Jackson

 

City (1990 pop. 48,949), seat of Madison co., W Tenn., on the South Fork of the Forked Deer River; founded by a nephew of Andrew Jackson, inc. 1823. It is a processing and rail shipping point for an extensive farm area. The city has railroad shops and industries that package food and produce textiles and consumer goods. Jackson's development as a trucking center has added to its economic strength. It is the seat of Lane College, Lambuth College, and Union Univ. Nearby are the West Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station of the Univ. of Tennessee and a state park with Native American mounds. Casey Jones is buried in Jackson; his home and the Casey Jones railroad museum are here. A tornado in 2003 severely damaged sections of the city.

Jackson, Tennessee
Coordinates: 35°37′59″N 88°49′15″W / 35.63306, -88.82083
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Madison
Government
- Mayor	Jerry Gist (2007 - )
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2006)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	731
FIPS code	47-376402
GNIS feature ID	12891783
Website: City of Jackson Official Website

Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 59,643 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Jackson, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Madison County⁶.

History

Settlement of Jackson began along the Forked Deer River before 1820. Originally named Alexandria, Jackson was renamed in 1822 to honor General Andrew Jackson, later a US President.^[1]

The Tennessee Supreme Court is required to meet in Jackson because when the second Tennessee State Constitution was written in 1834 Memphis had not yet developed, and Jackson was the most significant city in West Tennessee.^[2]

Jackson developed rapidly just prior to the Civil War as a railroad junction and maintenance shop for several early railroads, including the Mississippi Central, the Tennessee Central and the Mobile and Ohio lines. Although the Civil War temporarily stalled rail development, Jackson continued to develop as an important rail center.

Jackson was the original home of Tennessee's only native automaker, Marathon Motor Works. The Tigrett Toy Factory, founded by Isaac Burton Tigrett, in years past, was an employer of many in Jackson. Jackson is the home of his son, Isaac Burton Tigrett, Jr., the founder of the Hard Rock Cafe chain of themed restaurants. The first Hard Rock Cafe in the United States was located in Jackson's Old Hickory Mall.^{[citation needed]}

Jackson was home to Casey Jones, the Illinois Central engineer who, before colliding with a stalled freight train near Vaughn, Mississippi, told his fireman to jump to safety but himself died at the throttle, saving the lives of his passengers. Jackson was also the home of singers Carl Perkins and Luther Ingram, game show host Wink Martindale, and football players Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Al Wilson.

Jackson was also the original home of Monroe Dunaway Anderson. M. D. Anderson was a cotton trader and capitalist whose endowment helped found the famed M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

A Little League baseball team from Jackson participated in the 1974 Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Geography

Jackson is located at 35°37′59″N, 88°49′15″W (35.633132, -88.820805)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 128.2 km² (49.5 mi²), all land.

According to the Morgan Quitno Top 25 Most Dangerous Cities of 2006, the city was ranked as the number 10 most dangerous city in the United States.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 59,643 people, 23,503 households, and 15,135 families residing in the city. The population density was 465.3/km² (1,205.2/mi²). There were 25,501 housing units at an average density of 198.9/km² (515.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.13% White, 42.07% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.79% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.16% of the population.

There were 23,503 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,194, and the median income for a family was $40,922. Males had a median income of $32,777 versus $23,229 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,495. About 14.0% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

High Schools

• Jackson Central-Merry High School
• Jackson Christian School
• Liberty Technology Magnet High School
• Madison Academic Magnet High School
• North Side High School
• Sacred Heart of Jesus High School
• South Side High School
• Trinity Christian Academy
• University School of Jackson

Colleges and Universities

• Jackson State Community College
• Tennessee Technology Center at Jackson
• Lambuth University
• Lane College
• Union University
• West Tennessee Business College

K-12 public schools in the city are operated by the Jackson-Madison County School System. Other educational institutions in Jackson include the state-operated West Tennessee School for the Deaf, the independent University School of Jackson, and the church-related St. Mary's Catholic School and Trinity Christian Academy.

Recreation, sports, and entertainment

Casey Jones Home & Railroad Museum, located in Casey Jones Village, is one of top ten tourist attractions in Tennessee. The exhibits include a Railroad Museum with steam locomotives and the restored home of Casey Jones.

The West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, a Class AA minor league baseball team in the Southern League, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners play in Jackson.

The Hub City Hurricanes of the IBL play at North Parkway Magnet School in Jackson.

Since 1990, Jackson has hosted the NAIA Women's Division I National Championship basketball tournament in the Oman Arena

Jackson hosts the annual Miss Tennessee Scholarship Pageant at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.

Notes

1. ^ Jackson, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 22, 2007, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online
2. ^ Some Supreme Court History, Tennessee History for Kids (accessed August 22, 2007)

External links

• Jackson at the Open Directory Project
• Jackson Convention & Visitor's Bureau

Coordinates: 35.633132° N 88.820805° W

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