Leflore County, Mississippi

Leflore County Education, Geography, and History

Leflore County is a county located in the state of Mississippi. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 32,317. The county seat is Greenwood. The county is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore, who signed a treaty to cede his people's land to the United States in exchange for land in Indian Territory.

Leflore County is part of the Greenwood, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area. It is located in the Mississippi Delta region, with its southern border formed by the Yazoo River. Its riverfront land were developed before the Civil War as cotton plantations. More inland areas were developed in the later 19th century.

Etymology - Origin of Leflore County Name

Leflore is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore. Greenwood LeFlore or Greenwood Le Fleur (June 3, 1800 - August 31, 1865) was an American Indian/European-American leader of the Choctaws and was a Mississippi senator. A wealthy and regionally influential trader with many connections in state and federal government, he was elected chief of the entire Choctaw tribe shortly before the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, becoming the first Principal Chief of a Choctaw Nation that had previously been governed by regional chiefs. During the American Civil War he sided with the Union and lost most of his valuables.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Leflore County History

Leflore County was formerly a part of Sunflower, Carroll and Tallahatchie counties and was established March 15, 1871, during the administration of Governor Alcorn. It was directed, by the act creating the county, that the county records, together with the buildings and grounds at McNutt, now in Leflore County, should be retained by Leflore, and that the county seat should be located at Greenwood. Greenwood originally was known as Williams Landing but was re-named for Greenwood Leflore in 1844. Leflore shipped his cotton from Williams Landing, in what was then the extreme west of Carroll County, near the juncture of the Tallahatchie and Yalobusha Rivers.

Leflore County was named for Greenwood Leflore to complement the name of the town of Greenwood, which dates from 1844. LeFlore County, Oklahoma, also was named for him. Greenwood Leflore (1800-1865) was the principal chief of the Choctaw at the time of removal and was one of the negotiators of the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 606 square miles (1,570 km²), of which, 592 square miles (1,533 km²) of it is land and 14 square miles (37 km²) of it (2.38%) is water.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Tallahatchie County (north)
• Grenada County (northeast)
• Carroll County (east)
• Holmes County (southeast)
• Humphreys County (southwest)
• Sunflower County (west)

Education

Colleges and Universities

Mississippi Valley State University
It is located 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of Itta Bena in an unincorporated area.

Public School Districts

Greenwood Public School District
Leflore County School District

Private Schools

Pillow Academy - formerly a segregation academy.

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