Home to over 160,000 people, Jackson is Mississippi's capital and most populous city. People love the city's ideal cost of living. Jackson sits atop a buried volcano, which thankfully hasn't erupted in over 75 million years. Jackson is a town rich in history and culture, a vibrant gem in the Deep South known for its diversity and music.

This city has deep roots and a robust Southern culture. Gourmands will love dishes like shrimp and grits, biscuits and gravy, deep-fried pickles, or catfish. You can sample these authentic plates at spots like Heart & Soul Diner, Rooster's, and Parlor Market. Jackson is also known for its live music. A major stop on the Mississippi blues trail, this city remains a major hub for gospel, blues, and R&B. Check out concerts at places like Duling Hall, Spacecamp, or Underground 119.

Jackson is home to lots of unique attractions and sites. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum documents the African American struggle for equality from 1945 to 1976. It tells the history of segregation and racism in Mississippi. It also portrays the activism, empowerment, and community action that dismantled Jim Crow laws. You'll find artifacts and photographs talking about this powerful narrative. You can also explore what steps we need to take for true equality.

Anyone curious about the natural world will adore the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. This museum holds an aquarium network of over 100,000 gallons and houses more than 200 living species. Here you'll discover endangered species, reptiles, and dinosaur skeletons to spark the imagination.

Jackson also contains important historic sites like the Old Capital Museum. A beautiful work of neoclassical architecture, this building served as the Mississippi Capitol from 1839-1903. Now the building welcomes guests and offers tours of the facilities. Visitors remark on the friendly staff and impressive interior space.

Jackson has a complex and fascinating past. The city's territory was first inhabited by the Choctaw Nation, who lived there for thousands of years. As a condition of their surrender to the United States, the Choctaw ceded over half their nation in the Doak's Stand treaty in 1820. The indigenous people were then forced to cede the rest of their land with the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Jackson began in the 18th century as a trading post called LeFleur's Bluff. As it grew with the arrival of U.S. settlers in the 19th century, this town became Mississippi's capital. The city changed its name to Jackson, after U.S. president Andrew Jackson and played an essential role in the U.S. Civil War. Jackson was a major manufacturing site for Confederate forces. In 1863, General Sherman marched on the city and burned it to the ground. Few Antebellum structures survived.

During the reconstruction era, Jackson passed laws to disenfranchise African Americans. In the 20th century, it would become ground zero for the civil rights movement, with marches, sit-ins, and freedom riders overturning the rule of Jim Crow. Today Jackson remains a diverse city, with African American people making up the majority of the population.

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