While looking up some TV sites they all advertise Greenville MS as something like News for the DElTA region.
Why? Is it because MS and LA and AR are nearby?
The joke about the delta is that it starts in Vicksburg and goes northward along the river until it ends in the lobby of the Peabody hotel in Memphis.
MS questions welcome, I was born and raised there.
miatachris
Ole Miss '95
Play Dixie! Play Dixie!
I don’t suppose that really answered the OP if he didn’t know the term. Greenville is most certainly in the Delta. The MS Delta region encompasses most of Northwest MS and is the primary cotton-growing region of the state. Much of the land bordering the river is flood plain for the Mississippi, thus providing the rich soil that cotton (as well as so many other crops) grows well there. Given a map, the delta region is bordered on the South by Vicksburg, the West by the river, the North by Tennessee, and the West more or less by the Yazoo river.
The delta region is generally noted as being one of the nation’s poorest. Tunica county was once the nation’s poorest county. That changed a good while ago, though, with the addition of riverboat casinos. Now, they’re still poor, but they’ve got a four-lane highway to Memphis, better equipment in the schools, many many cocktail waitress openings, and nicer sheriff’s cars.
miatachris
Ole Miss '95
Play Dixie! Play Dixie!
This always confused the heck out of me, too. Why is this region called “the Delta” when it is not a river delta at all?
‘Swamp’ and ‘Bayou’ were already taken?
Jim
Before the current levee system was built, the Mississippi routinely flooded in the spring. The leavings of the floods gave the delta region its fine topsoil. I suppose the floods were so severe and so muddy, that “delta” was a term that loosely fit what was happening to the land-- the river ran over it, and “new land” was left behind. Over time, such terms stick.
At best, it’s a colloquialism. I can assure you, the facts rarely stand in the way of Mississippi terminology.
Thanks for backing me up, Google.
and now, TMI: Mississippi Delta is the b-side of the 45-rpm single of Ode to Billy Joe by one-hit-wonder Bobbie Gentry.
Thank you for attending Mississippi History.
Class dismissed.
Thank God.
For the sake of clarity, what do locals call the portion of the Mississippi River downstream of New Orleans where it dribbles into the Gulf? If it was an ordinary river, this would be its Delta – but that name’s already taken.
I admitted it was confusing and colloquial.
The Mississippi is no ordinary river, to be very sure–which might explain away a few lapses in terminology.
I don’t know what a Deita is.
East Arkansas is in the Mississippi Delta region as well.
The other posts described the origin pretty well.
I’m in New Orleans. This is also refered to as the Delta. Or more often, the Mississippi River delta. “Mouth-of-the-river” is heard frequently, as well.
Is it because of the THREE states and a DELTA is 3 sided figure?