The Tunicas, Natchez, Biloxis and Western Muskogeans (of the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes) were the first residents of Mississippi. Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto discovered the Mississippi River in 1540, but left after he found no silver or gold. France established the first permanent settlement near present-day Ocean Springs, but Great Britain took over the area in 1763 after the French and Indian Wars. During the American Revolution, Spain gained control of Southern Mississippi and their flag remained until 1798 when the state was organized as a United States territory.

Decades after Mississippi became a state in 1817, it seceded from the Union during the Civil War. The people of Mississippi participated in some of the bloodiest battles of the conflict, which included the battle of Corinth, a strategic southern railroad junction, and the siege and defense of Vicksburg. Known as the “Gibraltar of the Confederacy,” Vicksburg was a fortress located on the bluffs guarding the Mississippi River. After a yearlong siege, it fell to the Union and gave the North undisputed control of that important waterway.

When civil government was restored and Mississippi was readmitted to the Union in 1870, the state began to focus on the rebirth of growth and prosperity, banking on the ample natural resources available within its boundaries. Cotton was the undisputed king of Mississippi’s largely agrarian economy through the Great Depression. Other important early industries were tobacco, timber, livestock and fishing. Today, agriculture is a major segment of the state’s economy. Its farmlands yield important harvests of soybeans, corn, peanuts, rice, etc. and Mississippi remains third in the nation in cotton production.

In the past 50 years, Mississippi has progressively deepened its commitment to diversification by balancing agricultural output with increased industrial activity. While it remains the world’s leading producer of pond-raised catfish, the city of Jackson is one of the most dynamic, major distribution centers in the Sunbelt. Telecommunication giants LDDS Communications, Inc., Mobil Telecommunications Technology Corp. (Mtel) and the National Weather Network (NWN) are all located in Jackson. The tourism industry now dominates the Mississippi River Delta and the city of Biloxi. Numerous casinos, such as the Beau Rivage, Imperial Palace and Grand Casino, were built on cotton fields and casino tax revenues support the healthy expansion of transportation, education and recreation.

Many famous people hail from Mississippi. The King of Rock & Roll himself, Elvis Presley, was born in a two-room house in Tupelo, which is now home to the Elvis Presley Museum and Memorial Chapel. Famous writers William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams, John Grisham, Willie Morris and Thomas Harris (Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal) spent their childhoods in Mississippi cities. Jim Hensen, creator of the Muppets, was born in Leland, which now houses the Birthplace of the Frog museum in his honor. Actress Sela Ward’s hometown is Meridian.

Why not Mississippi? No matter where you live in the state, it seems like there is a lake, forest or beach right outside your front door. The Appalachian foothills create a rugged terrain of rocky outcroppings, thick woodlands and bubbling streams to explore. More than one million acres are preserved for public hunting and 706,000 acres of recreational water abound for fishing, boating, skiing and swimming. The big cities offer the usual in cultural experiences - ballet, theater, opera, professional sports, attractive malls and historic buildings. The natural beauty and small-town charm of outlying areas showcase gracious antebellum mansion tours, old-fashioned livestock auctions, festivals, rodeos and countless museums.

Throughout the state, from the impeccably preserved Civil War battlefields to more than 600 historic markers, modern Mississippi offers visitors and residents alike a pleasing year-round climate and a tangible sense of connection to its past.