Meridian (Mississippi)
meridian | |
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Nickname : Queen City | |
![]() meridian |
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Location in Mississippi | |
Basic data | |
Foundation : | 1854 |
State : | United States |
State : | Mississippi |
County : | Lauderdale County |
Coordinates : | 32 ° 22 ′ N , 88 ° 42 ′ W |
Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) |
Residents : | 39,968 (as of: 2000) |
Population density : | 341.9 inhabitants per km 2 |
Area : | 118.8 km 2 (approx. 46 mi 2 ) of which 116.9 km 2 (approx. 45 mi 2 ) is land |
Height : | 105 m |
Postcodes : | 39301-39307 |
Area code : | +1 601 |
FIPS : | 28-46640 |
GNIS ID : | 0673491 |
Website : | www.meridianms.org |
Mayor : | Percy L. Bland |
Meridian (also Ragsdale City or Sowashee Station ) is the fifth largest city in the US state of Mississippi , the administrative seat of Lauderdale County and has about 40,000 inhabitants. The city, which is also called Queen City , extends over an area of 118.8 km² (as of 2000).
history
The area around Meridian was originally Choctaw Indian land, which was transferred to the United States with the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek in 1830. In 1831, Richard McLemore from Virginia was the first white settler to settle in the area. The original settlement area was in 1854 at the intersection of the "Mobile & Ohio" - and the "Vicksburg & Montgomery" railway lines and was initially called "Sowashee Station" after the nearby river Sowashee Creek. In 1860 the place was officially registered as a "Meridian", at that time about 15 families lived in the city.
In the American Civil War that followed, Meridian became the base of some Confederate military facilities because of its strategic location at the railroad crossings . In February 1864 reached General Sherman's northern states - Army town, the railway facilities were destroyed and the city almost completely burned down.
In the years that followed, the city and its facilities were rebuilt, and between 1890 and 1930, Meridian grew to become the largest city in the state of Mississippi. The opera house, which still exists today, was opened in 1890. By 1900 the city had about 25,000 inhabitants.
present
Today there are many historic houses in downtown Meridian, such as the “Carnegie Library”, which was built around the turn of the century and now houses an art museum, and the “Threefoot Building” skyscraper in the Art Deco style .
The company Peavey , one of the largest manufacturers of audio equipment, has its headquarters in Meridian.
sons and daughters of the town
- Aubert C. Dunn (1896–1987), politician
- Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933), country singer
- Mart Britt (1900–1958), jazz and entertainment musician
- Gustave Heiss (1904–1982), sword fencer, bronze medal winner and colonel in the US Army
- Cleo Patra Brown (1909–1995), jazz pianist and singer
- Carroll Gartin (1913–1966), politician
- Sonny Montgomery (1920–2006), politician
- Thomas H. Pigford (1922–2010), nuclear chemical engineer and university professor
- Maryon Pittman Allen (1925–2018), journalist and senator
- Winfield Dunn (born 1927), politician
- Fred Phelps (1929-2014), homophobic Baptist preacher
- Earl Aycock (* 1930), country and rockabilly musician
- Diane Ladd (born 1932), actress
- Alvin Fielder (1935–2019), R&B and jazz drummer
- Jimmy Ruffin (1936-2014), soul singer
- Richard Harrison Truly (born 1937), astronaut
- Al Wilson (1939-2008), soul musician
- Barry Hannah (1942–2010), literary scholar and writer
- James Earl Chaney (1943–1964), civil rights activist
- Moe Bandy (born 1944), country singer
- Chris Ethridge (1947–2012), country musician, guitarist and bassist
- Kenneth Lewis (born 1947), manager
- Paul Davis (1948-2008), singer-songwriter
- John C. Fleming (born 1951), politician
- John Luther Adams (* 1953), composer
- Sela Ward (born 1956), actress
- Greg Keyes (* 1963), fantasy and science fiction writer
- Dexter McCleon (born 1973), American football player
- Alejandro Villanueva (* 1988), Spanish and American football player in the National Football League (NFL)
- Hayley Williams (* 1988), singer in the band Paramore
- Rodney Hood (born 1992), basketball player
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Rowland, Dunbar, ed. Mississippi. 3 vols. Atlanta: Southern Historical Publishing Association, 1907. v.2 / p.219.
- ^ Paul Davis (II) (1948-2008) , imdb.com