Jackson is the natural starting point for any tour of the state. It is our largest city, and the seat of state government. It is the cultural and economic center of Mississippi. The photo above at left is an aerial view of the skyline of Jackson. With a population of just over 200,000 in the city limits, metropolitan Jackson spreads across three counties.

Jackson's history spans beyond the existence of the state itself. In the late 18th century, a French-Canadian fur trapper named Louis Lefleur established a trading post on the bluffs overlooking the Pearl River. The post was known as Lefleur's Bluff. After Mississippi became a state, the legislature sought to remove the state capital from Natchez to a more central location. A three-man commission was charged with finding the location. A new town was hoped for, so geography was the main consideration. In the end, they chose Lefleur's Bluff as the best site. On November 28, 1821, the act to establish Jackson and move the state government to it was enacted. The new town was named after Major General Andrew Jackson, war hero and future president of the United State.

The city was destroyed three times by General Sherman during the Civil War. Jackson came to be known as Chimneyville during this time because all that remained of its buildings were the brick chimneys. Sherman specifically spared City Hall, however, and it survives today. It is said that he spared it because the builidng also housed a Masonic lodge as well as the city government, but it also served as a military hospital. The builidng still houses the municipal government today. Another building to survive Sherman's torch was the Governor's Mansion (and is today the second oldest continuously occupied executive mansion in the country) and the "Old" State Capitol (which houses the State Archives and Museum today). Of course, Sherman needed a place to sleep during his visit to Jackson, and the Governor's Mansion provided that space.

The "New State Capitol" is the city's most prominent and architecturally significant builidng. It was completed in 1903 in the popular beaux arts classical style. The grounds in which it was built used to be the site of the state penitentiary before it was moved to Parchman.

Other places that must be seen by the visitor are:

• Jackson Zoo
• Mynelle Gardens
• Old Capitol Museum of Mississippi History
• Manship House
• Governor's Museum
• Lefleur's Bluff State Park