Jackson, the capital of the state of Mississippi. It is the most populous city in the state and an important financial center.
Jackson is located in the center of the state of Mississippi, on the banks of the Pearl River, about 75 km from the Mississippi River. The area where it is located is an alluvial plain located 90 m above sea level. Given its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, the city’s climate is markedly humid, with hot summers and mild winters. The average annual temperature is 18 ° C, 8’5 ° C in January and 27 ° C in August.
History– The city of Jackson is named in honor of the general and president of the United States of America, Andrew Jackson, it was founded in 1821 to host the capital of the state of Mississippi, admitted to the Union four years earlier. The city was built on a trading site founded by the French-Canadian Louis Le Fleur. The region, where the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians had lived, became the property of the United States Congress through a treaty signed with the Choctaws.
- Collegetoppicks.com: Offers a list of top engineering schools in Mississippi.
Jackson thrived in the following years for administrative activities, such as centralizing commercial activities based, mainly on the processing of cotton in the region. During the Civil War (1861-65), the city was occupied by Union troops, in those years it suffered three serious fires that destroyed a large part of the city. The city was rebuilt after the war.
Starting in 1930 there was an accelerated growth of the city which tripled its population. The discovery of natural gas fields (which allowed industries to benefit from abundant and cheap energy), combined with an efficient and economical transport network, attracted new investors.
What see– With its railroad crossings, smoky cafes and main street of shops, downtown Jackson looks like a 1950s set. The Mississippi State Capitol, which dates back to 1903, looks like the Washington Capitol. Jackson also has the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, an ideal family attraction, dedicated to the history of local agriculture. Also on display is a farm from 1850, complete with livestock and a garden. The Chimneyville Crafts Gallery, is a shop, where artifacts of the Choctaw Indians are for sale. In the adjacent Sports Hall of Fame, with interactive exhibits, the most popular local athletes and college teams are honored. Also worth seeing is the zoo, Mynelle Gardens, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, and the Mississippi Museum of Art. The old capitol from 1839, now the Old Capitol Museum of Mississippi History, shows a brief history of the civil rights battles in the state and screened a hard documentary in black and white on the violent clashes between police and demonstrators. The impact of the cotton and timber industry on the local economy, ecology and society in the 1900s is illustrated in a small room. Other interesting buildings are the Governor’s Palace, which housed Generals Grant and Sherman during the Civil War (1861-65). As for the cultural and artistic theme, the Mississippi Arts Center should be emphasized, the Museum of Art, the Davis Planetarium and the Municipal Art Gallery. All of these attractions, and the city’s reputation for blues, make Jackson a stopping point for travelers along the Natchez Trace Parkway. Jackson hosts an International Ballet Competition and an Art Festival each year. The city finances the Mississippi Ballet, an opera company and a symphony orchestra.
- Localcollegeexplorer.com: Provides a complete list of two year community colleges in Mississippi.
Economy – The city has numerous financial companies, banks, and insurance companies, a very important commercial sector, which occupies a quarter of the total workforce. Other important sectors are industry, agriculture and the mining sector, the latter based on the extraction of oil and natural gas. Recently, various companies in the high-tech, aerospace, electronics and information technology sectors have opened branches in the city. Jackson benefited from its good transportation infrastructure, in fact, it is well connected with the cities of Memphis, Atlanta, Dallas and New Orleans, and serves as a link on the Illinois-Gulf of Mexico axis.
