YAZOO CITY

city, seat (1849) of Yazoo county, west-central Mississippi, U.S. It lies along the Yazoo River, 38 miles (61 km) northwest of Jackson. Founded as Hanan's Bluff in 1824, it was incorporated in 1830 and called Manchester; it was renamed for the Yazoo Indians in 1839. Its riverfront was the scene of several Civil War battles; the hull of the Baron DeKalb, sunk by Federal forces, is still visible at low water. Yazoo City was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1904 and was afterward rebuilt. An oil refinery was built in the city after the state's first oil well began production (1939) nearby. Yazoo City is an agricultural-trade centre (cattle, soybeans, corn , cotton) and has some manufactures (nitrogen chemicals, fertilizer, machinery, textiles). Delta National Forest is a few miles west. Pop. (1990) 12,427.