Washington County is a county in Mississippi, United States, in the Mississippi Delta along the Mississippi River. It had a population of 44,922 at the 2020 census and covers 761 square miles (1,970 km2) centred near 33°17′N 90°57′W.<\/p>\n
Greenville is the county seat, and its postal code is 38701. The county holds three incorporated cities, two incorporated towns, and several dozen smaller unincorporated communities scattered across its cotton and soybean farmland. Washington County sits in the Central time zone (UTC−6, UTC−5 during daylight saving); its FIPS code is 28151.<\/p>\n
Washington County has three incorporated cities — Greenville, Hollandale, and Leland — plus the incorporated towns of Arcola and Metcalfe. The rest of the list below is unincorporated communities: some are active hamlets with a store or church, others are little more than a rail siding or a former plantation commissary that survives as a place name on the map. Populations and ZIP codes are given only where a reliable figure could be confirmed; unverified cells are marked with a dash.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenville<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38701 \/ 38703<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hollandale<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38748<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Leland<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38756<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Arcola<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38722<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Metcalfe<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38760<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Avon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38723<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Chatham<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38731<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Glen Allan<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38744<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Stoneville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38776<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wayside<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38780<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Winterville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 38782<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Burdett<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Darlove<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Erwin<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Foote<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McCutcheon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Murphy<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Percy<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Refuge<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tralake<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Tribbett<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wilmot<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Aldridge<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Alhambra<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Almy<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ashley Crossing<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bourbon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brighton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Byrne City<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cletonia<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dunkirk<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dunleith<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Elizabeth<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Empire<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Estill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Floyd<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Forkland<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Geneill<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hampton<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hays<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Heads<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Helm<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hollyknowe<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Hunt<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ingrams<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Isenberg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| James<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Johnston<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jones Chapel<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Kongo<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Leota<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Long<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Longwood<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Magenta<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Manhattan<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Marathon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| McGrath<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Muskedine<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Napanee<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Osseola<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Overby<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Priscilla<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Rexburg<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Spencer<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Swiftwater<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Warsaw<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Willet<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Woodside<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Six of the unincorporated places above — Avon, Chatham, Glen Allan, Stoneville, Wayside, and Winterville — keep their own U.S. Postal Service ZIP code; the rest are served by the nearest post office in Greenville, Leland, or Hollandale.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nCommunities without their own ZIP code use the code of the nearest listed post office town.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nWashington County lies in the Mississippi Delta, the flat alluvial floodplain built up over thousands of years by the Mississippi River. The river itself forms the county’s entire western boundary, with Lake Ferguson — an oxbow cutoff of the old river channel — running along Greenville’s waterfront. The land is nearly level, given over almost entirely to cotton, soybean, corn, and catfish-pond agriculture, with cypress-brake bottomland surviving along Deer Creek and the smaller bayous that cross the county.<\/p>\n Washington County borders Bolivar County to the north, Sunflower County to the northeast, Humphreys County to the east, Sharkey County to the southeast, and Issaquena County to the south. Across the Mississippi River to the west and northwest lie Chicot County and Desha County, Arkansas.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nWashington County had 44,922 residents at the 2020 census, giving it a density of roughly 62 people per square mile of land. Greenville, the county seat, is by far the largest place and home to most of the county’s population; Leland and Hollandale are the next-largest incorporated communities. The county’s median household income runs well below the Mississippi median of $54,203, a gap typical of the Delta region, where poverty rates have historically been among the highest in the country.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nAgriculture anchors the local economy: cotton, soybeans, corn, and farm-raised catfish move through Greenville’s grain elevators and processing plants. Greenville is also a working Mississippi River port, with a public dock and barge terminal, and hosts two riverboat casinos that draw visitors from across the Delta. Delta State University, in nearby Cleveland, and Mississippi Delta Community College, headquartered in Moorhead, both serve county residents. The county’s musical heritage is well documented: Leland is the boyhood home of Muppets creator Jim Henson and holds the Highway 61 Blues Museum, honoring the Delta blues artists who came out of this stretch of the river.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nWashington County was organized in 1827 and named in honor of George Washington, the first U.S. president. Its history is inseparable from cotton agriculture and the Mississippi River: the catastrophic Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 broke the levee at Mounds Landing just north of Greenville, inundating much of the county and displacing tens of thousands of residents, one of the defining events in Delta history. The county’s plantation economy shaped its settlement pattern, leaving behind the scores of small rail-stop and commissary place names — Aldridge, Bourbon, Kongo, Napanee, and others — that still mark the map today even where little more than a crossroads remains.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nU.S. Highway 82 crosses the county east-west through Greenville and Leland, and U.S. Highway 61 runs along the county’s eastern side through Leland toward Memphis and Vicksburg. Mississippi Highway 1 follows the river north-south along the Delta’s western edge.<\/p>\n
|