Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2000 census, the city's population was 184,256. As of July 1, 2005, the census estimates that the Jackson Metropolitan area (MSA), including its suburbs in Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Copiah, and Simpson counties, has a population of 522,580. Jackson is one of the county seats of Hinds County; Raymond is the other county seat. Jackson is also a part of the Jackson - Yazoo City Combined Statistical Area (CSA). The city has self-styled itself as "The Best of the New South," and "The Bold New City." Frank Melton is the current mayor of Jackson. The city is home to the international headquarters of Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society for the students enrolled in two-year colleges.

History

Founding and antebellum period (to 1860)

The area that is now Jackson was first settled in 1792 by Louis LeFleur, a French-Canadian trader. During the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century the area was traversed by the Natchez Trace, on which a trading post stood before the Treaty of Doak's Stand in 1820 formally opened the area for non-native American settlers.

The city, originally known as Parker'ville, was founded based on the need for a centrally located capital for the state of Mississippi. In 1821, the Mississippi General Assembly, meeting in the then-capital, Natchez, had sent Thomas Hinds (for whom Hinds County is named), James Patton, and William Lattimore to look for a site. After surveying areas north and east of Jackson, they proceeded southwest along the Pearl River until they reached LeFleur's Bluff in Hinds County. Their report to the General Assembly stated that this location had beautiful and healthful surroundings, good water, abundant timber, navigable waters, and proximity to the Natchez Trace. And so, a legislative act passed by the Assembly on November 28, 1821, authorized the location to become the permanent seat of the government of the state of Mississippi.

Jackson was originally planned out in April 1822 by Peter Van Dorn in a "checkerboard" pattern advocated by Thomas Jefferson, in which city blocks alternated with parks and other open spaces, giving the appearance of a checkerboard. This plan has not lasted to the present day. The state legislature first met in Jackson on December 23, 1822. It is named for the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, in recognition for his victory in the War of 1812 in the Battle of New Orleans.

The Jackson City Hall, located in downtown Jackson on historic Congress Street.

In 1839, Jackson was the site of the passage of the first state law that permitted married women to own and administer their own property.

Jackson was first linked with other cities by rail in 1840. An 1844 map shows Jackson linked by an east-west rail line running between Vicksburg, Raymond, and Brandon. Unlike Vicksburg, Greenville, and Natchez, Jackson is not located on the Mississippi River, and did not develop like those cities from river commerce. Instead, railroads would later spark growth of the city in the decades after the American Civil War.

American Civil War and late nineteenth century (1861-1900)

Despite its small population, during the Civil War that followed, Jackson became a strategic center of manufacturing for the Confederate States of America. In 1863, during the campaign which ended in the capture of Vicksburg, Union forces captured Jackson during two battles—once before the fall of Vicksburg and once after the fall of Vicksburg.

On May 13, 1863, Union forces won the first Battle of Jackson, forcing Confederate forces to flee northward towards Canton. Subsequently, on May 15, 1863, Union troops under the command of William Tecumseh Sherman burned and looted key facilities in city of Jackson, a strategic manufacturing and railroad center for the Confederacy. After driving the Confederate forces out of Jackson, Union forces turned west once again and engaged the Vicksburg defenders at the Battle of Champion Hill in nearby Edwards. The siege of Vicksburg began soon after the Union victory at Champion Hill. Confederate forces began to reassemble in Jackson in preparation for an attempt to break through the Union lines surrounding Vicksburg and end the siege there. The Confederate forces in Jackson built defensive fortifications encircling the city while preparing to march west to Vicksburg.

Confederate forces marched out of Jackson to break the siege of Vicksburg in early July 1863. However, unknown to them, Vicksburg had already surrendered on July 4, 1863. General Ulysses S. Grant dispatched General Sherman to meet the Confederate forces heading west from Jackson. Upon learning that Vicksburg had already surrendered, the Confederates retreated back into Jackson, thus beginning the Siege of Jackson, which lasted for approximately one week. Union forces encircled the city and began an artillery bombardment. One of the Union artillery emplacements still remains intact on the grounds of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Another Federal position is still intact on the campus of Millsaps College. One of the Confederate Generals defending Jackson was former United States Vice President John C. Breckenridge. On July 16, 1863, Confederate forces slipped out of Jackson during the night and retreated across the Pearl River. Union forces completely burned the city after its capture this second time, and the city earned the nickname "Chimneyville" because only the chimneys of houses were left standing. The northern line of Confederate defenses in Jackson during the siege was located along a road near downtown Jackson now known as Fortification Street.

Today there are few antebellum structures left standing in Jackson. One surviving structure is the Governor's Mansion, built in 1842, which served as Sherman's headquarters. Another is the Old Capitol building, which served as the home of the Mississippi state legislature from 1839 to 1903. There the Mississippi legislature passed the ordinance of secession from the Union on January 9, 1861, becoming the second state to secede from the United States. The constitutional convention of 1890, which produced Mississippi's Constitution of 1890, was also held there. The so-called New Capitol replaced the older structure upon its completion in 1903, and today the Old Capitol is a historical museum. A third important surviving antebellum structure is the Jackson City Hall, built in 1846 for less than $8,000. It is said that Sherman, a Mason, spared it because it housed a Masonic Lodge, though a more likely reason is that it housed an army hospital.

Early twentieth century (1901-1960)

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty was born in Jackson in 1909, died there in 2001, and lived most of her life in the Belhaven section of the city. She wrote a memoir of her development as a writer, One Writer's Beginnings (1984), which gives a charming picture of the city in the early 20th century. Today, the main Jackson public library is named in her honor.

Richard Wright (1908-1960), from a 1939 photo by Carl Van Vechten.

Highly acclaimed African-American author Richard Wright, a native of Roxie, Mississippi, lived in Jackson as an adolescent and young man in the 1910s and 1920s, and relates his experience in his memoir Black Boy (1945). He describes the harsh and largely terror-filled life most African-Americans experienced in the South under segregation in the early twentieth century.

Jackson's economic growth was stimulated in the 1930s by the discovery of natural gas fields nearby.

Civil rights era and afterwards (1961-present)

Since 1960, Jackson has undergone a series of dramatic changes and growth. On May 24, 1961, during the American civil rights movement, a large group of Freedom Riders was arrested in Jackson for disturbing the peace after they disembarked from their bus. Although the Freedom Riders had planned to make New Orleans their final destination, Jackson was the farthest that any of them actually managed to travel.

In Jackson, shortly after midnight on June 12, 1963, Medgar Evers, civil rights activist and leader of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP, was murdered by Byron De La Beckwith, a white supremacist. In 1994, prosecutors Ed Peters and Bobby DeLaughter finally convicted de la Beckwith of murder. A portion of U.S. Highway 49, all of Delta Drive and Jackson-Evers International Airport now bear Medgar Evers's name.

The first successful cadaveric lung transplant was performed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson in June 1963 by Dr. James Hardy. Hardy transplanted the cadaveric lung into a patient suffering from lung cancer. The patient survived for eighteen days before dying of kidney failure.

In 1965, Millsaps College became the first private college in the South to admit African-American students.

In June 1966, Jackson was also the terminus of the James Meredith March, organized by James Meredith, the first African-American to enroll at the University of Mississippi. The march, which began in Memphis, Tennessee, was an attempt to garner support for the Civil Rights movement and was accompanied by a drive to register African-Americans to vote in Mississippi. In this latter aim it succeeded in registering between 2,500 and 3,000 black Mississippians to vote. The march ended on June 26 after Meredith, who had been wounded by a sniper's bullet earlier on the march, addressed a large rally of some 15,000 people in Jackson.

Since 1968, Jackson has been the home of Malaco Records, one of the leading record companies for gospel and soul music in the United States. In January 1973, Paul Simon recorded the song "Learn How To Fall," found on the album There Goes Rhymin' Simon, in Jackson at the Malaco Recording Studios.

In 1997, Harvey Johnson, Jr. became the city's first African American mayor. During his term, he proposed the creation of a convention center, in hopes of attracting business to the city. He was replaced by Frank Melton on July 4, 2005. Melton has subsequently generated controversy through his unconventional behavior, which has included acting as a law enforcement officer.

Geography

Jackson is located on the Pearl River, and is served by the Ross Barnett Reservoir, which forms a section of the Pearl River and is located northeast of Jackson on the border between Madison and Rankin counties. A tiny portion of the city containing Tougaloo College lies in Madison County, bounded on the west by I-220 and on the east by US 51 and I-55.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 276.7 km² (106.8 mi²). 271.7 km² (104.9 mi²) of it is land and 5.0 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.80 percent water.

Demographics

Jackson remained a small town for much of the nineteenth century. The 1860 census counted only 1,881 residents, and by 1900 the population had only grown to approximately 8,000, though by 1944, Jackson's population had risen to some 70,000 inhabitants. Large-scale growth did not come until the 1970s, after the turbulence of the Civil Rights Movement.

As of the census of 2000, there were 184,256 people, 67,841 households, and 44,503 families residing in the city. The population density was 678.2/km² (1,756.4/mi²). There were 75,678 housing units at average density of 278.5/km² (721.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 27.79% White or Caucasian, 70.64% Black or African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 67,841 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.4% were married couples living together, 25.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,414, and the median income for a family was $36,003. Males had a median income of $29,166 versus $23,328 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,116. About 19.6% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

Jackson is home to several major industries. These include electrical equipment and machinery, processed food, and primary and fabricated metal products. The surrounding area supports agricultural development of livestock, soybeans, cotton, and poultry.

Political structures

In 1985, Jackson voters opted to replace the three-man mayor-commissioner system with a city council. Jackson's city council members represent the city's seven wards, and the body is headed by the mayor, Frank Melton, who was inducted into office on July 4, 2005.

Council members

* Ben Allen, Ward 1
* Leslie Burl McLemore, Ward 2
* Kenneth I. Stokes, Ward 3
* Frank Bluntson, Ward 4
* Charles Tillman, Ward 5
* Marshand K. Crisler, Ward 6
* Margaret C. Barrett-Simon, Ward 7

See List of Mayors of Jackson, MS for former mayors

Publicly traded companies

The following companies are headquartered in Jackson:
* Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:CALM)
* EastGroup Properties Inc. (NYSE:EGP)
* Knobias, Inc. (OTC:KNBS), Ridgeland, Mississippi
* Parkway Properties, Inc. (NYSE:PKY)
* Trustmark Corporation (NASDAQ:TRMK)

Jackson-area educational institutions

Media

Newspapers and publishing

* The New Southern View - Mississippi's First and Only Ezine, exploring Mississippi for our readers "http://www.newsouthernview.com
* Jackson Free Press - Blogs and discussion at: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com
* The Clarion-Ledger daily newspaper, at http://www.clarionledger.com
* The Northside Sun weekly newspaper, at http://www.northsidesun.com
* The Mississippi Link weekly newspaper, at http://www.mississippilink.com
* Mississippi Business Journal weekly newspaper, at http://www.msbusiness.com
* University Press of Mississippi
* The Jackson Mississippian (defunct newspaper)
* Jackson Advocate Mississippi's largest weekly newspaper and oldest newspaper serving the state's African-American community, at http://www.jacksonadvocate.com

Online news and weblogs

* The Jackson Progressive, an online alternative news journal covering greater Jackson

Television

* Channel 3, WLBT: NBC
* Channel 8, WBXK: America One
* Channel 10, WBMS: independent (simulcast of WXMS)
* Channel 12, WJTV: CBS
* Channel 16, WAPT: ABC
* Channel 27, WXMS: independent
* Channel 29, WMPN: PBS/Mississippi Public Broadcasting
* Channel 34, WRBJ (UPN 34): UPN; will become a The CW affiliate in September, 2006
* Channel 35, WUFX (My 35): WB; will become a My Network TV affiliate in September, 2006.
* Channel 40, WDBD (Fox 40): Fox
* Channel 49, WJXF: America One (simulcast of WBXK)
* Channel 53, WJMF: Univision

FM radio

* 88.5 WJSU: jazz; National Public Radio
* 89.1 WMBU: Moody Bible Radio
* 90.1 WMPR: variety
* 91.3 WMPN: classical music; National Public Radio
* 92.5 WQST: American Family Radio
* 93.1 WYAB (B93): oldies
* 93.5 WHJT (Star 93.5): christian contemporary
* 93.9 WRXW (Rock 93-9): active rock
* 94.7 WWJK (94-7 Jack FM): adult hits
* 95.5 WHLH (95.5 Hallelujah FM): gospel
* 96.3 WUSJ (US 96.3): country music
* 97.3 WFMN (Supertalk Mississippi): talk

* 97.7 WRJH (Hot 97): hip-hop
* 98.7 WJKK (Mix 98.7): adult contemporary
* 99.7 WJMI (99 Jamz): hip-hop
* 100.5 WRTM-FM (Smooth 100-dot-5): urban AC
* 100.9 WJXN: Christian contemporary (K-Love)
* 101.7 WYOY (Y101): top-40
* 102.9 WMSI (Miss 103): country music
* 103.7 WLEZ-LP (EZ 103.7): adult standards
* 105.1 WQJQ (Q105): oldies
* 105.9 WOAD-FM (Praise 105.9): gospel
* 106.7 WSTZ (Z106.7): classic rock
* 107.5 WKXI-FM (Kixie 107): urban AC

AM radio

* 620 WJDX (The Score): Fox Sports Radio
* 780 WIIN: talk radio for women
* 810 WSJC: Family Talk Radio
* 930 WSFZ (SuperSport 930): Sporting News Radio
* 970 WZQK (Real Country 970): classic country
* 1120 WTWZ: Christian country-music, secular bluegrass
* 1150 WONG: urban AC, gospel
* 1180 WJNT (NewsTalk 1180): news & talk
* 1240 WPBQ: ESPN Radio
* 1300 WOAD-AM: gospel
* 1370 WMGO: gospel
* 1400 WKXI-AM (Blues 1400): blues
* 1590 WZRX (Glory 1590): gospel

Cultural organizations and institutions

* Mississippi Department of Archives and History, which contains the state archives and records.
* Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi
* Mississippi Symphony Orchestra (MSO), formerly the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1944
* Municipal Art gallery
* Ballet Mississippi
* Mississippi Museum of Art [4]
* Russell C. Davis Planetarium [5]
* Mississippi Opera
* Mississippi Chorus
* New Stage Theatre [6]
* Mississippi Hispanic Association
* Mississippi Heritage Trust
* Mississippi Art Center
* Smith-Robertson Museum and Cultural Center
* Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum [7]
* Mynelle Gardens
* Jackson State University Botanical Garden
* Jackson Zoo [8]
* Mississippi Teacher Corps

Historic sites

* Old Capitol Museum of Mississippi History
* Governor's Mansion
* Manship House Museum
* Boyd House/The Oaks House Museum

Periodic cultural events

*Mississippi State Fair (annual, held in October)
*Crossroads Film Festival (annual, April)
*Jubilee! Jam (annual, June)
*Festival Latino (annual, September)
*OUToberfest (annual LGBT festival, October)
*USA International Ballet Competition (every four years, June)
*Mals St. Pattys Day Parade (annual, on the Saturday of or after March 17)

Sports teams

*Mississippi Braves, AA Affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, member of the Southern League.
*Mississippi Headhunters, Expansion afl2 team (tentatively scheduled to being play in 2008)

Sports teams temporarily hosting

*New Orleans Saints, Jackson's Millsaps College is the summer home for the New Orleans Saints (2006-2010) of the NFL. The Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts in Jackson, August 26, 2006.

Sports arenas

*Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium -- Football; home of Jackson State University
*Mississippi Coliseum -- Basketball, Hockey, Track, Rodeo
*Smith-Wills Stadium -- Baseball, Softball, Football, Soccer, Multipurpose (Has synthetic surface)
*Trustmark Park -- Home of the Mississippi Braves (Baseball)
*River Hills Club -- Tennis
*JSU Athletics and Assembly Center -- Basketball, Track
*Tougaloo College Wellness Center

Former professional sports teams

*Baseball
**Jackson Senators, Independent (2001-2004)
**Jackson Diamond Kats of the independent Texas-Louisiana League (2000)
**Jackson Generals, former Texas League AA affiliate of the Houston Astros (1991-1999)
**Jackson Mets, former Texas League AA affiliate of the New York Mets (1975-1990)
*Basketball
**Mississippi Hardhats -- World Basketball Association
*Hockey
**Jackson Bandits -- East Coast Hockey League
*Soccer
**Jackson Calypso -- Women's Soccer
**Jackson Rockers -- Men's Soccer
*Football
**Mississippi Pride -- Regional Football League
**Jackson CFL Team -- Canadian Football League entry; moved from Las Vegas to Jackson, but never played

Famous Jacksonians

*Margaret Walker Alexander, writer
*Milton Babbitt, composer
*David Banner, southern rapper/producer
*Lerone Bennett, Jr., Editor, Ebony Magazine
*Harry A. Cole, Sr., chemist, inventor of Pine-Sol
*Erick Dampier, professional basketball player
*Monta Ellis, professional basketball player
*Vic Fleming, writer
*Richard Ford, writer
*Jim Gallagher, Jr., professional golfer
*Othella Harrington, professional basketball player
*Beth Henley, playwright
*Lindsey Hunter, professional basketball player
*Fern Kinney, rhythm & blues and disco music entertainer
*Papa Charlie McCoy, blues musician
*Dorothy Moore, gospel singer
*Walter Payton, professional football player, member of the NFL Hall of Fame
*LeAnn Rimes, country music entertainer
*James Robinson, professional basketball player
*Doug Russell, American radio personality
*Laurie Smith, (aka Laurie Hickson-Smith), co-host of TLC's Trading Spaces
*Fred Smoot, professional football player
*Otis Spann, blues musician
*Pearl Spann, educator (namesake of Spann Elementary School in Jackson)
*Lake Speed, NASCAR driver
*H. C. Speir, blues talent scout
*Don T. Thigpen, legendary Sheet Music/Songbook transcriber for Malaco Records, Juana Records, and JDI Records
*Eudora Welty, writer
*Cassandra Wilson, jazz singer and songwriter

Transportation

Air travel

Jackson is served by Jackson-Evers International Airport, located at Allen C. Thompson Field, east of the city in Flowood in Rankin County. Its IATA code is JAN.

On 22 December 2004, Jackson City Council members voted 6-0 to rename Jackson International Airport in honor of slain civil rights leader and field secretary for the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP, Medgar Evers. This decision took effect on 22 January 2005.

Formerly Jackson was served by Hawkins Field Airport, located in northwest Jackson, with IATA code HKS, which is now used for private air traffic only.

Ground transportation

Interstate highways

* Interstate 55, which runs north-south from Chicago, Illinois through Jackson towards Brookhaven, McComb, and the Louisiana state line to New Orleans. Jackson is roughly halfway between New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee. The highway maintains eight to ten lanes in northern part of city, six lanes in the center and four lanes south of I-20
* Interstate 20, which runs east-west from near El Paso, Texas to Florence, South Carolina. Jackson is roughly halfway between Dallas, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. The highway is six lanes throughout the Jackson metro area.
* Interstate 220, which connects Interstates 55 and 20 on the north and west sides of the city and is four lanes throughout its route.

U.S. highways

* U.S. Highway 49, which runs north-south from the Arkansas state line at Lula via Clarksdale and Yazoo City, towards Hattiesburg and Gulfport. It bypasses the city via I-20 and I-220
* U.S. Highway 51, known in Jackson as State Street, roughly parallels Interstate 55 from the I-20/I-55 western split to downtown. It multiplexes with I-55 from Pearl/Pascagoula St northward to County Line Road, where the two highways split.
* U.S. Highway 80, which roughly parallels Interstate 20.

State highways

* Mississippi State Highway 18, which runs southwest towards Raymond and Port Gibson; southeast towards Bay Springs and Quitman.
* Mississippi State Highway 25 (some parts known as Lakeland Drive), which runs northeast towards Carthage and Starkville.

Other roads

In addition, Jackson is served by the Natchez Trace Parkway, which runs from Natchez to Nashville, Tennessee.

Bus service

JATRAN (Jackson Transit System) operates frequently during daytime hours, but bus operation is infrequent during nights and weekends.

Railroads

Jackson is served by the Canadian National Railway (formerly the Illinois Central Railroad). The Kansas City Southern Railway also serves the city. The Canadian National has a medium-sized yard downtown which Mill Street parallels and the Kansas City Southern has a large classification yard in Richland. Jackson is also served by Amtrak's City of New Orleans on a daily basis. Efforts for another Amtrak train, the Crescent Star, from Meridian, Mississippi to Dallas, Texas failed in 2003.