Cleveland

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 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.

The town grew steadily and by 1901 Cleveland was named the second county seat and a new courthouse was erected. Bolivar County is one of ten counties in Mississippi with two judicial districts.

As more trees were cleared, more land was put into cultivation. In the early days, all of the planting and harvesting was done by hand. At the end of WWI, African Americans left Bolivar County in great numbers, but many stayed, becoming tenant farmers. There was an increasing demand for labor and Delta planters began to recruit overseas. Today, in addition to the first settlers of English, Scottish, Italian, German, Irish, and African descent, Bolivar County is its own “melting pot” of ethnicities.

The African-American influence in Cleveland's history is quite evident. Nearby Dockery Plantation is designated with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker declaring the location as the probable “Birthplace of the Blues.” Many of the early Delta Bluesmen lived and worked around Dockery, influencing each other and educating the next generation.

In the early 1920s, as the State Legislature considered a location for a new Normal college, Cleveland became the obvious choice due to its central Delta location, the railroad, and the donation of land. However, perhaps the most important factor in the equation was the City leaders’ willingness to relocate the infamous Black Bear Saloon that was located between the depot and the soon-to-be Delta Normal College, now Delta State University. In the early 1950s city leaders were able to attract Baxter Laboratories and Mississippi Power & Light’s Delta Steam Electric Station just north of town. The population of Cleveland basically doubled over the following decade.

Geography

Cleveland is located 19 mi (31 km) southeast of Rosedale and the Mississippi River along Mississippi Highway 8. U.S. Route 61 (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 7.58 square miles (19.6 km2), all land.

Climate

Cleveland has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with long, hot summers and short, mild winters.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cleveland had a population of 11,199 and 2,611 families. The median age was 35.4 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 86.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80.9 males age 18 and over.

98.2% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.8% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,406 households in Cleveland, of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.1% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5,109 housing units, of which 13.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 12.6%.

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. 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 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. Their main campuses respectively are in unincorporated Coahoma County and Moorhead in Sunflower County.

Primary and secondary schools

The City of Cleveland is served by the Cleveland School District. Schools within the Cleveland city limits include:

Cleveland Central High School – 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.

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

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 Bullet

The Bolivar Commercial (Defunct)

The Cleveland News Leader (Defunct)

The Cleveland Current (Defunct)

Television

Channel 8, WHCQ-LD

Channel 17, WXVT-LD

FM radio

88.1 WDSW-LP: (Cleveland, Delta State University) Adult Album Alternative|Americana (music)|Blues

92.1 WKXY: Country

98.3 WBYB (FM): Oldies

101.7 WZYQ: Adult R&B

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.

Transportation

Delta Bus Lines provides regional scheduled services to Baton Rouge, Memphis, Greenville, Jackson, and other cities in the Mississippi Delta region.

Notable people

Bobby Bradford – jazz trumpeter, cornetist, bandleader, and composer

Amzie Moore – Civil rights activist

Walter Rhodes – blues accordionist and singer

Bobbie L. Steele – 32nd president of Chicago's Cook County Board of Commissioners

Larry Speakes – acting spokesman for the White House under President Ronald Reagan

Professional baseball players:

Dave Ferriss

Josh Hancock

Chet "Chick" Morgan

Kevin Rogers

Professional football players:

Pat Coleman

John Eubanks

Ken Lucas

Lou Rash

Floyd Womack

Johnny O'Bryant III – professional basketball player

Margaret Wade – Basketball Hall of Fame Coach, namesake of the Wade Trophy