Cleveland is a city in

Bolivar County Bolivar County ( ) is a County (United States), county located on the western border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,985. Its county seats are Rosedale, Mississippi, Roseda ...

, Mississippi, United States. The population was 11,199 as of the 2020 United States Census. Cleveland has a large commercial economy, with numerous restaurants, stores, and services along

U.S. 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

. Cleveland is one of the two county seats of Bolivar County (the other being Rosedale).

History

Named after President Grover Cleveland, the town began formation in 1869 as people moved inland from the Mississippi River. The Louisville, New Orleans & Texas Railroad ran through the town and a portion of the railroad remains there today. Early records show the community was called Fontaine in 1884 and at some point Coleman's Station. Moses W. Coleman built the first home on the

bayou In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...

in the area. In 1885, it was officially named Sims after Rueben T. Sims, who owned part of the land on which the town stood. The village of Cleveland was chartered on March 25, 1886, and the United States Post Office recognized the town as such on August 5, 1887. It was Sims's son, B.C. Sims, who was responsible for the name change to Cleveland. In 1967, Senators Robert F. Kennedy and

Joseph S. Clark Jr. Joseph Sill Clark Jr. (October 21, 1901January 12, 1990) was an American writer, lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 90th Mayor of Philadelphia from 1952 to 1956 and as a United States Senator from Pennsylvan ...

began Senate hearings to assess the effectiveness of the War on Poverty programs. The first field hearings were held in Jackson, Mississippi, and the following day Kennedy and Clark set out to visit "pockets of poverty" in the

Mississippi Delta The Mississippi Delta, also known as the Yazoo–Mississippi Delta, or simply the Delta, is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi (and portions of Arkansas and Louisiana) that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo ...

. They arrived in Cleveland, along with Marian Wright and Peter Edelman, for a tour conducted by

Amzie Moore Amzie Moore (September 23, 1911 – February 1, 1982) was an African-American civil rights leader and entrepreneur in the Mississippi Delta. Early life Amzie Moore is one of the lesser known Civil Rights Movement leaders, but was extremely inf ...

. There they observed barefoot, underfed African-American children in tattered clothing, with vacant expressions and distended bellies. Kennedy told Edelman that he thought he had seen the worst poverty in the nation in West Virginia, but it paled in comparison to the poverty he observed in Cleveland.

Geography and climate

Cleveland is located southeast of Rosedale and the Mississippi River along

Mississippi Highway 8 Mississippi Highway 8 (MS 8) is an east–west state highway in northern Mississippi, running from MS 1 in Rosedale to U.S. Route 278 (US 278) northeast of Aberdeen. Points of interest along the route include Great River Road State Park, Del ...

U.S. Route 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

(N-S) and route 8 (E-W) are the main highways serving Cleveland. Jones Bayou and the old Illinois Central Railroad pass through the city from south to north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 11,199 people, 4,266 households, and 2,611 families residing in the city.

Arts and culture

Mississippi Blues Trail

Four Mississippi Blues Trail markers are located in Cleveland. The first marker recognizes Chrisman Street, which once served as the center of African-American business and social life in Cleveland. The second marker celebrates blues musician

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

. The third marker is located at the Grammy Museum Mississippi. The fourth marker recognizes Rev. C.L. Franklin, who preached at St. Peter's Rock M.B. Church here, influenced gospel, R&B and blues artists, and his daughters Aretha, Erma and

Carolyn Carolyn is a female given name, a variant of Caroline. Other spellings include Karolyn, Carolyne, Carolynn or Carolynne. Caroline itself is one of the feminine forms of Charles. List of Notable People *Carolyn Bennett (born 1950), Canadian pol ...

became noted soul singers after starting out singing in church.

Education

Colleges and universities

* Delta State University Bolivar County residents have residency for two community colleges: Coahoma Community College and

Mississippi Delta Community College Mississippi Delta Community College is a public community college serving the Mississippi Delta region with its main campus in Moorhead, Mississippi. It also offers courses at locations in Greenville, Greenwood, and Indianola. Its mascot is th ...

. Their main campuses respectively are in unincorporated

Coahoma County Coahoma County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,151. Its county seat is Clarksdale. The Clarksdale, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It is loc ...

and Moorhead in Sunflower County.

Primary and secondary schools

The City of Cleveland is served by the

Cleveland School District The Cleveland School District (CSD) is a public school district based in Cleveland, Mississippi (USA). In addition to Cleveland, the district also serves the towns of Boyle, Renova, and Merigold. History In the post-''Brown v. Board of Edu ...

. Schools within the Cleveland city limits include: *

Cleveland Central High School ''For other schools, see Cleveland High School (disambiguation)'' Cleveland Central High School is a public high school in Cleveland, Mississippi. The sole high school of the Cleveland School District, it serves Cleveland, Boyle, Renova, and ...

– Formed in mid-2017 by the consolidation of Cleveland High School and East Side High School, occupying the former Cleveland High School and Margaret Green Junior High School.Home
Cleveland School District. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. *Cleveland Central Middle School – Formed in mid-2017 by the consolidation of D.M. Smith Middle School and Margaret Green Junior High School, located at the former East Side High School campus. ; Elementary schools * Nailor Elementary School * Cypress Parks Elementary School * Pearman Elementary School * Parks Elementary School *D. M. Smith Elementary Other: * Alternative School * Cleveland Voc Tech Complex ;Private schools *K-12:

Bayou Academy Bayou Academy is a non-profit school located in unincorporated Bolivar County, Mississippi, near the City of Cleveland on Highway 8. The school serves about 500 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. The school is accredited by the Mids ...

*K-6: Presbyterian Day School Previously ethnic Chinese students were required to attend separate schools, something that persisted into the 1940s. The Chinese Mission School educated them. This building was demolished in 2003.

Media

Newspapers

* ''

The Bolivar Commercial ''The Bolivar Commercial'' was a newspaper in Cleveland, Mississippi from 1916 to 2020. It was owned by Walls Newspapers. Amid large revenue losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, ''Commercial'' owner Lee Walls in April 2020 announced that ...

'' (Defunct) * ''

The Cleveland News Leader The Cleveland News Leader was a Sunday morning newspaper printed from 2004 to 2009 in Cleveland, Mississippi. The newspaper was founded by David Johnson, who served as its editor and publisher. The paper earned a reputation as an unusually hard- ...

'' (Defunct) * ''The Cleveland Current'' (Defunct)

Television

* Channel 8, WHCQ-LD * Channel 17,

WXVT-LD ...

FM radio

* 88.1

WDSW-LP WDSW-LP is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Album Alternative, Roots, Blues, and Classic Rock format. WDSW-LP licensed to Cleveland, Mississippi and Cleveland, Renova, and Boyle in Mississippi. WDSW-LP is owned and operated by Delta St ...

: (Cleveland, Delta State University) Adult Album Alternative,

Americana (music) Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of Music of the United States, American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States, specifically those sounds ...

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

* 98.3

WBYB (FM) WBYB (98.3 MHz) is an FM radio station licensed to Cleveland, Mississippi. The station broadcasts an oldies format branded as ''Oldies 98.3''. The station formerly operated as WDFX, an owned-and-operated outlet of American Family Radio ...

: Oldies

Infrastructure

Police services

The city of Cleveland is served and protected by the Cleveland Police Department and is located on South Sharpe Avenue. Currently, 45 people are employed by the department. Of the 45, 39 are sworn police officers and six civilians serve in a support role. Sworn officers average out to one officer per 357 citizens.

Fire services

The Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department is currently rated Class 4 by the State Rating Bureau and has three paid employees and 37 volunteer fire fighters. The paid employees include a Fire Inspector, Maintenance Engineer and Maintenance Assistant. All other positions are volunteer. The department operates from three separate fire stations, including a new station at the Cleveland Municipal Airport that opened in late 2011 and utilizes four front line pumpers, two rescue/utility vehicles, an aerial platform pumper, an airport/crash rescue truck, one Ford F-2500 with a bed mounted deluge gun, a Hazardous Materials Response Unit and one backup pumper for its daily operations. The department also operates a training facility that is home to a rope rescue tower, smoke house, ventilation simulator, confined space maze, drafting pit, and a Class A burn facility.

Health care

Bolivar Medical Center is a hospital in Cleveland with emergency services.

Notable people

Bobby Bradford Bobby Lee Bradford (born July 19, 1934) is an American jazz trumpeter, cornetist, bandleader, and composer. In addition to his solo work, Bradford is noted for his work with John Carter, Vinny Golia and Ornette Coleman. In October 2009, Bradfo ...

– jazz trumpeter, cornetist, bandleader, and composer *

– Civil rights activist * Walter Rhodes – blues accordionist and singer *

Bobbie L. Steele Bobbie L. Steele was sworn in as the 32nd president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners on August 1, 2006.Steve Patterson. "Steele vows changes". ''Chicago Sun-Times''. August 2, 2006. 10. She had been commissioner for the 2nd district of C ...

– 32nd president of Chicago's Cook County Board of Commissioners *

Larry Speakes Larry Melvin Speakes (September 13, 1939 – January 10, 2014) was an American journalist and spokesperson who acted as White House Press Secretary under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1987. He assumed the role after Press Secretary James ...

– acting spokesman for the White House under President Ronald Reagan *Professional baseball players: ** Dave Ferriss ** Chet "Chick" Morgan **

Josh Hancock Joshua Morgan Hancock (April 11, 1978 – April 29, 2007) was a professional baseball pitcher, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals. He was killed in an au ...

** Kevin Rogers *Professional football players: ** Shane Matthews **

Floyd Womack Floyd (Pork Chop) Seneca Womack (born November 15, 1978) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi State. He also played fo ...

Pat Coleman Patrick Darryl Coleman (born April 8, 1967) is a former American football player who played wide receiver for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New England Patriots and Houston Oilers. He was selected by th ...

** Ken Lucas **

John Eubanks John Eubanks (born July 13, 1983) is a former professional American and Canadian football cornerback. He most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an ...

Lou Rash Lou Rash (born June 5, 1960) is a former defensive back in the National Football League. Biography Rash was born Louis Clyde Rash on June 5, 1960 in Cleveland, Mississippi. Career Rash played with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 1984 NFL sea ...

Johnny O'Bryant III Johnny Lee O'Bryant III (born June 1, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for Louisiana State University. High school career Conside ...

– professional basketball player * Margaret Wade – Basketball Hall of Fame Coach, namesake of the Wade Trophy

References

External links

City of Cleveland

Cleveland Chamber of Commerce

Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce/Tourism
{{Authority control Cities in Mississippi Cities in Bolivar County, Mississippi County seats in Mississippi Populated places established in 1869 Micropolitan areas of Mississippi Mississippi Blues Trail 1869 establishments in Mississippi