Yazoo City is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Yazoo County Yazoo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,743, and was estimated to be 23,024 in 2024. The county seat is Yazoo City. It is named for the Yazoo River, which forms its wester ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, United States. It was named after the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river primarily in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the Ame ...

, which, in turn was named by the French explorer

Robert La Salle The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the

Yazoo tribe The Yazoo were a tribe of the Native American Tunica people historically located along the lower course of the Yazoo River in an area known as the Mississippi Delta. They were closely related to other Tunica language–speaking peoples, espec ...

living near the river's mouth. Yazoo City is the principal city of the Yazoo City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

–Yazoo City Combined Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, the population was 11,403.

History

The community now known as Yazoo City was founded in 1824 with the name Hannan's Bluff. It was later renamed Manchester, then changed to Yazoo City in 1841. Yazoo City became the county seat in 1849. A yellow fever epidemic struck Yazoo City in 1853. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the Confederate ironclad CSS ''Arkansas'' was completed at a makeshift shipyard in Yazoo City after the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

loss of

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

. During her short career, the ''Arkansas'' challenged the Union navy's control of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

and helped avert the early fall of Vicksburg. On May 21, 1863, as a Union fleet steamed up the Yazoo River, the Confederate forces burned down the shipyard to keep their foes from capturing the vessels being built there. The Federal forces then burned down the sawmill and lumberyard before withdrawing. After their capture of Vicksburg in July 1863, another Union raid briefly occupied Yazoo City, but this time the Union ironclad USS ''Baron DeKalb'' was sunk by a mine. Federal troops occupied the town in September and again in October 1863. Another occupation resulted in the

Battle of Yazoo City The Battle of Yazoo City (March 5, 1864) was an engagement in Mississippi during a month-long Union expedition up the Yazoo River in the American Civil War. The Union force commanded by Colonel James Henry Coates repulsed an attack led by Confe ...

on March 5, 1864 between the Union troops and Confederates led by Robert V. Richardson and

Lawrence Sullivan Ross Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (September 27, 1838January 3, 1898) was the 19th governor of Texas, a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and the 4th president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now c ...

. The Union troops held their ground but departed the following day. The Federal forces returned again on May 19, 1864, doing more damage to the town. Yazoo City was rebuilt, but yellow fever struck and took more victims in 1878. On May 25, 1904, a fire destroyed much of central Yazoo City.FLAMES SWEPT OVER THE CITY
, in ''

The Tacoma Times ''The Tacoma Times'' was a newspaper published in Tacoma, Washington from 1903 to 1949. It was founded by E. W. Scripps, with editorial personnel taken from ''the Seattle Star''.antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern US ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum architectu ...

homes nearby. The town took almost two years to recover. In 1915, the Orr Modern Motor Car Company was founded in Yazoo City by G.A. Wilson and C.D. Orr, with capital of $2,000,000 (). Despite its name, the company was focused just on making Orr's innovative worm drive and assembled only one automobile as a prototype. Not long after, Orr shut its doors. The

Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, with inundated in depths of up to over the course of several months in early 1927. The period cost of the damage has been estimate ...

did much damage to the entire Delta, but Yazoo City was restored and is now protected by an effective flood-prevention system.

Tornado History

A strong tornado, rated EF4 on the

Enhanced Fujita scale The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated EF-Scale) is a scale that rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage a tornado causes. It is used in the United States and France, among other countries. The EF scale is also unofficially ...

and with a path width of , hit Yazoo County on April 24, 2010. Four people were killed in the Yazoo City area, and a number were seriously injured; four of the victims were airlifted to the

University of Mississippi Medical Center University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) is the health sciences campus of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and is located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. UMMC, also referred to as the Medical Center, is the state's only ac ...

in the capital city of Jackson, away. The Governor of Mississippi,

Haley Barbour Haley Reeves Barbour (born October 22, 1947) is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist who served as the 63rd governor of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he previously ser ...

, toured the area in a National Guard helicopter and held a news conference on the disaster at 3:30 pm. The tornado and the aftermath were shown in an episode of the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

series ''

Storm Chasers Storm chaser or stormchaser may refer to: Weather * Storm chasing, the pursuit of any severe weather condition * Storm chaser, colloquial term referring to scammers who enter areas recently afflicted by disasters offering false or shoddy servi ...

'', and several

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

videos show considerable detail and descriptions. On November 29, 2010 around 8:05 pm local time, Yazoo City was struck by two EF2 tornadoes: the first one tracked southwest of town. The second went right through downtown causing significant damage to several buildings. A high-end EF1 tornado passed through the southeast side of the city on May 2, 2021. Multiple mobile homes were destroyed and trees, power lines, and homes were damaged.

Geography

Yazoo City is located northwest of

at the junctions of U.S. Routes 49, 49E, and 49W, and MS Highways 3, 16, and

149 149 may refer to: *149 (number), a natural number *AD 149, a year in the 2nd century AD *149 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC *British Airways Flight 149, a flight from LHR to Kuwait City International Airport; the aircraft flying this flight was d ...

, on the banks of the

, near the Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. U.S. Route 49W provides a fairly direct link between Yazoo City and Belzoni. The old highway segment, renamed

Mississippi Highway 149 Mississippi Highway 149 (MS 149) is a state highway in Mississippi. The route designation is given to six former segments of U.S. Route 49 in Mississippi, U.S. Route 49 (US 49), and two former sections of U.S. Route 49W, US 49W, within the state ...

, passes through Panther Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and the communities of Louise and

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

before reconnecting with the new US 49W at Silver City, south of Belzoni. The new highway makes the town of

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

so near, it might be considered for annexation by Yazoo City. Two bridges now cross the Yazoo River at Yazoo City. The section of MS 3 in Yazoo City is called Haley Barbour Parkway. Barbour, the former governor of Mississippi, grew up in Yazoo City and has a home on Wolf Lake, a lake north of Yazoo City. U.S. Route 49 (part of which was formerly U.S. 49E) through Yazoo City is named

Jerry Clower Howard Gerald "Jerry" Clower (September 28, 1926 – August 24, 1998) was an American stand-up comedian. Born and raised in the state of Mississippi, Clower was best known for his stories of the rural South and was given the nickname "The Mouth o ...

Boulevard, after the famous comedian, a former resident of Yazoo City. Yazoo City is also known as the "Gateway to the Delta" due to its location on the transition between the two great landforms that characterize the geography of Mississippi (the western part of the city lies 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 Yazo ...

and the eastern part lies in the loess bluffs that characterize most of eastern Mississippi). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (1.19%) is covered by water.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,316 people, 3,670 households, and 2,050 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 11,403 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 82.0% Black, 16.1% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian and 0.5% from two or more races. 0.7% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 14,550 people, 4,271 households, and 2,968 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 4,676 housing units averaged 433.6 per mi² (167.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 28.73% White, 69.68% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.47% of the population. Of the 4,271 households, 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 32.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were not families. About 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.49. In the city, the population was distributed as 29.0% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 17.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,893, and for a family was $22,470. Males had a median income of $26,109 versus $18,650 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $9,251. About 35.0% of families and 40.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 52.5% of those under age 18 and 23.5% of those age 65 or over.

Jewish community

The

Institute of Southern Jewish Life An institute is an organizational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes ca ...

stated that the Jewish community has been characterized by assimilation and was "small, but influential". 44 Jews lived in the community in 1878, but a flood of the

in 1882 meant that additional Jews displaced by the flood came. There were 61 Jews in the city by 1937. The Jews in the community did not create a congregation, and the nearest houses of worship were, in the mid-20th century, in

and

Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ...

Economy

The

Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Justice that is responsible for all List of United States federal prisons, federal prisons ...

operates the Federal Correctional Complex, Yazoo City, which consists of FCI Yazoo City Low, FCI Yazoo City Medium, FCI Camp, and FCI USP Yazoo City.

Government

Diane Delaware was sworn in as the first female mayor of Yazoo City on April 14, 2014. She was re-elected to a second term on April 2, 2018. Yazoo City's current mayor is David "Mel" Starling, who was sworn in on Monday, April 11, 2022. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Yazoo City Post Office.

Education

Yazoo City is served by the Yazoo City Municipal School District;SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Yazoo County, MS
"

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

. Retrieved on July 7, 2017. Yazoo City High School is the public school of this district.

Yazoo County High School Yazoo County High School (YCHS) is a public high school in unincorporated Yazoo County, Mississippi, near Yazoo City. It is a part of the Yazoo County School District. It serves all areas of Yazoo County not in the city limits of Yazoo City. ...

, outside of the city limits and a part of the

Yazoo County School District The Yazoo County School District (YCSD) is a public school district headquartered in unincorporated Yazoo County, Mississippi (USA), near Yazoo City. The district serves areas of Yazoo County not in the Yazoo City city limits; its area inclu ...

, does not serve areas in the Yazoo City city limits. The three private schools are Thomas Christian Academy (Pre-K–12), Manchester Academy (Pre-K–12), and Covenant Christian School (K–6th grade).

Media

WBYP and WYAZ, both FM, are two local radio stations. ''The Yazoo Herald'' is Yazoo County's only daily newspaper.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Yazoo City using the Yazoo City Station. The Amtrak station is located at 222 West Broadway.

Yazoo County Airport Yazoo County Airport is five miles northwest of Yazoo City in unincorporated Yazoo County, Mississippi. It is owned by the County of Yazoo.

is in unincorporated

, – Retrieved on September 23, 2010. west of central Yazoo City. Lynne W. Jeter of the ''

Mississippi Business Journal ''The Mississippi Business Journal'' is a statewide monthly business newspaper, located in Cleveland, Mississippi. Each issue contains news coverage relating to the Mississippi business world along with regular opinion and freelance columns. Issu ...

'' said in 2001 that the county airport "may have played an important role in landing the multiphase federal prison project that is currently under expansion."

Notable people

, former

Governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...

* J. F. Barbour III, former Mayor of Yazoo City *

Alexander Boarman Alexander "Aleck" Boarman (December 10, 1839 – August 30, 1916) was a United States representative from Louisiana and a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Lou ...

, Yazoo City native served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

, U.S. representative from

Louisiana's 4th congressional district Louisiana's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The district is located in the northwestern part of the state and is based in Shreveport, Louisiana, Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana, Bossier C ...

, and as a federal judge for 35 years until his death in 1916. *

Sister Thea Bowman Mary Thea Bowman, FSPA (born Bertha Elizabeth Bowman; December 29, 1937 – March 30, 1990) was a Black Catholic religious sister, teacher, musician, liturgist and scholar who made major contributions to the ministry of the Catholic Church tow ...

, African American Catholic religious sister who was a notable Black Catholic leader in the second half of the 20th-century, considered a

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

by the Catholic Church, born in Yazoo City * H. H. Brookins, AME Bishop *

Willie Brown (American football) William Ferdie Brown (December 2, 1940 – October 21, 2019) was an American professional football player, coach and administrator. He played as a cornerback for the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) ...

, Oakland Raiders, NFL Hall of Fame * Deondre Burns (born 1997), basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Walter M. Chandler, Republican member of the US House of Representative, 19th District of New York *

James Paul Clarke James Paul Clarke (August 18, 1854 – October 1, 1916) was an American lawyer and politician from the Arkansas Delta during the Progressive Era. He served in public office over a period of almost 30 years, rising from the Arkansas General Assemb ...

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

and the 18th

Governor of Arkansas The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics and government of Arkansas, Arkansas government a ...

, famous country comedian who spent more than 30 years as a resident of the town before moving back to the area he was born, Liberty, Mississippi, in 1988. Many of Clower's comical stories mention Yazoo City. *

Fletcher Cox Fletcher Cox (born December 13, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Mississip ...

, Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro defensive lineman *

Mike Espy Alphonso Michael Espy (born November 30, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th United States secretary of agriculture from 1993 to 1994. He was both the first African American and the first person from the Deep Sout ...

, Secretary of Agriculture (1993–94); U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd district of Mississippi (1987–93) *

Kaleb Eulls Kaleb Lashun Eulls (born June 28, 1991) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Mississippi State Eulls attended Yazoo County High School in Mississippi, where he was rated a four-star recruit as a defensi ...

, NFL Player * W. C. Friley, 19th-century Baptist clergyman in Yazoo City; later president of two Baptist colleges * Kenneth Gainwell, Running Back Philadelphia Eagles 2021 5th Round draft pick 150th overall. Cousin to

* Lawrence Gordon, film producer (''

Die Hard ''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart (writer), Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza, based on the 1979 novel ''Nothing Lasts Forever (Thorp novel), Nothing Lasts Forever'' by Roderick ...

'') * Lynn Hamilton, actress *

Michael Henderson Michael Earl Henderson (July 7, 1951 – July 19, 2022) was an American bass guitarist and vocalist. He was known for his work with Miles Davis in the early 1970s on early fusion albums such as '' Jack Johnson'', '' Live-Evil'', and '' Aghart ...

, R&B singer *

T. J. Huddleston, Sr. Thomas Jefferson Huddleston Sr. (June 1, 1876 – October 1959) was a prominent African American entrepreneur and community leader in Mississippi. He owned dozens of funeral homes in Mississippi. He was the grandfather of former U.S. Secretary of ...

, entrepreneur *

Wardell Jackson Wardell Jackson (born July 18, 1951) is an American former professional basketball small forward who played one season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics during the 1974–75 season. Born in Yazoo ...

, professional basketball player * Mary Johnson, blues singer and one-time wife of Lonnie Johnson *

Tommy McClennan Tommy McClennan (January 4, 1905 – May 9, 1961) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist. Life and career McClennan was born in Durant, Mississippi, and grew up in the town. He played and sang blues in a rough, energetic style. ...

, blues musician *

Patrick Claiborne Meagher Patrick Claiborne Meagher (February 18, 1869 - November 24, 1920) was a Democratic member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing Yazoo County, from 1916 until his death. Biography Patrick Claiborne Meagher was born on Feb ...

, member of the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

(1916–1920) *

Mike Miley Michael Wilfred Miley (March 30, 1953 – January 6, 1977) was an American professional baseball player who played two seasons for the California Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He died in a one-car crash in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mi ...

, MLB player and

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

quarterback * L.T. Miller, first medical director of the Afro-American Hospital and co-founder of the Mississippi Medical and Surgical Association * William Joseph Mills, Governor of the New Mexico Territory *

Willie Morris William Weaks Morris (November 29, 1934 – August 2, 1999) was an American writer and editor born in Jackson, Mississippi and raised in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Morris had a lyrical prose style which he lent to reflections on the American ...

, writer who grew up in Yazoo City *

Jerry Moses Gerald Braheen Moses (August 9, 1946 – March 26, 2018) was an American professional baseball player. A catcher, he signed a bonus contract with the Boston Red Sox in and spent his early Major League Baseball career with the Bosox, but over the ...

, MLB player * Norman Albert Mott, member of the Mississippi Legislature (1911) *

Michael Passons Michael Passons is an American singer-songwriter and the founding member of the Christian band Avalon. Biography Michael Passons was born and raised in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and as a toddler, began to sing and play piano. As a young musicia ...

, "

Contemporary Christian Musician Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith an ...

", founding former member of the

Christian music Christian music is a genre of music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christianity, Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence and lament, and its f ...

group

Avalon Avalon () is an island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appeared in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' as a place of magic where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was made and later where Arthur was taken to recove ...

Robert Petway Robert Petway (born c. 1903, date of death unknown) was an American blues singer and guitarist. He recorded only 16 songs, but it has been said that he was an influence on many notable blues and rock musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Wat ...

, blues musician * Joseph A. Redding, US Army major general who commanded the 39th Infantry Division in the 1950s *

Bertha Schaefer Bertha Schaefer (1895–1971) was an American designer and gallery director, she was known for her furniture designs, and as an interior designer. Biography Schaefer was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi in 1895. Her father Emil Schaefer was a ref ...

, Modernist Interior Decorator, Gallerist, and designer. Born and educated in Yazoo. *

Stella Stevens Stella Stevens (born Estelle Caro Eggleston; October 1, 1938 – February 17, 2023) was an American actress. She was the mother of actor Andrew Stevens. Stevens began her acting career in 1959 in the film ''Say One for Me'', winning the Golden ...

, actress *

Pecolia Warner Pecolia Warner (March 9, 1901 – March 1983) was an American quiltmaker. Early life Pecolia Leola Deborah Jackson was born in a log house near Bentonia, Mississippi, and raised in Yazoo City, the ninth of eleven children. She learned to make qu ...

, 20th-century quiltmaker * James Wheaton, actor, spent his adolescent years in Yazoo City, and graduated from high school there *

Zig Ziglar Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar /zɪg 'zɪglər/ (November 6, 1926 – November 28, 2012) was an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker. Biography Early life and education Zig Ziglar was born prematurely in Coffee County, Alabam ...

, personal development speaker and trainer

References

External links

City of Yazoo City
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yazoo City, Mississippi * Cities in Mississippi Cities in Yazoo County, Mississippi County seats in Mississippi Populated places established in 1824 Micropolitan areas of Mississippi 1824 establishments in Mississippi Mississippi placenames of Native American origin