If you’re looking at a map of the United States of America, you’ll find Mississippi in the southeastern region. Mississippi is bordered by Tennessee to the north and Alabama to the east. Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico are to the south of Mississippi. And, the Mississippi River runs along the entire western border of the state.
The name Mississippi came from the Native American Ojibwe people who lived in northern Minnesota, where the mighty Mississippi River begins.
The Mississippi River is the largest river in the United States and is the nation’s chief inland waterway. We have an entire podcast on the mighty Mississippi River, so be sure and check it out.
Agriculture is Mississippi’s number-one industry, employing approximately 29% of the state’s workers (either directly or indirectly). The state if famous for growing cotton, but today, chicken-farming is Mississippi’s largest agricultural industry. On average, Mississippi farmers raise over 750 million chickens each year.
A Little Bit of Mississippi History
Native Americans lived in the region we now know as Mississippi for thousands of years before the first European explorers arrived. Those tribes included the Cchoctaw, the Chicasaw, the Natchez, and the Biloxi nations.
Mississippi became the 20th state to join the Union in 1817. In 1861, Mississippi became the second state to withdraw from the Union. After the Southern states, also known as the Confederacy, lost the Civil war, Mississippi rejoined the Union in 1870.
Notable Cities and Towns in Mississippi
- Jackson is the largest city in Mississippi. Jackson is also the state capital.
- Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi. As you can probably tell by its name, Gulfport is located on the Gulf of Mexico.
- Oxford, Mississippi is the home of the University of Mississippi. Starkville, Mississippi is home to Mississippi State University.
- Greenville, Mississippi is known as “The Cotton Capital of the World.”
Fact #1: The musical style known as “the blues” has deep musical roots in Mississippi. So, it’s no surprise that many of the most admired blues performers are from Mississippi, including two iconic performers: Muddy Waters and B.B. King,
Fact #2: Elvis Presley, the man who was called “the king of rock and roll,” was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. The house where he was born has been restored, and it’s open to the public, so if you ever get to Tupelo, you can take a tour.
Fact #3: Greenville, Mississippi, is the birthplace of Jim Henson, the creator and voice for Kermit The Frog. Kermit, the famous, fictional, green-puppet star was supposedly “born” in Leland Mississippi, where Henson played as a kid.
Fact #4: Cotton isn’t the only big crop in Mississippi. Mississippi also has many farms that raise fish. In factt, the state of Mississippi produces more than 50% of America’s farm-raised catfish.
Fact #5: The NatchezTrace Parkway is a restricted-access two-lane highway that runs from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez Mississippi. The Natchez Trace was one of the first main roads in the South, and before that, it was a trail used by Native Americans for thousands of years.
Just for fun, see if you can answer these questions.
What is the capital of Mississippi? Is it Biloxi, Gulfport, Jackson, or Greenville?
Jackson is the capital of Mississippi and its largest city.
While cotton may be Mississippi's most famous crop, another agricultural industry is bigger. Is it chicken-faming, potato-farming, or peach-farming?
Chicken-farming is the state’s biggest agricultural industry.
Which musical star was born Tupelo, Mississippi? Was it Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, or Bruce Springsteen?
Elvis Presley
During the civil War, did Mississippi fight for the North or the South?
The south.
If you have time, you can write a story of your own.
Here are a couple of story ideas you can choose from.
Idea #1: You can write a brief story about some of the cool things you learned about Mississippi.
Or
Idea #2: What do you think it would be like to own a catfish farm in Mississippi? Do you think you would like being a catfish farmer? What do you think your life would be like?
To help you write a great story, we have some helpful hints and timely tips.
Check out “10 Tips for Writing Better Essays.”
Here's a riddle for you:
Can Kermit the Frog jump higher than the Empire State Building?
Of course. The Empire State Building can’t jump.
For fun-to-read books about a girl detective who homeschools on a train... check out The Mystery Ryders, a series from the creators of the Homeschool Express.
