Leland, Mississippi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,502 at the 2000 census.

The town is located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta on the banks of Deer Creek, which is decorated each Christmas season with floats that bring visitors from afar to view the colorful displays.

Farming is the basis of the local economy, and Mississippi State University and the federal government maintain a huge agriculture research station at Stoneville, Mississippi on Leland's outskirts. Cotton, soybeans and catfish are the leading crops.

Leland is in the heart of blues country and has produced a number of national and regionally famous blues musicians. Highway 61, famous in any number of blues recordings, runs through the town and gives its name to the community's ([1]) blues museum.

The community also is the birthplace of Jim Henson of Muppet fame – and one of Henson's more famous creations, Kermit the Frog. A [2] museum along the banks of Deer Creek celebrates Henson's accomplishments.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Education
4 Notable inhabitants
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Leland is located at 33°24′18″N, 90°53′50″W (33.405118, -90.897194)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.4 km² (2.1 mi²). 5.3 km² (2.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.44%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,502 people, 1,943 households, and 1,414 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,031.2/km² (2,670.2/mi²). There were 2,095 housing units at an average density of 392.7/km² (1,016.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 32.01% White, 67.01% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 1,943 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were married couples living together, 27.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.35.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.9% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,678, and the median income for a family was $28,926. Males had a median income of $26,184 versus $20,693 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,681. About 24.0% of families and 27.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.1% of those under age 18 and 28.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

The City of Leland is served by the Leland School District.

[edit] Notable inhabitants

Muppet creator Jim Henson was from Leland. As a child, he named a real frog "Kermit" after his friend.
Wadada Leo Smith, a jazz trumpeter and composer, is from Leland.
Twin bluesmen Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter were born in Leland, and their father was mayor of the town in the 1930s.