Jackson Metropolitan Region

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Ceded to the State of Mississippi by the Choctaws in the Treaty of Doak’s Stand (1820), the fertile uplands of Hinds, Madison, and Rankin counties soon attracted planters. Jackson was laid out as the state capital in 1822, but its early development was slower than surrounding agricultural centers, such as Clinton, Raymond, and Canton. From 1858, two major railroads, the Southern Railroad and the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad (later Illinois Central) stimulated the city’s commercial importance. In the twentieth century, the Dixie Overland Highway (later U.S. 80) and U.S. 51 followed the same routes as the railroads, and Interstates 55 and 20 continued the old patterns. Since 1900 Jackson has been the region’s dominant center, and today the three metro counties account for over 16 percent of the state’s population. In the areas still used for agriculture, cattle and truck farming now rival cotton, but since the 1980s, suburban development has consumed an ever-expanding ring around Jackson.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Jennifer V.O. Baughn and Michael W. Fazio with Mary Warren Miller

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