish.[4][5]
A number of national and regionally noted blues musicians are from Leland. There are five Mississippi Blues Trail markers in Leland commemorating the small town's significant contribution to blues history. Highway 61, mentioned in numerous blues recordings, runs through the town and gives its name to the community's[6] blues museum. Leland is the burial place of the folk artist and blues musician James "Son" Thomas, who lived for many years near the railroad tracks. Thomas is buried beneath a gravestone donated by Mt. Zion Memorial Fund, to which musician John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was a yearly contributor.[7][8]
Blues musician Johnny Winter spent part of his childhood in Leland. Winter's grandfather and father, a former mayor of Leland, operated J.D. Winter & Sons, a cotton business. One of the Blues Trail markers in Leland is dedicated to Winter.[9]
The community is the childhood home of puppeteer Jim Henson, who was born in nearby Greenville, but raised in Leland. Here he created the character of Kermit the Frog, a Muppet. The city has a museum along the banks of Deer Creek celebrating Henson's accomplishments called the Jim Henson Exhibit.[10]
Leland was selected as the site for the Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum, opened in 2016.[11]
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Clipped From The Starkville News". The Starkville News. July 30, 1920. p. 7. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "Stoneville, Mississippi : USDA ARS". www.ars.usda.gov. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ USDA. "2012 Census of Agriculture" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 30, 2020.
- ^ "Greenville and Washington County Tourism". visitgreenville.org. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ "Leland Blues Project". Retrieved October 15, 2010.
- ^ Yellin, Emily (September 30, 1997). "Homage at Last for Blues Makers ; Through a Fan's Crusade, Unmarked Graves Get Memorials". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "James "Son" Thomas". Mount Zion Memorial Fund. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- ^ "Johnny Winter - Leland". Mississippi Blues Commission. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ "Birthplace of the Frog: An Exhibit of Jim Henson's Delta Boyhood". Birthplace of the Frog: An Exhibit of Jim Henson's Delta Boyhood. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Mississippi Outdoor Hall of Fame". Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum. Retrieved November 3, 2015.