Profile for Meridian, Mississippi, MS

Meridian is near the Alabama border

Former and merged names include:
· Baldwin

Railroad town that served as a supply depot to Confederate forces during the Civil War

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's troops systematically destroyed the city's railroads, warehouses and arsenals in 1864

Crime: The number of violent crimes recorded by the FBI in 2003 was 195. The number of murders and homicides was 8. The violent crime rate was 4.9 per 1,000 people.

Ranked No. 2 in the state, June 2001, in the ePodunk Historic Small Towns Index

Meridian received national attention for July 2003 factory shootings, in which an employee of a Lockheed Martin plant killed five co-workers

Well-known residents have included:
· Sela Ward, actress
· David Ruffin, singer (The Temptations)
· Jimmie Rodgers, country singer
· Steve Forbert, singer and songwriter

Local festivals include:

• Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival - Nov. 3, 2007
• Queen City Fair - Oct. 1-7, 2007
• Threefoot Arts Festival - October 13, 2007
• Soule Live Steam Festival - Nov. 2-3, 2007

Performing arts: Meridian Little Theatre, Meridian Symphony Orchestra

Nearby parks & recreation: Dunn's Falls

Historic sites and museums: Grand Opera House, Chaney Memorial Site, Causeyville General Store, Dentzel Carousel, Jimmie Rodgers Museum

Colleges and universities: Meridian Community College

Support for libraries: Local government funding for the local library system, in fiscal years 2001-2002, was below the national average. (See library links below.)

Gays & lesbians
National index: 100
Local index: 76

Listed places near Meridian

Airports (1)

Cemeteries (34)

Colleges (1)

Communities (2)

Hotels (16)

Libraries (1)

Add extra pins to the map by clicking on the list above the map. You may click the displayed pins for more information, or search the displayed pins by using the above search field.

• Meridian population
• Ancestry of people in Meridian
• Housing in Meridian
• Income in Meridian
• Marital status of adults in Meridian
• Place of birth of people in Meridian
• Residence in 1995, of people in Meridian
• School enrollment & education levels in Meridian
• Transportation & commute times in Meridian
• Lauderdale County data
• Fastest-growing counties in Mississippi
• State data - Mississippi
• Data by street address
• Historical census records (Ancestry.com)

Sections below provide additional information and links about Meridian demographics, travel and tourism, nearby airports, cemeteries, the Lauderdale County economy, education, environment, genealogy, government, historic sites, libraries, maps, museums, newspapers and other media, nonprofit groups, real estate, recreation, religion, transportation, and weather in the 39307 ZIP code.

(Also see local map below.)

• Meridian city government
• Lauderdale County government
• Lauderdale County tourism

4% of Meridian residents report German ancestry, and 6% report Irish. For more info on local ancestry groups, see the Meridian ancestry & family history guide.

• Cemeteries in or near Meridian
• Cemeteries in Lauderdale County
• Libraries in or near Meridian

Post a query on a message board:

• Lauderdale County Ancestry forum
• GenForum

Records & databases:

• Ancestry.com - MS data
• Birth, marriage & death records
• Cemetery records
• County history catalog
• Census records (historic)
• Court, land & probate records
• Death index
• Family & local history
• Immigration records
• Military records (historic)
• Newspaper articles

Theater

• Meridian Little Theatre

• Meridian area attractions
• Meridian museums
• Meridian historic sites
• Meridian area parks

• Add a local cemetery to our listings
• Meridian area cemeteries
• Cemeteries in Lauderdale County
• Cemetery record compendium
• Mississippi cemetery message boards
• National database of cemetery records
• Veteran grave locator

• Communities near Meridian
• Nearby cities of 10,000 or more
• Nearby cities of 50,000 or more
• Communities in Lauderdale County

• Meridian business guide
• Better Business Bureau
• Business licenses

• Courts in Mississippi
• Local ordinances in Mississippi (Partial selection)

• Crime in Lauderdale County
• Arrests in Lauderdale County

• Obituaries - search nearby newspapers
• Obituary database - Ancestry.com
• Charitable donations

• Local information on disability access
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Independent living centers in Mississippi
• National Council on Independent Living

At the time of the 2000 census, the per capita income in Meridian was $15,255, compared with $21,587 nationally.

• Banks
• Building permits
• Current labor force
• Wage estimates
• Lauderdale County economic census
• Lauderdale County economic summary
• Lauderdale County employment growth
• Lauderdale County unemployment rate
• Mississippi economic data

18% of Meridian residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's or advanced college degree.

• Colleges in or near Meridian
• Colleges in Mississippi
• Learning Disabilities Association in Mississippi
• Schools in or near Meridian
• School districts in or near Meridian
• School report cards
• Yearbooks (old) of Mississippi high schools

• Movies playing in or near Meridian
• YouTube videos about Meridian

• Air pollution in Lauderdale County
• Diesel soot in Lauderdale County
• Land contamination in Lauderdale County
• Nature Conservancy projects in Mississippi
• Ozone status & air pollution - American Lung Association
• Toxic chemical releases in Lauderdale County
• Water levels & streamflow conditions in Mississippi

Meridian festival dates:

• Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Festival - Nov. 3, 2007
• Queen City Fair - Oct. 1-7, 2007
• Threefoot Arts Festival - October 13, 2007
• Soule Live Steam Festival - Nov. 2-3, 2007

Dates often change. Check with local tourism officials to be sure.

• ePodunk festival listings
• Mississippi county fairs
• Mississippi festivals (Mississippi tourism department)
• Send us festival info for Meridian

• Confluence of latitude & longitude near Meridian
• Geocaches in Mississippi

• Meridian items now on sale

• Meridian local government Web site
• Lauderdale County government
• Mississippi state government
• Driver's licenses
• Motor vehicles
• Passports
• Social Security
• Veterans affairs
• Where to write for birth, death, marriage or divorce records

• Ancestry & family history
• Business
• Demographics
• Health
• Moving
• Nonprofit resources
• Sports & rec
• Travel

• Meridian medical services & health statistics

• Local historical societies in Mississippi
• State historical society

Historic districts in Meridian include East End Historic District, Highland Park, Highlands Historic District, Meridian Urban Center Historic District, Merrehope Historic District, Mid-Town Historic District, Poplar Springs Road Historic District, Union Station Historic District, West End Historic District ... View historic districts

• Historic sites in or near Meridian
• Historic sites in Mississippi
• Museums in or near Meridian
• Museums in Mississippi
• Mississippi state archives
• National Historic Landmark search
• Search the Library of Congress
• Search the National Register for historic properties
• Post history questions in Lauderdale County genealogy forum

Median rent in Meridian, at the time of the 2000 Census, was $301.   Monthly homeowner costs, for people with mortgages, were $699.

• Find Foreclosure in Meridian
• Homes for sale in Meridian
• Find a Meridian Realtor
• Get free moving quotes
• Free home valuation
• Check Mississippi mortgage rates
• Property and neighborhood reports
• Mortgage calculator

• Jobs in the Meridian area
• Job services in Mississippi
• Minimum wage laws by state

Libraries in Meridian include Meridian Lauderdale County Public Library ... View libraries

• Mississippi library

• Get directions from Meridian
• Get directions to Meridian
• Census map of Meridian area
• Historic maps of MS cities - Library of Congress
• Historic maps of Mississippi
• Topographic map of Meridian

Newspapers in Meridian include Meridian Star

TV stations in Meridian include WGBC, WMAW, WMDN, WTOK.

National Public Radio programming is carried locally by WMAW-FM.

• Daily newspapers in or near Meridian
• AM radio stations in or near Meridian
• Commercial FM radio stations in or near Meridian
• Public & educational radio stations in or near Meridian
• TV stations in or near Meridian
• Media ownership in the Meridian area
• Search historic newspaper articles
• Search recent news archives in Mississippi

• Military bases in Mississippi
• American Legion post locator
• Veterans of Foreign Wars post locator

• Check daily newspapers in or near Meridian
• Search obituaries in Mississippi
• Recent death notices - selected MS newspapers

• Chambers of commerce in Mississippi
• Community foundations (by state)
• Foundations (by name)
• Kiwanis clubs in Mississippi
• Lions clubs in Mississippi
• Nonprofit groups
• Nonprofit guide for Meridian
• Rotary club search
• Volunteer opportunities in or near Meridian

• Parks near Meridian
• National forests in Mississippi
• State parks in Mississippi

• Find friends & family

• Find a local animal shelter
• Report animal cruelty

• Aerial photo of Meridian
• Historic photos of U.S. cities
• Panoramic photos of Mississippi communities
• Photos of Mississippi places
• Post cards of Mississippi communities

Lauderdale County supported George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election. For more information, see our Meridian political report.

• Mississippi Democratic party
• Mississippi Republican party
• Mississippi elections board

• ZIP codes (by street address)
• ZIP codes (by city)
• ZIP code reverse lookup (find cities in a ZIP code)

• Churches, other places of worship in or near Meridian
• Total membership by faith, in Lauderdale County

• Chowhound message boards for MS

The average commute time for Meridian workers is 18 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide.

A total of 17 fatal motor vehicle accidents occurred in Meridian between 2001 and 2003, according to reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is a rate of 4.3 fatal crashes per 10,000 population, which was slightly higher than the national norm.

• Meridian travel guide
• Airports near Meridian
• Amtrak station in Meridian
• Hotels near Meridian
• Mississippi tourism bureau

• Monthly averages & records
• Major storms (searchable by county)
• Mississippi coastal water temperatures
• National weather map

• Audubon centers
• Birding spots in Mississippi
• Wildlife refuges in Mississippi

Browse list of Mississippi community profiles