Greenwood dates to 1830, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #2 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
26 places in town are on the National Register, among them nine historic districts with 1,712 buildings between them. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1843.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Greenwood’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Greenwood is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #2 of 100 in Mississippi. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Greenwood’s overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Greenwood’s 1,227 sits above most of its state (99% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 1,729 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). Two sources give 1830.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Greenwood’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first settlement by European-Americans in the area, next to the Yazoo River, was a trading post founded in 1834 named William's Landing. Three miles up the river was another settlement founded by Chief Greenwood Leflore in 1850 called Point Leflore. Soon an exchange of some parcels of land were made by Leflore for a commitment from the townsmen to maintain roads to the hilly area to the east and to some more established settlements to the northwest.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Greenwood. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1936Greenwood sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Greenwood.
Every building
Greenwood, building by building, 1892–1918
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1830, according to Wikidata. Greenwood’s post office opened in 1843, and the census of 1880 counted 308 people here.
How does Greenwood rank for history?
Greenwood is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #2 of 100 in Mississippi. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Greenwood?
26 listings: 13 buildings, 9 historic districts with 1,712 contributing buildings, 3 sites, and 1 structure. 1,729 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Greenwood?
12% of Greenwood’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1968.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (26), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1910
1917
1917
1936
