| Procured from the Choctaw Indians in 1830, the land on which Meridian now
sits was first settled by Richard McLemore of Virginia. In 1853, Lewis Ragsdale
bought the land from McLemore. Ragsdale and John Ball are considered Meridian's
founding fathers. The arrival of the Mobile and Ohio Railroads established Meridian
as a flag stop, and contributed greatly to the growth of the area. That growth continued
until 1864 when General William Tecumseh Sherman, Commander of the Union Troops, on his
raid across the state, ordered the city burned to the ground. But nothing would keep
the rugged, self-sufficient Meridianites down. Bravely, they rebuilt, and by 1870,
the City had a population of 2,709.
The efforts of these steadfast pioneers has produced a progressive, viable community.
The Meridian of today remembers the past but focuses on the future, making the City
the educational, industrial, and medical center of east central Mississippi.
|
| The population of Meridian is approximately 41,036 The approximate
number of families living in Meridian is 17,740
The amount of land area in Meridian is 92.286 square kilometers.
The amount of surface water in Meridian is 0.636 square kilometers.
The distance from Meridian to Washington DC is 817 statute miles (as the crow flies).
The distance to the Mississippi state capital, Jackson, is 89 statute miles.
Meridian is positioned 32.38 degrees north of the equator and 88.71 degrees west of the
prime meridian.
|
