Jackson, the State Capital, is located in
Hinds County in central Mississippi. It lies between
Vicksburg and
Meridian on Highway I20.
The city was founded in 1821 at a trading post on the west bank of the Pearl River. A legislative act in 1821 authorized the location to be the state capital and specified that it be named after Andrew Jackson, who later was elected the nation's seventh president. During the Civil War, the town was destroyed three times by General William Sherman's Union soldiers. Fewer than 8,000 people lived in Jackson at the turn of the century.
Today, the city's population of 202,062 is characterized by a diversified ethnic mix. Jackson has 53 city parks. Residents experience four seasons, with the following average temperatures: Winter, 48 degrees; Spring, 65; Summer, 81; and Fall, 66 degrees. Among the city's cultural features are the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Opera, and several museums.
Jackson is part of the Jackson, Mississippi metro area.
