Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is located primarily in Hinds County, serving as one of two county seats there; segments of the city overlap Madison County and Rankin County. Jackson is on the Pearl River, which drains into the Gulf of Mexico, and it is part of the Jackson Prairie region of the state. The city is named after General Andrew Jackson, who was honored for his role in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812 and later served as U.S. President.

The current slogan for the city is "Jackson, Mississippi: City with Soul." It has had numerous musicians prominent in blues, gospel and jazz, and was known for decades for its illegal nightclubs on the Gold Coast; one site has been designated for the Mississippi Blues Trail.

The city is the anchor for the metro area. While its population declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census, the metropolitan region grew. The 2010 census ascribed a population of 539,057 to the five-county Jackson metropolitan area.