Jackson travel guide — Jackson tourism and travel information

Jackson travel guide

about Jackson

Jackson is the capital and largest city of Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. As of the 2000 census, its population is 184,256. Including its suburbs, the Jackson metropolitan area has a population of 450,000. Jackson is one of the county seats of Hinds County; Raymond is the other county seat.

Jackson 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.

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% water.

Jackson history

The city (originally known as LeFleur's Bluff) was founded in 1822 based on the need for a centrally located capital for the state of Mississippi and named for the iconic figure General Andrew Jackson. It was originally planned 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.

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.

In 1863, during the campaign which ended in the capture of Vicksburg, Union forces won the Battle of Jackson, forcing Confederate forces to flee westward towards Clinton. Subsequently, on 15 May 1863 Union troops under the command of William Tecumseh Sherman burned and looted nearly the entire city of Jackson, which was afterwards nicknamed Chimneyville because supposedly only the chimneys of houses were left standing. Today there are few antebellum structures left standing in Jackson; among the few is the Old Capitol building, which served as the home of the Mississippi state legislature from 1839 to 1903, when the present structure, so-called the New Capitol, was completed.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty was born in Jackson in 1909 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. The book gives a charming picture of the city in the early 20th century. Today, the main Jackson public library is named in her honor.

On May 24, 1961 during the American civil rights movement, a bus full of Freedom Riders were arrested in Jackson for "disturbing the peace" after they disembarked from their bus.

In Jackson, shortly after midnight on 12 June 1963, civil rights activist and leader of the Mississippi chapter of the NAACP Medgar Evers was murdered by Byron de la Beckwith, a white supremacist. In 1994, prosecutors finally convicted de la Beckwith of murder.

The Paul Simon song "Learn How To Fall," found on the album There Goes Rhymin' Simon, was recorded at Malaco Recording Studios in Jackson in 1972 or 1973.

Near cities to Jackson

• Vicksburg travel guide 66 km
• Natchez travel guide 140 km
• Greenville travel guide 150 km
• Monroe travel guide 180 km
• Baton Rouge travel guide 230 km
• Port Louis travel guide 230 km
• Biloxi travel guide 240 km
• Tupelo travel guide 260 km
• Metairie travel guide 260 km
• New Orleans travel guide 260 km

Near webcams to Jackson

• New Orleans webcam 260 km
• Memphis - Graceland webcam 320 km
• Little Rock webcam 330 km
• Auburn webcam 440 km
• Nashville webcam 530 km
• Nashville - Skylive webcam 530 km
• Housten webcam 570 km
• Housten webcam 570 km
• Housten webcam 570 km
• Houston - Museum of Natural Science webcam 570 km

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Jackson travel services

cheap flights to Jackson

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Jackson real estate

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City Travel Guide comes with Jackson real estate guide with several tips on home valuation, realtors comparison, secrets on finding the "right" home, loans guide and other helpful real estate advices. Our partners also maintain Jackson property for sale and rental listings, real estate laws and reviews. We will try to help you with buying property in USA, choosing real estate agents, property finders, relocation help, and information for English speakers wanting to buy real estate in Jackson.

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Jackson travel books

Jackson travel guide books

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Jackson maps and atlases

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