Leland

About Leland

Leland is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. It is located within the Mississippi Delta, on the banks of Deer Creek. The population was 3,988 at the 2020 census. It was once a railway town and had long been a center of cotton culture, which is still an important commodity crop in the rural area. It was once considered the second-largest city in Washington County in 1920 due to its rapid growth of residents, businesses, and schools.

Since before the Civil War, farming has been the basis of the local economy. There are several privately owned farms within and around the boundaries of the town. Mississippi State University and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintain an agriculture research station at Stoneville on Leland's outskirts. Other agricultural companies in the area are Lauren Farms BASF Stoneville Cotton, Bayer Crops Science, GreenPoint Ag, Azlin Seed Service, Corteva Agriscience, Pettiet Agricultural Services, Inc., Nutrien Ag Solutions, K-I Chemical U.S.A., Greenland Planting Company, Ayers-Delta Implement, Edward's Flying Service, Essie Patterson Farm Trucking, and Southern Seed Association. Cotton, soybeans, rice and corn are the leading commodity crops along with catfish.

A number of national and regionally noted blues musicians are from Leland. There are five Mississippi Blues Trail markers in Leland commemorating the small town's significant contribution to blues history. Highway 61, mentioned in numerous blues recordings, runs through the town and gives its name to the community's blues museum. Leland is the burial place of the folk artist and blues musician James "Son" Thomas, who lived for many years near the railroad tracks. Thomas is buried beneath a gravestone donated by Mt. Zion Memorial Fund, to which musician John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival was a yearly contributor.

Blues musician Johnny Winter spent part of his childhood in Leland. Winter's grandfather and father, a former mayor of Leland, operated J.D. Winter & Sons, a cotton business. One of the Blues Trail markers in Leland is dedicated to Winter.

The community is the childhood home of puppeteer Jim Henson, who was born in nearby Greenville, but raised in Leland. Here he created the character of Kermit the Frog, a Muppet. The city has a museum along the banks of Deer Creek celebrating Henson's accomplishments called the Jim Henson Exhibit.

Leland was selected as the site for the Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum, opened in 2016.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Leland weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Live webcams in Leland

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Leland

Median household income

$37,406

Median home value

$109,700

Median rent

$834/mo

Median age

43.1

Map of Leland

Tap any street on the map to see it in Street View below. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Leland Street View

Drag the image to look around and tap the arrows on the ground to move. If it says there is no imagery, tap a nearby street on the map above.

Leland, MS population

Leland had 3,988 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Leland at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Leland

• Elizabeth1.6 mi N
• Stoneville2.2 mi NW
• Metcalfe7.1 mi NW
• Arcola9.3 mi S
• Greenville9.4 mi W
• Winterville11.9 mi NW
• Indianola14.6 mi E
• Shaw15.2 mi NE
• Hollandale16.0 mi S
• Scott16.9 mi NW
• Inverness17.6 mi E
• Benoit18.3 mi N

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Leland