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City of Clinton
—  City  —
Official seal of City of Clinton
Seal
Nickname(s): Mount Salus (original name)
Motto: History • Pride • Progress
Hinds County Mississippi Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Clinton Highlighted
Location in Hinds County, Mississippi
Map of USA MS
Location of Mississippi in the United States
Coordinates: 32°20′30″N 90°19′18″W / 32.34167, -90.32167Coordinates: 32°20′30″N 90°19′18″W / 32.34167, -90.32167[1]
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Hinds
Founded 1823
Incorporation 1824
Government
 • Type Strong Mayor-Council
 • Mayor Phil Fisher
 • Board of Aldermen Dave Ellis, Jim Martin, Bill Barnett, Greg Cronin, Jan Cossitt, Mike Cashion, Jehu Brabham
Area[2]
 • Total 42.1 sq mi (109 km2)
 • Land 41.8 sq mi (108 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (1 km2)
Elevation[1] 358 ft (109 m)
Population (2010)[3]
 • Total 25,216
 • Density 598/sq mi (231/km2)
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 39056, 39058,
39060 (P.O. boxes)
Area codes 601 and 769
FIPS code[2][4] 28-14420
GNIS ID[1][4] 668609
Website clintonms.org

Clinton is a city in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Situated in the Jackson metropolitan area, it is the tenth largest city in Mississippi. The population was 25,216 at the 2010 United States Census.[3]

History[]

OldTrace

Old Natchez Trace in 2002

File:CampClintonGateThen.jpg

Camp Clinton entrance in 1943; sign reads Prisoner of War Camp Clinton, Miss.

Founded in 1823, Clinton was originally known as Mount Salus, which means "Mountain of health". It was named for the plantation home of Walter Leake, third governor of Mississippi, which was located in Clinton and built in 1812. In 1828, the city changed its name to Clinton in honor of DeWitt Clinton, the former governor of New York who led completion of the Erie Canal.

The first road through Mount Salus/Clinton was the Natchez Trace, improved from a centuries old Native American path. Currently Clinton has three major highways that pass through the city:U.S. Route 80, Interstate 20 and the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Mississippi College, a Christian university located in Clinton, is the oldest college in the state of Mississippi, founded January 24, 1826 as Hampstead Academy, the second male college in the state after Jefferson College.[5] Mississippi College is the second oldest Baptist university in the world, and was the first coeducational college in the United States to grant a degree to a woman. Clinton is home to sports teams known as the "Clinton Arrows" and "Mississippi College Choctaws". Hillman College, originally for women, was founded in 1853 as Central Female Institute, supported by the Central Baptist Association.[5] It changed its name in 1891. Mount Hermon Female Seminary, a historically black college, was established in 1875 by Sarah Ann Dickey.[5] It closed in 1924 as students moved to co-educational institutions.

The Clinton-Vicksburg Railroad was the second-oldest in the state, incorporated in 1831. It contributed to the export of 20,000 bales of cotton annually from this city, the most of any city between Vicksburg and Meridian.[5] Cotton from three surrounding counties was shipped through Clinton and by rail to Grand Gulf on the Mississippi.

During the Civil War, Confederate forces, as well as Union troops— the latter commanded by generals Ulysses S. Grant and Sherman—briefly occupied Clinton on their way to the Battle of Vicksburg in May 1863. Grant had mistakenly believed that John C. Pemberton, a Confederate general, would attack him at Clinton. Grant finally took Vicksburg in this campaign.[6]

In September 1875 during the election campaign, a Republican political rally was held in downtown Clinton, where 3000 people were gathered and expecting Governor Adelbert Ames and other prominent speakers. It was disrupted by white insurgents. Their attack resulted in what was called the "Clinton Riot," and the deaths of several white men and an estimated 50 blacks later that night and over the next few days, when armed whites arrived by train and widely attacked blacks.[5] Among the black victims were schoolteachers, church leaders and local Republican organizers.[7] Whites had been attacking black and white Republicans in every election cycle, and that year the paramilitary Red Shirts arose in the state to suppress black voting.[7] The U.S. government send more troops in answer to the governor's appeal for protection: the election-related violence through the fall enabled the white Democrats to gain control of the state legislature, marking the shift to the end of the Reconstruction era.

During World War II, Camp Clinton was established, a German POW camp south of town which housed about 3,000 German soldiers. Most of the prisoners were from the Afrika Korps. Of the 40 German generals captured in the war, Camp Clinton housed 35 of them. The German soldiers provided the labor to build a replica model of the Mississippi River Basin for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, used for flood prevention.

Clinton, the smallest city to ever host a Fortune 500 company, was the headquarters for WorldCom from the mid-1990s until 2002. It went bankrupt due to the largest accounting scandal at the time in U.S. history. The financial dealings resulted in fraud-related convictions of Bernard Ebbers, CEO and Scott Sullivan, CFO. The company changed its name to MCI and moved its corporate headquarters location to Ashburn, Virginia. Verizon, MCI's successor, owns SkyTel (no relation to Bell Mobility's Skytel brand). It still occupies the massive former WorldCom compound in Clinton.

On April 15, 2011, an EF3 tornado struck the city at about 11:00 a.m. CDT. It produced damage near Interstate 20, which included total destruction to the BankPlus building. Malaco Records was destroyed as well. Ten people were injured by the tornado.[8]

Geography[]

Clinton is located at 32°20′30″N 90°19′18″W / 32.34167, -90.32167 (32.3415342, -90.3217585) and its elevation is 358 feet (109 m) above sea level.[1]

According to the 2010 United States Census, the city has a total area of 42.147 square miles (109.16 km2), of which 41.822 square miles (108.32 km2) is land and 0.325 square miles (0.84 km2) is water.[2][9]

Demographics[]

As of the 2010 census there were 25,216 people residing in Clinton,[3] with a population density of 598.3 per square mile (231.0 /km2).[2]

In 2010, there were 9,328 households. The average household size in Clinton was 2.54. The median income for a household in the city was $56,539; the per capita income was $26,398. About 9.1% of the population was below the poverty line.[9]

Racial makeup[]

2010 census[]

60.1% White
33.9% African American
0.2% Native American
4.1% Asian
0.0% Pacific Islander
0.7% from some other race
1.0% of two or more races
1.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race

2000 census[]

75.02% White
22.53% African American
0.12% Native American
1.42% Asian
0.02% Pacific Islander
0.27% from some other race
0.63% of two or more races
0.87% Hispanic or Latino of any race

Government[]

Clinton operates as a Code Charter form of government, divided into six Wards. The local governing body consists of the mayor, one Alderman representing each of the six Wards and one Alderman-at-Large whose duty is to represent the entire community.

As of August 2013, General (ret) Phil Fisher is the city's mayor. The Board of Alderman are Dave Ellis (Ward 1), Jim Martin (Ward 2), Bill Barnett (Ward 3), Greg Cronin (Ward 4), Jan Cossitt(Ward 5), Mike Cashion (Ward 6) and Jehu Brabham (Alderman-At-Large).[10]

Economy[]

At one point WorldCom (now Verizon) was headquartered in Clinton. In 2003 the company announced that it would move its headquarters to Virginia.[11][12]

Automotive component manufacturer Delphi Corporation operated a plant in Clinton from the early 1970s until its closure in 2009, making cable and wiring connectors.[13] When Delphi closed the plant in late 2009, with the loss of 280 jobs, production moved to Delphi's Warren, Ohio facility.[13][14]

Education[]

Public schools[]

The City of Clinton's public schools are served by the Clinton Public School District.

The Clinton Public School District serves an enrollment of approximately 5,000 students in grades pre-K through 12. It is regularly ranked as one of the top public school districts in Mississippi. Schools include Clinton Park Elementary (K-1), Northside Elementary (2-3), Eastside Elementary (4-5), Lovett Elementary (6), Clinton Junior High (7-8), Sumner Hill Junior High (9) and Clinton High School (10-12). Additional schools include the CHS Career Complex, offering college and career readiness courses for grades 10-12, and Clinton Alternative School. Recently the Clinton school districts have given out Macbook Air's to all of their high school students and varying different electronic devices to other grades (all apple products).

All of its tested schools are ranked "A," the highest possible academic rating a Mississippi public school can attain, and the district rating is also "A." Clinton Park Elementary serves grades K-1 and is not rated, since the state test is not administered until third grade.

Colleges[]

  • Mississippi College founded 1826, incorporating Hillman College 1853-1942

Public high schools[]

  • Clinton High School (Grades 10 through 12)

Public junior high schools[]

  • Sumner Hill Junior High School (Grade 9)
  • Clinton Junior High School (Grades 7 and 8)

Elementary schools[]

  • Lovett Elementary School (Grade 6)
  • Northside/Eastside Elementary School (Grade 2-5)
  • Clinton Park Elementary School (Grades K and 1)

Private schools[]

  • Clinton Christian Academy (Grades K-3 through 12)
  • Mt. Salus Christian School (Grades K-4 through 12)

Professional sports[]

The Mississippi Brilla is a pro soccer team competing in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and play in the Mid-South Division of the Southern Conference in 2007, playing against teams from Austin, Baton Rouge, Dallas, El Paso, Laredo and New Orleans. They play their home games at Robert P. Longabaugh Field on the campus of Mississippi College in the city of Clinton.

Notable people[]

  • Mandy Ashford - singer, model, and member of Innosense.[15]
  • Lance Bass - pop singer, actor and producer; member of the pop group 'N Sync
  • William Joel Blass, jurist, legislator, and lawyer
  • Charles Hillman Brough, governor of Arkansas from 1917 to 1921, was born in Clinton and taught at Mississippi College there
  • Keith Carlock, musician
  • Cynthia F. Cooper - auditor, whistleblower
  • Ted DiBiase, Sr. - professional wrestler, minister
  • Ted DiBiase, Jr.- professional wrestler
  • Dominic Douglas- professional football
  • Jenna Edwards - model, former Miss Teen All-American, former Miss Florida
  • Meredith Edwards - country music singer
  • Shelly Fairchild - country music singer
  • Taryn Foshee - 2006 Miss Mississippi
  • Edgar Godbold - Mississippi College biology professor from 1906 to 1912; later president of two Baptist colleges
  • James E. Graves, Jr. - former Supreme Court of Mississippi judge; current United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judge
  • Barry Hannah - writer, professor
  • Alexander Nicholson - War Hero
  • Jaret Holmes - former Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars placekicker
  • Daniel Curtis Lee - actor
  • Rory Lee - former vice president and interim president of Mississippi College
  • Robert S. McElvaine - writer, professor
  • Crystal Renn, plus-size model
  • Scott Savage - former drummer of Grammy and Dove award winning band Jars of Clay
  • Leon Seals - former Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle
  • Ruby Jane Smith, bluegrass fiddler

(see: List of people from Mississippi)

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Feature Detail Report for: Clinton (Hinds County, Mississippi)". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:668609. Retrieved October 2, 2007. 
  2. ^ a b c d "Places: Mississippi". 2010 Census Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/2010_place_list_28.txt. Retrieved January 28, 2013. 
  3. ^ a b c "Clinton city, Mississippi". Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data. United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US2814420. Retrieved January 28, 2013. 
  4. ^ a b "FIPS55 Data: Mississippi". FIPS55 Data. United States Geological Survey. February 23, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060618160054/http://geonames.usgs.gov/fips55/MSfips55_delim.txt. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions ..., ed. by Dunbar Rowland, Southern Historical Publishing Association, 1907, pp. 455-459
  6. ^ John Keegan (1987). "Grant and Unheroic Leadership". The Mask of Command: A Study of Generalship. Pimlico (Random House). p. 214. ISBN 1-84413-738-4. 
  7. ^ a b Eric Foner, Reconstruction, 1865-1877, 1988, paperback: Perennial Press, 1989, p. 560
  8. ^ Unattributed (April 15, 2011). "Malaco Records destroyed by tornado in Mississippi". Oregon Music News. http://oregonmusicnews.com/blog/2011/04/15/malaco-records-destroyed-by-tornado-in-mississippi/. Retrieved April 16, 2011. 
  9. ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28/2814420.html. Retrieved March 16, 2012. 
  10. ^ [1]
  11. ^ "MCI Inc - SC 13D/A - LCC International Inc ." Securities and Exchange Commission. March 14, 2003. Retrieved on September 25, 2009.
  12. ^ "WorldCom to emerge from collapse." CNN. Monday April 14, 2003. Retrieved on September 25, 2009.
  13. ^ a b "Delphi closes Clinton, MS plant", Plastics Today, October 5th, 2009
  14. ^ "Delphi plant in Mississippi to close", Business Week
  15. ^ Chisholm, Chad. "Clinton". Barnes & Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clinton-mississippi-chad-chisholm/1100570847?ean=9781439617502. Retrieved May 2014. 

External links[]



This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Clinton, Mississippi. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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