Things to do in Madison MS

DescriptionMadison is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 24,841 at the 2010 census. The population is currently over 25,000. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Wikipedia

Weather: 57°F (14°C), Wind SW at 5 mph (8 km/h), 96% Humidity

ZIP codes: 39110, 39130

Hotels: 3-star averaging $102. View hotels

Jackson is the capital of Mississippi and is among 2 county seats of Hinds County. Named after General Andrew Jackson, it was established in 1821 to be the state capital. After the Battle of Vicksburg in 1863, General William Tecumseh Sherman's Union forces captured Jackson and also destroyed it. There was a gas boom in the 1920s, and it's nicknamed "The City with Soul."

The Jackson market has a populace of 579,332. It belonged to the Choctaw Indians in the day. Mississippi Choctaw are currently part of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and also live in numerous Native-American towns in the state.

The very first European settler was Louis LeFleur, and also Jackson was initially called LeFleur's Bluff. In 1821, a state-commissioned report stated LeFleur's Bluff was a beautiful location and also had lots of water and also trees and also access to the Natchez Trail. The area after that ended up being the seat of state government. It was mapped in 1822 in a grid pattern, and also city blocks include numerous parks. The railroad was built through Jackson in 1840, which triggered growth after the Civil War.

Jackson was a production facility for the Confederacy during the Civil War, making it a target of Union forces in 1863. Because the city was destroyed, few antebellum buildings have made it through. However, the Governor's Mansion, the Old Capitol, and the Jackson City Hall remain.

After the Civil War, economic recuperation was slow-moving. Mule-drawn streetcars ended up being electrical in 1899. A brand-new capitol building was built in 1903.

Born in Jackson in 1909, writer Eudora Welty won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for, "The Optimist's Daughter." The Jackson Town library was named after her, and her residence is a National Historic Landmark. Jackson experienced a boom in the early 20th century, and a brand-new Union Station was constructed. The King Edward Hotel opened up in 1923 and also was a center for prominent events. The 1919 Standard Life Building established the record for the largest reinforced concrete structure at the time.

Gas fields were discovered in 1930 leading to another boom that minimized the results of the Great Depression. This sector trailed off in 1955.

Throughout Mississippi's extensive ban on booze, alcohol consumption and also gaming prospered across the river in Flowood's Gold Coast. Those businesses shut down when Mississippi became ended up being "wet" in 1966. The state enabled riverboat betting in 1990, and also many casino sites have opened.

Hawkins Field ended up being an important United States Military airbase in World War II, containing the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School after Nazi Germany overwhelmed the Netherlands.

Jackson was a vital center of civil liberties demonstrations in the '60s and was the terminus of the James Meredith March. Meredith was the first African American to register at the University of Mississippi. The first lung transplant occurred at the U of Mississippi Medical Facility in 1963. Malaco Records calls Jackson its home base and is a leader in gospel, blues, and soul. Paul Simon tape-recorded at Malaco in 1973.

Harvey Johnson, Jr. came to be Jackson's first African-American mayor in 1997, and he was a champ for the Convention Facility. Jackson was denoted as one of the 10 friendliest cities in the United States in 2013.

Jackson is in Hinds County and some parts of Madison and Rankin counties. The eastern line is the Pearl River. It's bordered on the north by Ridgeland, on the east by Flowood as well as Richland, the south by Byram and the west by Clinton. It has a total landmass of 113.2 square miles and is drained by the Big Black and Pearl Rivers.

Jackson sits on top of a dead volcano that's 2,900 feet below the earth. The buried peak is under the Mississippi Coliseum. Jackson-Evers International Airport terminal has non-stop service to 6 cities.