The Jackson area was historically populated by theChoctaw, the majority of whom were forciblyremoved to Oklahoma following Andrew Jackson's signing of theIndian Removal Act in 1830.[8][9] However, per the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, Choctaws could remain in Mississippi where they would be granted citizenship.
Located on the historicNatchez Trace trade route, the Choctaw town that stood where Jackson is today was calledChisha Foka, meaning "Among thepost oaks."[10] The city's first European American settler was Louis LeFleur, aFrench-Canadian trader. The village became known asLeFleur's Bluff.[11] During the late 18th century and early 19th century, this site had atrading post. It was connected to markets inTennessee. Soldiers returning to Tennessee from the military campaigns nearNew Orleans in 1815 built a public road that connectedLake Pontchartrain in Louisiana to this district.[12] A United States treaty with the Choctaw, theTreaty 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'scapital city. TheMississippi General Assembly decided in 1821 that the state needed a centrally located capital (the legislature was then located inNatchez). They commissionedThomas 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 thePearl River until they reached LeFleur's Bluff in today's Hinds County.[11] Their report to the General Assembly stated that this location had beautiful and healthful surroundings, good water, abundant timber, navigable waters, and proximity to theNatchez Trace. The Assembly passed an act on November 28, 1821, authorizing the site as the permanent seat of the government of the state of Mississippi.[11] On the same day, it passed a resolution to instruct theWashington delegation to pressCongress for a donation of public lands on the river for improved navigation to theGulf of Mexico.[13] OneWhig politician lamented the new capital as a "serious violation of principle" because it was not at the absolute center of the state.[14]
The city of Jackson was originally planned, in April 1822, byPeter Aaron Van Dorn in a "checkerboard" pattern advocated byThomas Jefferson.[15]City blocks alternated with parks and other open spaces. Over time, many of the park squares have beendeveloped rather than maintained asgreen space. The state legislature first met in Jackson on December 23, 1822. In 1839, the Mississippi Legislature passed the first state law in the U.S. to permit married women to own and administer their own property.[16]
Jackson was connected by public road toVicksburg andClinton in 1826.[17] Jackson was first connected by railroad to other cities in 1840. An 1844 map shows Jackson linked by an east–west rail line running between Vicksburg,Raymond, andBrandon. Unlike Vicksburg,Greenville, andNatchez, Jackson is not located on theMississippi River, and it did not develop during theantebellum era as those cities did from major river commerce. The construction of railroad lines to the city sparked its growth in the decades following theAmerican Civil War.
Despite its small population, during the Civil War, Jackson became a strategic center of manufacturing for theConfederacy. In 1863, during the military campaign which ended in thecapture of Vicksburg,Union forces captured Jackson during two battles—once before the fall of Vicksburg and once after the fall of Vicksburg.
On May 14, 1863, Union forces won the firstBattle of Jackson, forcingConfederate forces to flee northward towardsCanton. On May 14, Union troops under the command ofWilliam Tecumseh Sherman burned and looted key facilities in Jackson, a strategic manufacturing and railroad center for the Confederacy.[18][19] After driving the Confederate forces out of Jackson, Union forces turned west and engaged the Vicksburg defenders at theBattle of Champion Hill in nearbyEdwards. The Union forces began their siege of Vicksburg soon after their 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. The Confederate forces in Jackson built defensivefortifications encircling the city while preparing to march west to Vicksburg.
Confederate forces marched out of Jackson in early July 1863 to break the siege of Vicksburg. But, unknown to them, Vicksburg had already surrendered on July 4, 1863. GeneralUlysses S. Grant dispatched General Sherman to meet the Confederate forces heading west from Jackson. Upon learning that Vicksburg had already surrendered, the Confederates retreated into Jackson. Union forces began thesiege of Jackson, which lasted for approximately one week. Union forces encircled the city and began anartillery bombardment. One of the Union artillery emplacements has been preserved on the grounds of theUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.John C. Breckinridge, former United Statesvice president, served as one of the Confederate generals defending Jackson. 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. The city was called "Chimneyville" because only the chimneys of houses were left standing.[18] The northern line of Confederate defenses in Jackson during the siege was located along a road near downtown Jackson, now known as Fortification Street.
Engraving fromHarper's Weekly, June 20, 1863, after the capture of Jackson by Union forces during the American Civil WarMississippi Old Capitol, downtown Jackson
Because of the siege and following destruction, fewantebellum structures have survived in Jackson. TheGovernor's Mansion, built in 1842, served as Sherman's headquarters and has been preserved. Another is theOld Capitol building, which served as the home of the Mississippi state legislature from 1839 to 1903. The Mississippi legislature passed the ordinance ofsecession from the Union there on January 9, 1861, becoming the second state to secede from the United States. TheJackson City Hall, built in 1846 for less than $8,000, also survived. It is said that Sherman, aMason, spared it because it housed aMasonic Lodge, though a more likely reason is that it housed an army hospital.[20] Additionally, the Manship House (Ca. 1857) survives.
DuringReconstruction, African Americans were granted civil rights. Schools were established and African Americans held political offices.Eugene Welborne,Charles Reese,Weldon Hicks, andGeorge Caldwell Granberry were among the legislators who represented Hinds County in the legislature. African Americans also served in local offices, as judges, and as marshalls.
Mississippi had considerable insurgent action, as whites struggled to maintain white supremacy. Jackson's appointed mayorJoseph G. Crane was stabbed to death in 1869. The assailant,Edward M. Yerger, was arrested by military authorities but, after a U.S. Supreme Court case (Ex parte Yerger), he was bonded out, moved to Baltimore and was never tried.
The economic recovery from the Civil War was slow through the start of the 20th century, but there were some developments in transportation. In 1871, the city introduced mule-drawn streetcars which ran on State Street, which were replaced by electric ones in 1899.[21] In 1875, theRed Shirts were formed, one of the second waves of insurgentparamilitary organizations that essentially operated as "the military arm of the Democratic Party" to take back political power from the Republicans and to drive black people from the polls (Mississippi Plan).[22]
Democrats regained control of the state legislature in 1876. The constitutional convention of 1890, which produced Mississippi's Constitution of 1890, was held at the capitol.[23] This was the first of new constitutions or amendments ratified in each Southern state through 1908 that effectivelydisenfranchised mostAfrican Americans and many poor whites, through provisions making voter registration more difficult: such aspoll taxes, residency requirements, andliteracy tests. These provisions survived a Supreme Court challenge in 1898.[24][25] As 20th-century Supreme Court decisions later ruled such provisions were unconstitutional, Mississippi and other Southern states rapidly devised new methods to continue disfranchisement of most black people, who comprised a majority in the state until the 1930s. Their exclusion from politics was maintained into the late 1960s.
The so-calledNew Capitol replaced the older structure upon its completion in 1903. Today the Old Capitol is operated as a historical museum.[23]
Panorama of downtown Jackson in 1910. The Old Capitol and Capitol Street can be seen at the center of the photo. The New Capital is at the left.
Map of Jackson in 1919April 16, 1921, flood on Town Creek, a tributary of the Pearl River in Jackson. The photo is a view of East Capitol Street looking east from North Farish Street.Standard Life Building at night, downtown Jackson
Richard Wright, a highly acclaimed African-American author, lived in Jackson as an adolescent and young man in the 1910s and 1920s. He related his experience in his memoirBlack Boy (1945). He described the harsh and largely terror-filled life most African Americans experienced in the South and Northern ghettos such asChicago undersegregation in the early 20th century.
Jackson had significant growth in the early 20th century, which produced dramatic changes in the city's skyline. Jackson's newUnion Station downtown reflected the city's service by multiple rail lines, including theIllinois Central.
Across the street, the new, luxuriousKing Edward Hotel opened its doors in 1923, having been built according to a design by New Orleans architectWilliam T. Nolan. It became a center for prestigious events held by Jackson society and Mississippi politicians. Nearby, the 18-storyStandard Life Building, designed in 1929 by Claude Lindsley, was the largest reinforced concrete structure in the world upon its completion.
Jackson's economic growth was further stimulated in the 1930s by the discovery ofnatural gas fields nearby. Speculators had begun searching for oil and natural gas in Jackson beginning in 1920. The initial drilling attempts came up empty. This failure did not stop Ella Render from obtaining a lease from the state's insane asylum to begin a well on its grounds in 1924, where he found natural gas. (Render eventually lost the rights when courts determined that the asylum did not have the right to lease the state's property.) Businessmen jumped on the opportunity and dug wells in the Jackson area. The continued success of these ventures attracted further investment. By 1930, there were 14 derricks in the Jackson skyline.
It is no idle dream to prophesy that the state's share [of the oil and natural gas profits] properly safe-guarded would soon pay the state's entire bonded indebtedness and even be great enough to defray all the state's expenses and make our state tax free so long as obligations are concerned.
This enthusiasm was subdued when the first wells failed to produce oil of a sufficiently high gravity for commercial success. The barrels of oil had considerable amounts of saltwater, which lessened the quality. The governor's prediction was wrong in hindsight, but the oil and natural gas industry did provide an economic boost for the city and state. The effects of theGreat Depression were mitigated by the industry's success. At its height in 1934, there were 113 producing wells in the state. The overwhelming majority were closed by 1955.[27]
Due to provisions in the federalRivers and Harbors Act, on October 25, 1930, city leaders met with U.S. Army engineers to ask for federal help to alleviate Jackson flooding.[28] J.J. Halbert, city engineer, proposed a straightening and dredging of thePearl River below Jackson.[29]
During Mississippi's extendedProhibition period, from the 1920s until the 1960s, illegal drinking and gambling casinos flourished on the east side of the Pearl River, inFlowood along with the originalU.S. Route 80 just across from the city of Jackson. Those illegal casinos, bootleg liquor stores, and nightclubs made up the Gold Coast, a strip of mostlyblack-market businesses that operated for decades along Flowood Road. Although outside the law, the Gold Coast was a thriving center of nightlife and music, with many local blues musicians appearing regularly in the clubs.
The Gold Coast declined and businesses disappeared after Mississippi's prohibition laws were repealed in 1966, allowing Hinds County, including Jackson, to go "wet".[30] In addition,integration drew off business from establishments that earlier had catered to African Americans, such as theSummers Hotel. When it opened in 1943 on Pearl Street, it was one of two hotels in the city that served black clients. For years its Subway Lounge was a prime performance spot for black musicians playing jazz and blues.
DuringWorld War II,Hawkins Field (at that time, also known as the Jackson Army Airbase) the American 21st, 309th, and 310th Bomber Groups that were stationed at the base were re-deployed for combat.[32] Following theGerman invasion of the Netherlands and theJapanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies, between 688 and 800 members of the Dutch Airforce escaped to the UK or Australia for training and, out of necessity, were eventually given permission by the United States to make use of Hawkins Field.[33]
From May 1942 until the end of the war, all Dutch military aircrews trained at the base and went on to serve in either the British or Australian Air Forces.[34]
In 1949, the poetMargaret Walker began teaching atJackson State University, ahistorically black college. She taught there until 1979 and founded the university's Center for African-American Studies. Her poetry collection won aYale Younger Poets Prize. Her second novel,Jubilee (1966), is considered a major work of African-American literature. She has influenced many younger writers.
Thecivil rights movement had been active for decades, particularly mounting legal challenges to Mississippi's constitution and laws that disfranchised black people. Beginning in 1960, Jackson as the state capital became the site for dramatic non-violent protests in a new phase of activism that brought in a wide variety of participants in the performance of mass demonstrations.
In 1960, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Jackson's population as 64.3% white and 35.7% black.[35] At the time, public facilities were segregated andJim Crow was in effect. Efforts todesegregate Jackson facilities began when nineTougaloo College students tried to read books in the "white only" public library and were arrested. Founded as ahistorically black college (HBCU) by theAmerican Missionary Association after the Civil War,Tougaloo College helped organize both black and white students of the region to work together for civil rights. It created partnerships with the neighboring mostly whiteMillsaps College to work with student activists. It has been recognized as a site on the "Civil Rights Trail" by theNational Park Service.[36]
The mass demonstrations of the 1960s were initiated with the arrival of more than 300Freedom Riders on May 24, 1961. They were arrested in Jackson fordisturbing the peace after they disembarked from their interstate buses. The interracial teams rode the buses fromWashington, D.C., and sat together to demonstrate against segregation on public transportation, as the Constitution provides for unrestricted public transportation.[37] Although the Freedom Riders had intendedNew Orleans as their final destination, Jackson was the farthest that any managed to travel. New participants kept joining the movement, as they intended to fill the jails in Jackson with their protest. The riders had encountered extreme violence along the way, including a bus burning and physical assaults. They attracted national media attention to the struggle for constitutional rights.
After the Freedom Rides, students and activists of the Freedom Movement launched a series of merchantboycotts,[38] sit-ins and protest marches,[39] from 1961 to 1963. Businesses discriminated against black customers. For instance, at the time, department stores did not hire black salesclerks or allow black customers to use their fitting rooms to try on clothes, or lunch counters for meals while in the store, but they wanted them to shop in their stores.
In Jackson, shortly after midnight on June 12, 1963,Medgar Evers, civil rights activist and leader of the Mississippi chapter of theNAACP, was assassinated byByron De La Beckwith, awhite supremacist associated with theWhite Citizens' Council. Thousands marched in Evers' funeral procession to protest the killing.[40] Two trials at the time both resulted inhung juries. A portion ofU.S. Highway 49, all of Delta Drive, a library, the central post office for the city, andJackson–Evers International Airport were named in honor of Medgar Evers. In 1994, prosecutors Ed Peters andBobby DeLaughter finally obtained a murder conviction in a state trial of De La Beckwith based on new evidence.[41]
During 1963 and 1964, civil rights organizers gathered residents for voter education andvoter registration. Black people had been essentially disfranchised since 1890. In a pilot project in 1963, activists rapidly registered 80,000 voters across the state, demonstrating the desire of African Americans to vote. In 1964 they created theMississippi Freedom Democratic Party as an alternative to the all-white state Democratic Party, and sent an alternate slate of candidates to the national Democratic Party convention inAtlantic City, New Jersey, that year.
Segregation and the disfranchisement of African Americans gradually ended after the Civil Rights Movement gained Congressional passage of theCivil Rights Act of 1964 andVoting Rights Act of 1965. In June 1966, Jackson was the terminus of the James Meredith March, organized byJames Meredith, the firstAfrican American to enroll at theUniversity of Mississippi. The march, which began inMemphis, Tennessee, was an attempt to garner support for full implementation of civil rights in practice, following the legislation. It was accompanied by a new drive to register African Americans to vote in Mississippi. In this latter goal, 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.
In September 1967 aKu Klux Klan chapter bombed the synagogue of theBeth Israel Congregation in Jackson, and in November bombed the house of its rabbi, Dr.Perry Nussbaum.[42] He and his congregation had supported civil rights.
Gradually the old barriers came down. Since that period, both whites andBlack Americans in the state have had a consistently high rate of voter registration and turnout. Following the decades of theGreat Migration, when more than one million black people left the rural South, since the 1930s the state has been majority white in total population. African Americans are a majority in the city of Jackson, although the metropolitan area is majority white. African Americans are also a majority in several cities and counties of theMississippi Delta, which are included in the2nd congressional district.[43] The other three congressional districts are majority white.
In 1966 it was estimated that recurring flood damage at Jackson from the Pearl River averaged nearly a million dollars per year. TheU.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent $6.8 million onlevees and a new channel in 1966 before the project completion to prevent a flood equal to the December 1961 event plus an additional foot.[45]
On May 15, 1970,Jackson police killed two students and wounded twelve atJackson State College after a protest of theVietnam War included students' overturning and burning some cars. These killings occurred eleven days after theNational Guard killed four students in an anti-war protest atKent State University inOhio, and were part of national social unrest.[46]Newsweek cited the Jackson State killings in its issue of May 18 when it suggested that U.S. PresidentRichard Nixon faced a newhome front.
The influx of illegal drugs occurred nationally as smugglers used the highways, seaports, and airports of the Gulf region.[47][48] The 1980s in Jackson were dominated by MayorDale Danks Jr. until he was unseated by lawyer and legislatorJ. Kane Ditto, who criticized the deficit funding and the politicized police department of the city.[49] Federal investigations of drug trafficking at Jackson'sHawkins Field airport were a part of theKerry Report, the 1986 U.S. Senate investigation of public corruption and foreign relations.[50]
As Jackson has become the medical and legal center of the state, it has attractedJewish professionals in both fields. Since the late 20th century, it has developed the largestJewish community in the state.[51]
In 1997,Harvey Johnson, Jr. was elected as Jackson's first African-American mayor. During his term, he proposed the development of aconvention center to attract more business to the city. In 2004, during his second term, 66 percent of the voters passed a referendum for a tax to build the Convention Center.[52]
Mayor Johnson was replaced byFrank Melton on July 4, 2005. Melton generated controversy through his unconventional behavior, which included acting as a law enforcement officer. A dramatic spike in crime ensued during his term, despite Melton's efforts to reduce crime. The lack of jobs contributed to climb.[53] In 2006 a young African-American businessman, Starsky Darnell Redd, was convicted ofmoney laundering in federal court along with his mother, other associates, and Billy Tucker, the former airport security chief.[54]
In 2007,Hinds County sheriff Malcolm McMillin was appointed as the new police chief in Jackson, setting a historic precedent. McMillin was both thecounty sheriff and city police chief until 2009, when he stepped down due to disagreements with the mayor. Mayor Frank Melton died in May 2009, and City Councilman Leslie McLemore served as acting mayor of Jackson until July 2009, when former Mayor Harvey Johnson was elected and assumed the position.[55]
On June 26, 2011, 49-year-oldJames Craig Anderson was killed in Jackson after being beaten, robbed, and run over by a group of white teenagers. The district attorney described it as a "hate crime", and theFBI investigated it as a civil rights violation.[56][57][58]
On March 18, 2013, a severehailstorm hit the Jackson metro area. The hail caused major damage to roofs, vehicles, and building siding. Hail ranged in size from golfball to softball. There were more than 40,000 hailstorm claims of homeowner and automobile damage.[59][60]
In 2013, Jackson was named as one of the top 10 friendliest cities in the United States byCN Traveler. The capital city was tied withNatchez as Number 7. The city was noticed for friendly people, great food, and green and pretty public places.[61]
Lumumba's son,Chokwe Antar Lumumba, ran for the mayoral seat following his father's death, but lost to CouncillorTony Yarber on April 22, 2014.[62] In 2017, however, Chokwe Antar Lumumba ran for mayor again, and won. Following his victory, on June 26 he was interviewed by Amy Goodman onDemocracy Now!,[63] at which time he declared a commitment to make Jackson the "Most Radical City on the Planet".
For several years, the city water supply failed to meetfederal drinking water standards and was subject to manyboil water orders in 2021 and 2022. Due to deteriorating water infrastructure, some parts of the city experienced low water pressure, and in some neighborhoods residents reported untreated sewage flowing in city streets.[64] In August 2022, Jacksonlost access to water when its largest water treatment plant failed, leaving tap water untreated.[65]
The city of Jackson is located primarily in northeastern Hinds County. Jackson also includes around 3,000 acres (12.1 km2) inRankin County comprisingJackson-Medgar Evers International Airport and a small portion ofMadison County. ThePearl River forms most of the eastern border of the city. A small portion of the city containingTougaloo College is the portion of Jackson that lies in Madison County, bounded on the west byInterstate 220 and on the east by theU.S. Route 51 andInterstate 55. In the 2010 census, only 622 of the city's residents lived in Madison County,[66] and only 1 lived within the city limits in Rankin County.[67] The city is bordered to the north byRidgeland in Madison County, to the northeast byRoss Barnett Reservoir on the Pearl River, to the east byFlowood andRichland in Rankin County, to the south byByram in Hinds County, and to the west byClinton in Hinds County.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 113.2 square miles (293.3 km2), of which 111.0 square miles (287.6 km2) are land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), or 1.94% of the total, are water.[68]
Downtown Jackson from Mississippi Baptist Hospital in June 2020
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 loamsoil.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.[69]
Jackson structure map
Jackson sits atop the extinctJackson Volcano, located 2,900 feet (880 m) underground. It is the only capital city in the United States to have this feature. The buried peak of the volcano is located directly below theMississippi Coliseum.[70] The municipality is drained on the west by tributaries of theBig Black River and on the east by the Pearl River, which is 150 feet (46 m) higher than the Big Black nearCanton. The artesian groundwater flow is not as extensive in Jackson for this reason. The first large-scale well was drilled in the city in 1896, and the city water supply has relied on surface water resources.[71]
Jackson is located in thehumid subtropical climate zone (KöppenCfa). Rain occurs throughout the year, though the winter and spring are the wettest seasons, while September and October are usually the driest months. Snow is rare, and accumulation very seldom lasts more than a day.[72] Average annual precipitation is 57.35 inches (1,457 mm), see climate table.[73] Much of Jackson's rainfall occurs during thunderstorms. Thunder is heard on roughly 70 days each year. Jackson lies in a region prone tosevere thunderstorms which can produce largehail, damaging winds, andtornadoes. Among the most notable tornado events was the F5Candlestick Park tornado on March 3, 1966, which destroyed the shopping center of the same name and surrounding businesses and residential areas, killing 19 in South Jackson.
The record low temperature is −5 °F (−21 °C), set on January 27, 1940,[74] and the record high is 107 °F (42 °C), recorded on September 6–7, 1925, July 29, 1930, and August 30, 2000.[74]
Jackson remained a small town for much of the 19th century. Before the American Civil War, Jackson's population remained small, particularly in contrast to the river towns along the commerce-ladenMississippi River. Despite the city's status as the state capital, the 1850 census only counted 1,881 residents, excluding slaves, which were not separately enumerated.[79]
By 1900, the population of Jackson was still less than 8,000. Although it expanded rapidly, during this periodMeridian became Mississippi's largest city, based on trade, manufacturing, and access to transportation via railroad and highway.
In the early 20th century, Jackson had its largest rates of growth but ranked second to Meridian in Mississippi. By 1944, Jackson's population had risen to some 70,000 inhabitants, and it became the largest city in the state. For several decades, Jackson had the most thriving business districts and the largest public school system in Mississippi.[80][81] It achieved its peak population in the 1980 census of more than 200,000 residents in the city. Since 1980, Jackson has declined in population due to several factors while its surroundingsuburban population has increased.[82]
Jackson city, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Map of racial distribution in Jackson, 2010 U.S. census. Each dot is 25 people:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Other
According to the 2010 census,[86] the racial and ethnic makeup of the city was predominantlyBlack and African American, andnon-Hispanic white; in 2020, they remained the largest racial and ethnic composition for the city. This Hispanic or Latino population is the fastest growing racial and ethnic group in the city.[85][87][88]
According to census statistics in 2000, 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 thepoverty line, including 33.7% of those under age 18 and 15.7% of those age 65 or over.[89] At the publication of the 2020American Community Survey, the city's median household income increased to $35,070; families had a median income of $44,348, married-couple families $74,893, and non-families $22,061.[90]
High criminal activity, particularly the homicide rate, is a major reoccurring issue in the city. Crime has had a negative impact on the city's economy and population. Most parts of Jackson are considered afood desert because important grocery stores and restaurants have closed down or left the city as theft and other crimes have worsened since 2000.[91][92][93]
In 2020, the city's homicide rate reached its highest in history with 79.69 homicides per 100,000 residents, with a total of 128 homicides.[94] Of major U.S. cities, onlySt. Louis surpassed Jackson's homicide rate.[95] The homicide rate in 2020 represented a significant spike after years of declining homicide rates in the early 2000s.[96] Property crime remains much lower than in the 1990s and overall violent crime has not increased as significantly as homicide in recent years and is below the peak in 1994 as of 2020.[97]
In 2021, a record number of homicides (160) were recorded, and at a rate of 104 per 100,000 was the highest in the United States.[98][99] In late 2020, Police Chief James Davis along with the Mayor and other city leaders unveiled the virtual policing concept. After months of struggling to move the concept forward, Chief Davis began discussions with Eric B. Fox, a veteran Jackson Police Officer to return to the department.[citation needed] Fox returned officially in January 2022, and launched a new concept, the Real Time Command Center.[citation needed]
Also in 2021, the Jackson Police Department stated that the city had a seriousstreet gang problem which is a major contributor to violent crimes. The city has had a gang presence since the 1980s but it has seemingly grown over the years. Several gangs fromChicago have settled in the city and are heavily involved in drug-selling territory wars and many other crimes.[100][101]
In 2022, for the second year in a row Jackson had the highest homicide rate per capita in the United States, with the city reporting a total of 138 murders giving the city a slightly lower homicide rate of 89.8 per 100,000.[102]
In 2023, Jackson murders dropped by 15% with 118 homicides being reported but the city still had the nation's highest homicide rate per capita with 78.8 per 100,000 residents.[103] In 2023, Mayor Lumumba announced the opening of the Jackson Crime Center which is a facility that houses monitoring cameras strategically placed around the city to better identify criminals so they can be held accountable for their actions.[104] The Jackson Police Department is short-staffed so the center will help the department as they work to increase recruitment and retention.[105]
2024 saw a third consecutive decrease in murders with 111 being reported in the year, a 5.9% decrease but still the highest homicide rate in the United States with a homicide rate of 77.2 per 100,000 residents.[106] In February 2024, Governor Reeves announced a new and tougher plan to lower rampant crime in the city and protect innocent residents.[107]
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 the agricultural development of livestock, soybeans, cotton, and poultry.
The city is home toCooperation Jackson, which is an economic development vehicle forworker-owned cooperative business.[110] The organization has led to the creation of several businesses including lawn care provider The Green Team, organic farm Freedom Farms, print shop The Center for Community Production, and The Balagoon Center, which is a cooperativebusiness incubator.[111]
Veterans Memorial Stadium is the largest stadium facility in Jackson. Its parking lot often is used by employees of the University of Mississippi Medical Center nearby.
In 1985, Jackson voters opted to replace the three-person mayor-commissioner system with acity council and mayor. This electoral system enables a wider representation of residents on the city council. City council members are elected from each of the city's seven wards, considered single-member districts. The mayor is electedat-large citywide.
Various powers rest according to the City charter and the Mayor-Council Form of government outline directed by Mississippi law to the city of Jackson. The mayor can appoint heads of city municipal agencies, with approval from the city council, create new agencies if their orders are not vetoed or overturned by the city council, and can hire and fire city contractors.[131]
The larger portion of Jackson is part ofMississippi's 2nd congressional district. U.S. RepresentativeBennie Gordon Thompson, a Democrat, has served since 1993. Until 2011 he was Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and has been the ranking member since 2011.[1]
Jackson State University band "The Sonic Boom of the South"Millsaps College is one of several institutions in and around Jackson established before 1900.
Jackson is home to the most collegiate institutions in Mississippi.Jackson State University is the largest collegiate institution in the city, fourth largest in the state, and the only doctoral-granting research institution based in its region.[139][140]
Jackson Public School District (JPS) operates 36 public schools. It is one of the largest school districts in the state with about 17,000 students in twenty-two elementary schools, seven middle schools, and six high schools.[142] Jackson Public Schools is the only urban school district in the state.[143]
As of 2017[update] the public schools have few children who are middle or upper class, as 99% of the students in JPS qualify for free or reduced school lunches. In 2017 Susan Womack, president of the Parents for Public Schools Jackson (PPSJ) from 2000 to 2012, stated that middle to upper-class families in Jackson tended to leave public school after elementary school, with parents who remained in Jackson enrolling their children in private school, and those who wished to continue enrolling their children in public schools moving toMadison County. The PPSJ decided circa the mid-2000s that it was not feasible to encourage middle and upper-class parents to put their children in JPS schools.[144]
On March 27, 2015, Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber issued a state of emergency for transportation (potholes) and water infrastructure (breaks in water mains).[152][153] The quality of Jackson's water infrastructure system decreased after the severe winter weather of 2014–2015. Jackson's office estimated the cost to fix the roads and water pipes at $750 million to $1 billion.[153]
After issuing the state of emergency, the City of Jackson filed a letter of intent to Department of Health to borrow $2.5 million to repair broken water pipes. The Jackson City Council must approve the mayor's proposal.[152] Additionally, Mayor Yarber asked for help from both FEMA and the state Governor's office.[154]
Calling for a state of emergency increases the likelihood that the U.S. Department of Transportation would give the city money from a "quick release" funding account.[155]
In late August 2022, the Pearl River overflowed, flooding much of the city and contaminating the water supply. Mayor Lumumba declared a state of emergency and shut down all businesses and schools.[156]
In 2015, 11 percent of the city of Jackson households lacked a car, which decreased to 7.6 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Jackson averaged 1.68 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.[157]
Jackson has an increasing number of bicycle lanes.[158][159]
Jackson'sUnion Station servesAmtrak's daily overnight train, theCity of New Orleans from Chicago to New Orleans. The intermodal station also servesGreyhound Lines intercity buses and is the primary station for Jackson's municipal buses.
The city is at the intersection of major Interstate and Federal Highways: north-southI-55,US 49,US 51, east–westI-20 andUS 80.
In 2002, the Subway Lounge (of the Summers Hotel on the Gold Coast) was featured as the subject of the film documentary entitledLast of the Mississippi Jukes.[161][162]
The popular filmThe Help (2011), based on the bestsellingnovel by the same name byKathryn Stockett, was filmed in Jackson. The city has a two-part, self-guided tour of areas featured in the film and the book.[163]
In the song "Uptown Funk" byMark Ronson and featuringBruno Mars Jackson is mentioned in the lines "Julio! Get the Stretch! Ride to Harlem, Hollywood, Jackson, Mississippi."
Get on Up, a movie released in August 2014, had some scenes filmed in Jackson,[164] and nearby Natchez.[165] The movie is based on the life ofJames Brown.[166]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020
^Official records for Jackson have been kept at the international airport since July 8, 1963. For more information, seeThreadex.
^Izard, E. Ray. (January 30, 1974) "Carroll's Trace took Tennessee Boys Home". Jackson:Clarion-Ledger.
^ Laws of the State of Mississippi passed at the 4th session of the general assembly, held in the City of Natchez. (1821) Natchez: A. Marschalk and Evens & Co. State printers. p. 158.
^William C. Davis,A Way Through the Wilderness: The Natchez Trace and Civilization of the Southern Frontier (New York: Harper Collins, 1995), p. 30
^Thompson, Bennie Gordon (June 19, 2014)."HONORING THE CITY OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI".Congressional Record.160 (97): E1029.Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 23, 2021 – via Congress.gov.
^Todd Sanders,Images of America: Jackson's North State Street (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2009), 58 and 40.
^George C. Rable,But There Was No Peace: The Role of Violence in the Politics of Reconstruction, Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1984, p. 132
^Dudley J. Hughes,Oil in the Deep South: A History of the Oil Business in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, 1859–1945 (Jackson: University of Mississippi Press, 1993), 67–86.
^River and Harbor Act of 1930, July 3, 1930, ch. 847, 46 Stat. 918. Retrieved September 10, 2015.Watercases.org website
^"Dredging of Pearl Urged" (October 26, 1930) Clarion-Ledger. (Jackson), p.1
^Tribune, Daniel Egler, Chicago (February 8, 1990)."GAMBLING BOAT LAW GETS THOMPSON OK".chicagotribune.com.Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 23, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^""Drugs, Law Enforcement, and Foreign Policy, a Report"."(PDF). United States Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations. Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations. December 1988. pp. 278–295.Archived(PDF) from the original on April 11, 2016. RetrievedSeptember 3, 2015.Appendix. "Customs Report, Guy Penilton Owen, May 9, 1983".
^Harvey, E.J. et al. (April 1964).Ground-Water Resources of Hinds, Madison, and Rankin Counties, Miss. Bulletin 64-1. The state of Mississippi. Board of Water Commissioners. p. 3
^ab"Station: Jackson INTL AP, MS".U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. RetrievedMay 16, 2021.
^"Complete Street Policy".The City of Jackson, Mississippi. City of Jackson, MS. November 5, 2015.Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 7, 2022.
Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi, edited by Kali Akuno and Ajamu Nangwaya. (2017) Daraja Press.ISBN978-0-9953474-5-8.
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