Jackson, city in the central part of Mississippi, capital of the state, and seat of Hinds County. Located on the Pearl River, parts of the city are also in Rankin and Madison counties. Jackson is a telecommunications, government, commercial, manufacturing, and distribution center; products include electrical equipment and machinery, processed food, and primary and fabricated metal products. Livestock, soybeans, cotton, and poultry are raised in the surrounding agricultural area. Commercial air transportation is through Jackson International Airport.
The city is the site of Jackson State University (1877), Belhaven College (1883), Millsaps College (1890), and the Medical Center (established in 1955) of the University of Mississippi. Points of interest in Jackson include the New Capitol, completed in 1903; the Old Capitol, which dates from the 1830s and is now a museum; Manship House, a Gothic Revival home built by painter Charles Henry Manship; and the nearby Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, a complex of 16 hectares (39 acres) which illustrates technological and industrial developments.
