Jackson

Sister cities

• Skien
• Chiayi City

History

The Jackson area was historically populated by the Choctaw, the majority of whom were forcibly removed to Oklahoma following Andrew Jackson's signing of the Indian Removal Act in 1830. However, per the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, Choctaws could remain in Mississippi where they would be granted citizenship. Located on the historic Natchez Trace trade route, the Choctaw town that stood where Jackson is today was called , meaning "Among the post oaks." The city's first European American settler was Louis LeFleur, a French-Canadian trader. The village became known as LeFleur's Bluff. During the late 18th century and early 19th century, this site had a trading post. It was connected to markets in Tennessee. Soldiers returning to Tennessee from the military campaigns near New Orleans in 1815 built a public road that connected Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana to this district. A United States treaty with the Choctaw, the Treaty of Doak's Stand in 1820, formally opened the area for non-Native American settlers. LeFleur's Bluff was developed when it was chosen as the site for the new state's capital city. The Mississippi General Assembly decided in 1821 that the state needed a centrally located capital (the legislature was then located in Natchez). They commissioned Thomas Hinds, James Patton, and William Lattimore to look for a suitable site. The absolute center of the state was a swamp, so the group had to widen their search. After surveying areas north and east of Jackson, they proceeded southwest along the Pearl River until they reached LeFleur's Bluff in today's Hinds County. One Whig politician lamented the new capital as a "serious violation of principle" because it was not at the absolute center of the state. The capital was named for General Andrew Jackson, to…

Geography

The city of Jackson is located primarily in northeastern Hinds County. Jackson also includes around 3,000 acres (12.1 km2) in Rankin County comprising Jackson-Medgar Evers International Airport and a small portion of Madison County. The Pearl River forms most of the eastern border of the city. A small portion of the city containing Tougaloo College is the portion of Jackson that lies in Madison County, bounded on the west by Interstate 220 and on the east by the U.S. Route 51 and Interstate 55. In the 2010 census, only 622 of the city's residents lived in Madison County, and only 1 lived within the city limits in Rankin County. The city is bordered to the north by Ridgeland in Madison County, to the northeast by Ross Barnett Reservoir on the Pearl River, to the east by Flowood and Richland in Rankin County, to the south by Byram in Hinds County, and to the west by Clinton in Hinds County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.94% of the total, are water. Downtown Jackson is situated directly on the banks of the Pearl River. The downtown district has direct connections to both Interstate 55 via Pearl Street and Pasagoula Street and Interstate 20 via State Street (US 51). Much of the downtown was constructed before the 1980s and only small additions to the skyline have been made since then. For the most part, Jackson is built on acidic, variably drained silt loam soil. Loess forms the topsoil in western sections, where the Loring soil series is common. The Tippo series, also a silt loam, is found in the central flood plain. Farther east, common soil series include Guyton silt loam, Providence silt loam and Smithdale fine sandy loam. Jackson sits atop the extinct Jackson Volcano, located…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,446
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  4,838
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,671
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4,260
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,108
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,708
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3,650
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,558

Largest nearby schools

• MURRAH HIGH SCHOOL
  High · JACKSON · 1,326 students · 18.2:1 ratio
• CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL
  High · Clinton · 1,226 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• FOREST HILL HIGH SCHOOL
  High · JACKSON · 991 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• CALLAWAY HIGH SCHOOL
  High · JACKSON · 923 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• JIM HILL HIGH SCHOOL
  High · JACKSON · 908 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• CLINTON JR HI SCHOOL
  Middle · Clinton · 871 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• PROVINE HIGH SCHOOL
  High · JACKSON · 774 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• EASTSIDE ELEM
  Elementary · Clinton · 761 students · 15.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3 — 2025-03-15
  5 km NNE of Magee, Mississippi
• M 2.5 — 2024-11-28
  12 km SE of Canton, Mississippi
• M 2.8 — 2019-08-09
  Mississippi
• M 2.6 — 2015-08-17
  9 km N of Madison, Mississippi
• M 3.2 — 2015-06-29
  6 km SSW of Canton, Mississippi
• M 3 — 2015-05-03
  8 km WSW of Canton, Mississippi