Madison, Mississippi

Madison is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, USA. The population was 14,691 at the 2000 census. The population is currently 16,930. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is currently the highest income city in the state. It is ranked the top city in Mississippi at http://www.areavibes.com/madison-ms/city-guide/

History
Madison, named for James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, grew up along a bustling railroad track in pre-Civil War Mississippi. It began in 1856 when the Illinois Central Railroad opened Madison Station, the forerunner of the city of Madison. Although nearby Madisonville, a settlement established along the stagecoach route on the Natchez Trace, had a race track, two banks, a wagon factory and at least one hotel, its residents gradually moved to the new town. The little railroad community began to thrive, and Madisonville became extinct.

Like many railroad towns in the South, Madison Station was a victim of the Union Army during the Civil War. Just 10 miles from the state capital of Jackson, Madison Station was largely destroyed in 1863, after the July 18–22 siege of Jackson. No battles were fought in Madison County, but Major General Stephen D. Lee concentrated his command in Madison Station during the month of February 1864. Stephen Lee would later become the first president of Mississippi State College (now Mississippi State University).

The railroad continued to attract growth after the Civil War. In 1897, the Madison Land Company encouraged northerners to "Go South, and grow up with the country." Located in Chicago, the land company’s interest in development prompted Madison to incorporate as a village, though the charter was later lost when regular elections were not held because of the failure of the "land boom".

The Madison Land Company offered prime land for as little as $3.00 an acre. It claimed that Mississippi had the lowest debt ratio in the United States at $19.00 per capita and that Mississippians were declared one-third healthier by "official figures" than people in New York and Massachusetts. The figures were quoted in the Madison Land Company's brochure by Bishop Hugh Miller Thompson, the second Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi and a Madison resident, who originally came from Wisconsin.

After many years of court battles, the city limits expanded greatly in size in the late 2000s.

Geography
Madison is located at 32.45694°N, -90.10861°W (32.457061, −90.108583).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.7 sqmi, of which, 13.5 sqmi of it is land and 0.2 sqmi of it (1.61%) is water.

Parks: Strawberry Patch Park, Liberty Park

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,692 people, 5,189 households, and 4,249 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,090.0 people per square mile (420.8/km²). There were 5,316 housing units at an average density of 394.4 per square mile (152.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.23% White, 4.89% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 5,189 households out of which 48.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.1% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $71,266 (estimated at $105,485 in 2008), and the median income for a family was $77,202. Males had a median income of $54,358 versus $34,081 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,082. About 2.1% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

Sister city
Madison officials first explored the possibility of creating a sister city relationship with Sollefteå, Sweden in 1995. The idea grew out of a meeting between Madison County economic development representatives and executives representing the Sollefteå-based forestry products company, Haglof, Inc., who were investigating the feasibility of opening a plant in Madison. This was further strengthened by local residents of Swedish extraction. Names such as Lindquist permeate the Greater Madison area.

Talks began, and a January 1997 video conference call between the two cities facilitated the meeting. Five months later, a delegation of over 30 members arrived in Madison to tour the city and to ratify the sister city relationship. During that visit, Haglöf, Inc. opened its new office and the Swedish company Mini Tube also announced plans to locate a facility in Madison.

A 34-member delegation from Madison flew to Sweden in May 1997 for a five-day tour of Sollefteå. They were interested in learning about the Swedish city's economic development efforts, cultural facilities, innovations in education and ability to attract visitors and businesses to the area. The delegation toured industrial sites, such as Haglöf Inc.’s facilities, an energy plant and a communications company. They also visited a forestry school and environmental center.

The [Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce South Central U.S.] was created as a result of this relationship and it not only serves Mississippi, but also Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee.

Relocate America
Top 100 Places to Live 2008

10 Best Towns for Families
In 2007, The City of Madison was selected by Family Circle magazine as one of the nation's "10 Best Towns for Families." The article appears in the magazine's August 2007 edition. The publication announced the results of its search to identify the best communities across the country that combine big-city opportunities with suburban charm, a blend of affordable housing, good jobs, top-rated schools, wide-open spaces and a lot less stress.

Family Circle partnered with On Board, a New York City research firm providing real estate and demographic data to assemble a list of 1,850 towns with populations between 15,000 and 150,000 and a large concentration of households with an average income of $65,000. From that number, 800 localities were selected based on family-friendly criteria, including cost of living, jobs, schools, health care, air quality, green space and crime rate. Family Circle assessed which towns best met those standards and ranked them according to state. The winners were selected from the highest-rated towns in the top 10 nationwide.

CNN/Money Magazine
In 2005, CNN/Money Magazine listed Madison as the 56th best place to live in the United States.

Low Crime Rate
Based on the crime index at City Data.com, Madison has a lower crime rate than the average in United States cities.

Education
The City of Madison is served by the Madison County School District. The Student/Teacher Ratio is 19:1.

In 2010, Tulane University opened a satellite campus of its School of Continuing Studies. The campus is housed in a renovated wing of the former Madison Station Elementary School (Madison Ridgeland High School) campus.

Points of interest

 * Simmons Arboretum
 * Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce South Central U.S.
 * Chapel of the Cross in nearby Mannsdale is in the National Register of Historic Places

Noted residents of Madison

 * John Henry Rogers, United States Congressman from Arkansas and a federal judge