Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located 70 miles (110 km) east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census.[6] Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee combined statistical area. Jackson is Madison County's largest city, and the second-largest city in West Tennessee after Memphis.[7] It is home to the Tennessee Supreme Court's courthouse for West Tennessee, as Jackson was the major city in the west when the court was established in 1834.
Not to be confused with Jackson County, Tennessee.
Jackson, Tennessee
United States
1821
1845[1]
Scott Conger (since 2019)
58.75 sq mi (152.17 km2)
58.74 sq mi (152.14 km2)
0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
410 ft (125 m)
68,205
1,161.07/sq mi (448.30/km2)
UTC−5 (CDT)
47-37640[4]
1289178[5]
In the antebellum era, Jackson was the market city for an agricultural area based on cultivation of cotton, the major commodity crop. Beginning in 1851, the city became a hub of railroad systems ultimately connecting to major markets in the north and south, as well as east and west. This was key to its development, attracting trade and many workers on the railroads in the late 19th century with the construction of railroads after the American Civil War. Through the 1960s, the city was served by 15 passenger trains daily, but industry restructuring reduced such service and caused the loss of jobs. The economy has adjusted to new businesses, with major manufacturing in the area.
Arts and culture[edit]
Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame[edit]
Jackson was the site of the now permanently closed International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame Museum, which recognized the contributions of Tennessee musicians to this genre.
Sports[edit]
College Athletics[edit]
The city of Jackson is home to a number of institutions of higher learning which offer collegiate sports, including Union University, Lane College, and Jackson State Community College.
Union University has won six national titles (NAIA- 1998, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and NCCAA- 2014) in women's basketball. In 2018, the Lady Bulldogs advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament.[47] In addition to success in women's basketball, Union boasts NCCAA national titles in volleyball (2003), men's soccer (2004), and softball (2001, 2002, 2004, 2013).[48]
Minor League Baseball[edit]
The Jackson Generals, a Double-A Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League played at The Ballpark at Jackson from 1998 to 2020.[49] In conjunction with Major League Baseball's reorganization of the minor leagues after the 2020 season, the Generals were not invited to serve as any team's affiliate, effectively ending their run in affiliated baseball.[50] After a legal battle with the city, the Generals ceased operations in 2021 after an arbiter ruled in favor of the city.[51]
Originally known as the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, the team changed its name to the Generals in 2011.[49] The new name was in reference to the Jackson Generals who played in the Kentucky–Illinois–Tennessee League from 1935 to 1942 and 1950 to 1954.[49] The original Generals were preceded by teams called the Jackson Jays (1926), Jackson Giants (1925), Jackson Blue Jays (1924), Jackson Climbers (1911),[52] and Jackson Railroaders (1903).[49]
With the Generals gone in 2021, the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the independent American Association temporarily moved their operations to Jackson due to COVID-19 restrictions shutting down the US-Canada border, preventing them from playing in their normal home, Shaw Park in Winnipeg.[53] The Goldeyes played 33 games in Jackson before being given permission by the Canadian government to return across the border on August 3.[54]
In 2022, the city of Jackson welcomed back professional baseball in the form of the Jackson Rockabillys of the Prospect League. The Rockabillys play in the city-owned The Ballpark at Jackson, which was previously occupied by the city's minor league franchise.[55]
Other sports[edit]
The Hub City Hurricanes of the IBL played in Jackson for one season in 2007.
Jackson Jammers (1992) of the Global Basketball Association (GBA) starting out as the Music City Jammers (1991–92)
In 1974, a little league team from Jackson played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA – to date, the only team from West Tennessee to qualify.[56]
From 1990 to 2011, Jackson hosted the NAIA Women's Division I National Championship basketball tournament in the Oman Arena.
The Jackson TN Underdawgs have participated in The Basketball Tournament since 2016. The Underdawgs, as their mascot would suggest, have played spoiler in multiple years, defeating some of the tournaments top-ranked teams. In 2021, while ranked the 15-seed, the Underdawgs defeated the number 2-seed in their region. In 2016, they upset the number 1-seed in their region.[57]
Media[edit]
Newspaper[edit]
Jackson is served by one daily, The Jackson Sun. The Sun is delivered to 13 counties in total and is considered one of western Tennessee's major newspapers.
Television[edit]
As of the 2015–2016 television season, the Jackson television market is the smallest market in Tennessee and 176th overall by Nielsen Media Research.[63] The market is served by three major commercial stations: WBBJ-TV 7 (ABC, with CBS/MeTV on DT3), WJKT 16 (Fox), and WNBJ-LD 39 (NBC). Jackson is also served by a PBS member station, WLJT-DT 11, as well as several other low-power stations (among them Antenna TV/MyNetworkTV affiliate WYJJ-LD 27).