Grenada, Mississippi

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.

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 33.775°N, -89.80889°W (33.775080, -89.808768). It is situated on the south bank of the Yalobusha River. 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 30.0 sqmi, of which, 30.0 sqmi is land and 0.03% is water.

Demographics
As of the census 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.

Notable residents

 * Pete Boone, University of Mississippi athletic director, born in Grenada.
 * Trent Lott, U.S. senator, born in Grenada.
 * Magic Sam, blues musician, born in Grenada.
 * Donna Tartt, author, originated in Grenada.
 * Eddie Willis, member of Funk Brothers, born in Grenada.
 * Jake Gibbs, baseball player, All American football player.
 * William Winter, former governor of Mississippi.
 * Mississippi John Hurt, blues folk musician, died in Grenada.
 * Chris Avery, professional football player, born in Grenada

Education
The City of Grenada is served by the Grenada School District 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 ), the Grenada School District, and the Elizabeth Jones Library 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.