Jackson is the capital of Mississippi, in the southern region of the United States.http://www.50states.com/mississi.htm It is the largest city in the state, with a population of around 185,000.http://www.maps-n-stats.com/us_ms_population.html It is also the seat of Hinds County.http://www.maps-n-stats.com/us_ms_population.html

Jackson was founded in 1821 on the site of a French-Canadian trading post. It was selected as the new state capital by legislators seeking a location more central than the previous capital of Natchez.http://www.visitjackson.com/About-Jackson/Jackson-History It is also centrally located between many cities in the south, such as New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas and Atlanta, making it a distribution center for retail and commercial goods.http://www.visitjackson.com/About-Jackson/Jackson-History Eight airlines provide service to Jackson along with Amtrak passenger trains and commercial freight along the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad.http://www.visitjackson.com/About-Jackson/Jackson-History

Jackson was named after Major General Andrew Jackson, who would later become President of the United States.http://www.jacksonms.gov/visitors/history During the American Civil War, Jackson was attacked and burned three times by Union forces led by General William Tecumseh Sherman.http://www.jacksonms.gov/visitors/history

The city was at the center of the American Civil Rights movement during the 20th century. Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in 1963, with white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith being convicted of his murder in 1994 after two previous mistrials.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1294360 Black residents staged sit-ins at local restaurants to protest whites-only and segregated seating policies.http://orig.jacksonsun.com/civilrights/sec3_sitins.shtml

Jackson is located at latitude 32.32 N and longitude 90.20 W, with a total area of 104.9 square miles.http://www.city-data.com/city/Jackson-Mississippi.html It is located in the central area of Mississippi, 140 miles northwest of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and 355 miles east if Houston.http://www.city-data.com/city/Jackson-Mississippi.html It is on the bank of the Pearl River, roughly 150 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Jackson-Geography-and-Climate.html Jackson sits on rolling plains with levees protecting the city from flooding.http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Jackson-Geography-and-Climate.html The climate is warm and humid, with the city averaging almost 56 inches of precipitation each year.http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Jackson-Geography-and-Climate.html

• Jackson Zoo: The 110-acre zoo complex houses 776 animals of 120 different species, including endangered species such as the red panda, red wolf and Grevy’s zebra.http://www.jacksonzoo.org/facts.html
• Mynelle Gardens: A private garden purchased by the city in 1973, the seven-acre site has several botanical gardens, pathways and reflecting pools.http://www.jacksonms.gov/visitors/mynellgardens
• Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum: The museum highlights the achievements of collegiate athletes from the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University along with professional athletes from the state.http://www.msfame.com/hof.html
• Eudora Welty House: The Jackson home of the novelist Eudora Welty showcases her passion for gardening.http://mdah.state.ms.us/welty/garden.html
• The Russell D. Davis Planetarium: The downtown Jackson planetarium has a hemispheric theater showing large-format films, laser images and sky scenes.http://www.jacksonms.gov/visitors/planetarium

• Faith Hill: Musicianhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005011
• Cassandra Wilson: Singerhttp://www.cassandrawilson.com/biography.html
• Monta Ellis: National Basketball Association player http://www.nba.com/playerfile/monta_ellis/bio.html
• Fred Smoot: National Football League playerhttp://www.nfl.com/players/fredsmoot/profile?id=SMO486349
• M.C. Gainey: Actorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0301370/