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| Leflore County, Mississippi | |
 Location in the state of Mississippi | |
 Mississippi's location in the U.S. | |
| Founded | 1871 |
|---|---|
| Named for | Greenwood LeFlore |
| Seat | Greenwood |
| Largest city | Greenwood |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
606.35 sq mi (1,570 km²) 591.93 sq mi (1,533 km²) 14.42 sq mi (37 km²), 2.38% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
32,317 55/sq mi (21.1/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Leflore County is a county located in the Mississippi Delta region of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,317.[1] The county seat is Greenwood.[2] The county is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore.
Leflore County is part of the Greenwood, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Leflore County is noted for having the highest level of child poverty of any county in the United States.[3]
History
Leflore County was formed in 1871 from portions of Carroll, Sunflower and Tallahatchie counties. It was named for Greenwood Leflore, a Choctaw chief, who was one of the signers of the Treaty of 1830, by the terms of which the Choctaws sold all their lands east of the Mississippi River. Many of them migrated to the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), but Leflore himself remained, becoming a planter, and at times a politician.
Leflore County was a major site of activism and violence during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968). In 1963, the county had over 13,000 blacks of legal voting age, and fewer than 270 were registered. Meanwhile 95% of eligible white voters were registered.[4] The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee had moved its headquarters to Greenwood in early 1963, and by late March of that year, eight SNCC members were arrested while trying to register voters. The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division filed suit against the city of Greenwood and Leflore county to obtain their release. The petition was denied by a local court, but the city of Greenwood entered into a voluntary agreement to release the students anyway. In June 1963, 45 residents of Itta Bena were arrested in Leflore county while marching to protest an attack on churches where voter registration drives were being held. The Civil Rights Division filed suit against the county to obtain their release as well, but to no avail.[5]
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 606.35 square miles (1,570.4 km2), of which 591.93 square miles (1,533.1 km2) (or 97.62%) is land and 14.42 square miles (37.3 km2) (or 2.38%) is water.[6]
Major highways
U.S. Route 49
U.S. Route 82- Mississippi Highway 7
- Mississippi Highway 8
Adjacent counties
- Tallahatchie County (north)
- Grenada County (northeast)
- Carroll County (east)
- Holmes County (southeast)
- Humphreys County (southwest)
- Sunflower County (west)
|
Tallahatchie County | Grenada County |
| |
| Sunflower County | 
|
Carroll County | ||
   Leflore County, Mississippi | ||||
| ||||
| Humphreys County | Holmes County |
National protected area
- Mathews Brake National Wildlife Refuge
- Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 10,246 | ||
| 1890 | 16,869 | 64.6% | |
| 1900 | 23,834 | 41.3% | |
| 1910 | 36,290 | 52.3% | |
| 1920 | 37,256 | 2.7% | |
| 1930 | 53,506 | 43.6% | |
| 1940 | 53,406 | −0.2% | |
| 1950 | 51,813 | −3.0% | |
| 1960 | 47,142 | −9.0% | |
| 1970 | 42,111 | −10.7% | |
| 1980 | 41,525 | −1.4% | |
| 1990 | 37,341 | −10.1% | |
| 2000 | 37,947 | 1.6% | |
| 2010 | 32,317 | −14.8% | |
| Est. 2012 | 30,948 | −18.4% | |
2012 Estimate[1] | |||
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 32,317 people residing in the county. 72.2% were Black or African American, 24.9% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 1.5% of some other race and 0.6% of two or more races. 2.3% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 37,947 people, 12,956 households, and 8,887 families residing in the county. The population density was 64 people per square mile (25/km²). There were 14,097 housing units at an average density of 24 per square mile (9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 30.00% White, 67.73% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.98% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
According to the census[8] of 2000, the largest ancestry groups in Leflore County were African 67.73%, English 19%, and Scots-Irish 9.4%
There were 12,956 households out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.00% were married couples living together, 27.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.40% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the county the population was spread out with 29.70% under the age of 18, 13.10% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 18.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $21,518, and the median income for a family was $26,059. Males had a median income of $25,959 versus $18,497 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,553. About 29.10% of families and 34.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 48.00% of those under age 18 and 24.50% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
- Towns
- Morgan City
- Schlater
- Sidon
- Unincorporated places
- Berclair
- Browning
- McNutt
- Minter City (partly in Tallahatchie County)
- Money
- Rising Sun
- Ruby
- Shellmound
- Sunnyside
- Swiftown
- Quito
- Wildwood
- Ghost Town
- Colony Town
Government and infrastructure
The Delta Correctional Facility, operated by the Corrections Corporation of America on behalf of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, is located in Greenwood in Leflore County.[9][10]
Education
- Colleges and Universities
- Mississippi Valley State University
- It is located 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Itta Bena in an unincorporated area.[11]
- Mississippi Valley State University
- Public School Districts
- Greenwood Public School District
- Leflore County School District
- Private Schools
- Pillow Academy — formerly a segregation academy.[12]
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Leflore County, Mississippi
References
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28/28083.html. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Table 1: 2011 Poverty and Median Income Estimates - Counties". Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau. 2011. http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/downloads/estmod11/est11ALL.xls.
- ^ Hendrickson, Paul (2003). Sons of Mississippi. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40461-9.
- ^ John Doar (1997). "The Work of the Civil Rights Division in Enforcing Voting Rights Under the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960". Florida State University Law Review 25 (1). (available online)
- ^ "Census 2010 Gazetteer Files". http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_28.txt. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Private Prisons." Mississippi Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Ward Map." City of Greenwood. Retrieved on August 12, 2010.
- ^ "Location." Mississippi Valley State University. Retrieved on April 5, 2012.
- ^ Lynch, Adam (18 November 2009). "Ceara’s Season". Jackson Free Press. http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/cearas_season_111809/. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
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