{"id":11675,"date":"2024-02-22T22:20:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T21:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=11675"},"modified":"2024-02-22T22:20:20","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T21:20:20","slug":"is-the-mississippi-river-east-of-mississippi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/is-the-mississippi-river-east-of-mississippi\/","title":{"rendered":"Is The Mississippi River East Of Mississippi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the most common questions when it comes to the location of the Mississippi River is whether or not it is east of the state of Mississippi. The answer to this question is somewhat complicated, as the answer depends largely on how one defines “east” in regards to the river. <\/p>\n

The river is considered by many to be west of Mississippi, as the headwaters of the Mississippi River are located in the city of Itasca, Minnesota. This portion of the river runs westward, eventually emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. <\/p>\n

However, depending on the definition of “east”, one might also say that the river is east of Mississippi. The reason for this is that 80 percent of the river is actually located to the east of the state. In fact, almost all of the river’s tributaries and distributaries, including the Ohio, Arkansas, White, and Red rivers, are east of Mississippi. <\/p>\n

In addition, the navigation channel that was dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was specifically designed to flow in an easterly direction. As a result, the main channel of the Mississippi River is usually considered to be east of Mississippi as well, even though the headwaters are in the west. <\/p>\n