Grenada, Mississippi | |
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City | |
Location of Grenada, Mississippi |
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Location in the United States | |
Coordinates: 33°46′30″N 89°48′32″W / 33.77500°N 89.80889°WCoordinates: 33°46′30″N 89°48′32″W / 33.77500°N 89.80889°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Mississippi |
County | Grenada |
Area | |
• Total | 30.0 sq mi (77.6 km2) |
• Land | 30.0 sq mi (77.6 km2) |
• Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
Elevation | 213 ft (65 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 13,092 |
• Density | 440/sq mi (170/km2) |
Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP codes | 38901-38902 |
Area code(s) | 662 |
FIPS code | 28-29460 |
GNIS feature ID | 0670734 |
Website | www |
Grenada is a city in Grenada County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 13,092 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grenada County.
Grenada was formed in 1836, after removal of the historic Native Americans of the area, via the union of the two adjacent towns (separated by the present-day Line Street) of Pittsburg and Tulahoma, founded respectively by European Americans Franklin Plummer and Hiram Runnels. Development included stores and businesses that supported the county court and market days.
Plantations were first developed in the county along the Yazoo River for transportation. Cotton was the major commodity crop, dependent on the labor of enslaved African Americans.
In 1851 Grenada townspeople founded the Yalobusha Baptist Female Institute for education of their young white women. In 1882 it was taken over by the Methodists and renamed as Grenada College. Classified in the 20th century as a junior college, it encountered financial troubles during the Great Depression. The church closed the college in 1936 and transferred its assets to Millsaps College.
In December 1862, Confederate general Earl Van Dorn, whose troops had been encamped in Grenada, led the three brigades under his command in an attempt to destroy the Union supply depot at Holly Springs, Mississippi.
In the civil rights era, African Americans throughout Mississippi were active in seeking their constitutional rights. Congress passed legislation in 1964 and 1965 that ended segregation of public facilities and protected voting rights, authorizing federal oversight and enforcement. In 1966, James Meredith started a solo March Against Fear to challenge oppression in Mississippi and encourage voter registration by African Americans. His planned route from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi, passed through Grenada.