Meridian, city in eastern Mississippi, seat of Lauderdale County. It is a commercial, manufacturing, transportation, and medical center in a region producing cattle and timber; products include electronic equipment, motor-vehicle parts, and clothing. A community college is here, as is a museum devoted to the country-music singer Jimmie Rodgers, whose grave is in the city. Okatibbee Reservoir and a naval air station are nearby. The area was first settled by whites in 1831. The community, founded at a rail junction in 1854, is probably named for Meridianville, Alabama. During the American Civil War it was used briefly in 1863 as the state capital and served as an industrial center for the Confederacy, with depots, hospitals, an arsenal, storehouses, and hotels. It was destroyed by Union troops under General William Tecumseh Sherman in early 1864. Population 46,577 (1980); 41,036 (1990); 39,968 (2000).
