Leland, MS

Leland is a Washington County city of 3,988 residents in the 2020 census, set in the Mississippi Delta along Deer Creek and the old Highway 61 and railroad corridors. Cotton shaped the surrounding farm economy, while Stoneville just outside town remains home to an agricultural experiment station operated by Mississippi State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The creek, the highway, and the rail line give Leland three different ways to read its past and present. The cultural story is unusually concentrated.

Jim Henson grew up here and created Kermit the Frog; his Delta Boyhood exhibit sits alongside the Highway 61 Blues Museum, Mississippi Blues Trail markers, and murals downtown. Current gathering spots include the Deer Creek Duck Launch, the city pool, Lions Club Park fields, and seasonal events such as the Crawfish Festival and Christmas on Deer Creek. Leland's local picture runs from cotton and agricultural work to blues, puppetry, and creek-side community events, all within a small Delta city.