 1868 , just before the city 's " Golden Age . " Meridian once had the largest Jewish community in the state , with 575 Jewish people living in the city in 1927 . Today , fewer than 40 Jews live in Meridian , most of whom are elderly .   = = Geography and climate = =   Meridian is located in the North Central Hills region of Mississippi in Lauderdale County . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 45 @.@ 9 sq mi ( 119 km2 ) , of which 45 @.@ 1 sq mi ( 117 km2 ) is land and 0 @.@ 8 sq mi ( 2 @.@ 1 km2 ) is water . Along major highways , the city is 93 mi ( 150 km ) east of Jackson , Mississippi ; 154 mi ( 248 km ) west of Birmingham , Alabama ; 202 mi ( 325 km ) northeast of New Orleans , Louisiana ; 231 mi ( 372 km ) southeast of Memphis , Tennessee ; and 297 mi ( 478 km ) west of Atlanta , Georgia . The area surrounding the city is covered with cotton and corn fields along with oak and pine forests , and its topography consists of clay hills and the bottom lands of the head waters of the Chickasawhay River .   The natural terrain of the area has been modified in the urban core of the city by grading , but it maintains its gentle rolling character in the outlying areas . Numerous small creeks are found throughout the city and small lakes and woodlands lie in the northern and southern portions of the city . Sowashee Creek runs through the southern portion of the city and branches off into Gallagher 's Creek , which flows through the center of the city . Loper 's Creek runs through the far @-@ western part of the city while smaller creeks including Shearer 's Branch , Magnolia Creek , and Robbins Creek are dispersed throughout the city .   Meridian is in the humid subtropical climate zone . The average high temperature during summer ( June through August ) is around 90 ° F ( 32 ° C ) and the average low is around 70 ° F ( 21 ° C ) . In winter ( December through February ) the average maximum is around 60 ° F ( 16 ° C ) and minimum 35 ° F ( 2 ° C ) . The warmest month is July , with an average high of 92 @.@ 9 ° F ( 33 @.@ 8 ° C ) , and the coldest month of the year is January with an average low of 34 @.@ 7 ° F ( 1 @.@ 5 ° C ) .   The average annual precipitation in the city is 58 @.@ 65 in ( 1 @,@ 490 mm ) . Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year , and the wettest month of the year is March , in which an average of 6 @.@ 93 in ( 176 mm ) of rain falls . Much rainfall is delivered by thunderstorms which are common during the summer months but occur throughout the year . Severe thunderstorms - which can produce damaging winds and / or large hail in addition to the usual hazards of lightning and heavy rain - occasionally occur . These are most common during the spring months with a secondary peak during the Fall months . These storms also bring the risk of tornadoes .   = = Economy = =   Early on , the economy depended greatly upon the railroads in the area . The city was the largest in Mississippi around the start of the 20th century , with five major rail lines and 44 trains coming in and out daily . The city 's economy not only depended on the rails but the goods , such as timber and cotton , transported on them . With these rail @-@ based industries , the city was a great economic power in the state and region from about 1890 through 1930 . Though its economy slowed with the decline of the railroading industry in the 1950s , the city has adapted , moving from a largely rail @-@ based economy to a more diversified one , with healthcare , military , and manufacturing employing the most people .   Along with Lauderdale County and the city of Marion , Meridian is served by the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation , which was formed in 1996 by a group of business leaders from the area . While as of April 2010 , the city 's civilian labor force was only 15 @,@ 420 people , there is a population of 232 @,@ 900 in a 45 @-@ mile ( 72 km ) radius and 526 @,@ 500 in a 65 @-@ mile ( 105 km ) radius , of which 104 @,@ 600 and 234 @,@ 200 people respectively are in the labor force . The city thus serves as a hub of employment , retail , health care , and culture activities . Eighty percent of Lauderdale County 's workers reside in the county while 90 % live within 45 miles .   In April 2010 , there were 6 @,@ 260 people employed in the healthcare field in Lauderdale County . Rush Hospital is the
Ġ18 68 Ġ, Ġjust Ġbefore Ġthe Ġcity Ġ' s Ġ" ĠGolden ĠAge Ġ. Ġ" ĠMeridian Ġonce Ġhad Ġthe Ġlargest ĠJewish Ġcommunity Ġin Ġthe Ġstate Ġ, Ġwith Ġ5 75 ĠJewish Ġpeople Ġliving Ġin Ġthe Ġcity Ġin Ġ1927 Ġ. ĠToday Ġ, Ġfewer Ġthan Ġ40 ĠJews Ġlive Ġin ĠMeridian Ġ, Ġmost Ġof Ġwhom Ġare Ġelderly Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠGe ography Ġand Ġclimate Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠMeridian Ġis Ġlocated Ġin Ġthe ĠNorth ĠCentral ĠHills Ġregion Ġof ĠMississippi Ġin ĠLauderdale ĠCounty Ġ. ĠAccording Ġto Ġthe ĠUnited ĠStates ĠCensus ĠBureau Ġ, Ġthe Ġcity Ġhas Ġa Ġtotal Ġarea Ġof Ġ45 Ġ@ . @ Ġ9 Ġsq Ġmi Ġ( Ġ119 Ġkm 2 Ġ) Ġ, Ġof Ġwhich Ġ45 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 Ġsq Ġmi Ġ( Ġ117 Ġkm 2 Ġ) Ġis Ġland Ġand Ġ0 Ġ@ . @ Ġ8 Ġsq Ġmi Ġ( Ġ2 Ġ@ . @ Ġ1 Ġkm 2 Ġ) Ġis Ġwater Ġ. ĠAlong Ġmajor Ġhighways Ġ, Ġthe Ġcity Ġis Ġ93 Ġmi Ġ( Ġ150 Ġkm Ġ) Ġeast Ġof ĠJackson Ġ, ĠMississippi Ġ; Ġ154 Ġmi Ġ( Ġ248 Ġkm Ġ) Ġwest Ġof ĠBirmingham Ġ, ĠAlabama Ġ; Ġ202 Ġmi Ġ( Ġ325 Ġkm Ġ) Ġnortheast Ġof ĠNew ĠOrleans Ġ, ĠLouisiana Ġ; Ġ231 Ġmi Ġ( Ġ372 Ġkm Ġ) Ġsoutheast Ġof ĠMemphis Ġ, ĠTennessee Ġ; Ġand Ġ297 Ġmi Ġ( Ġ4 78 Ġkm Ġ) Ġwest Ġof ĠAtlanta Ġ, ĠGeorgia Ġ. ĠThe Ġarea Ġsurrounding Ġthe Ġcity Ġis Ġcovered Ġwith Ġcotton Ġand Ġcorn Ġfields Ġalong Ġwith Ġoak Ġand Ġpine Ġforests Ġ, Ġand Ġits Ġtop ography Ġconsists Ġof Ġclay Ġhills Ġand Ġthe Ġbottom Ġlands Ġof Ġthe Ġhead Ġwaters Ġof Ġthe ĠChick as aw h ay ĠRiver Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġnatural Ġterrain Ġof Ġthe Ġarea Ġhas Ġbeen Ġmodified Ġin Ġthe Ġurban Ġcore Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġby Ġgrading Ġ, Ġbut Ġit Ġmaintains Ġits Ġgentle Ġrolling Ġcharacter Ġin Ġthe Ġout lying Ġareas Ġ. ĠNumerous Ġsmall Ġc ree ks Ġare Ġfound Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġcity Ġand Ġsmall Ġlakes Ġand Ġwood lands Ġlie Ġin Ġthe Ġnorthern Ġand Ġsouthern Ġportions Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġ. ĠS ow as hee ĠCreek Ġruns Ġthrough Ġthe Ġsouthern Ġportion Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġand Ġbranches Ġoff Ġinto ĠGallagher Ġ' s ĠCreek Ġ, Ġwhich Ġflows Ġthrough Ġthe Ġcenter Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġ. ĠL oper Ġ' s ĠCreek Ġruns Ġthrough Ġthe Ġfar Ġ@ - @ Ġwestern Ġpart Ġof Ġthe Ġcity Ġwhile Ġsmaller Ġc ree ks Ġincluding ĠShe arer Ġ' s ĠBranch Ġ, ĠMagn olia ĠCreek Ġ, Ġand ĠRobbins ĠCreek Ġare Ġdispersed Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġcity Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠMeridian Ġis Ġin Ġthe Ġhumid Ġsubt rop ical Ġclimate Ġzone Ġ. ĠThe Ġaverage Ġhigh Ġtemperature Ġduring Ġsummer Ġ( ĠJune Ġthrough ĠAugust Ġ) Ġis Ġaround Ġ90 ĠÂ° ĠF Ġ( Ġ32 ĠÂ° ĠC Ġ) Ġand Ġthe Ġaverage Ġlow Ġis Ġaround Ġ70 ĠÂ° ĠF Ġ( Ġ21 ĠÂ° ĠC Ġ) Ġ. ĠIn Ġwinter Ġ( ĠDecember Ġthrough ĠFebruary Ġ) Ġthe Ġaverage Ġmaximum Ġis Ġaround Ġ60 ĠÂ° ĠF Ġ( Ġ16 ĠÂ° ĠC Ġ) Ġand Ġminimum Ġ35 ĠÂ° ĠF Ġ( Ġ2 ĠÂ° ĠC Ġ) Ġ. ĠThe Ġwarm est Ġmonth Ġis ĠJuly Ġ, Ġwith Ġan Ġaverage Ġhigh Ġof Ġ92 Ġ@ . @ Ġ9 ĠÂ° ĠF Ġ( Ġ33 Ġ@ . @ Ġ8 ĠÂ° ĠC Ġ) Ġ, Ġand Ġthe Ġcold est Ġmonth Ġof Ġthe Ġyear Ġis ĠJanuary Ġwith Ġan Ġaverage Ġlow Ġof Ġ34 Ġ@ . @ Ġ7 ĠÂ° ĠF Ġ( Ġ1 Ġ@ . @ Ġ5 ĠÂ° ĠC Ġ) Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠThe Ġaverage Ġannual Ġprecipitation Ġin Ġthe Ġcity Ġis Ġ58 Ġ@ . @ Ġ65 Ġin Ġ( Ġ1 Ġ@ , @ Ġ490 Ġmm Ġ) Ġ. ĠRain fall Ġis Ġfairly Ġevenly Ġdistributed Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġyear Ġ, Ġand Ġthe Ġw ett est Ġmonth Ġof Ġthe Ġyear Ġis ĠMarch Ġ, Ġin Ġwhich Ġan Ġaverage Ġof Ġ6 Ġ@ . @ Ġ93 Ġin Ġ( Ġ176 Ġmm Ġ) Ġof Ġrain Ġfalls Ġ. ĠMuch Ġrainfall Ġis Ġdelivered Ġby Ġthunder storms Ġwhich Ġare Ġcommon Ġduring Ġthe Ġsummer Ġmonths Ġbut Ġoccur Ġthroughout Ġthe Ġyear Ġ. ĠSe vere Ġthunder storms Ġ- Ġwhich Ġcan Ġproduce Ġdamaging Ġwinds Ġand Ġ/ Ġor Ġlarge Ġhail Ġin Ġaddition Ġto Ġthe Ġusual Ġhazards Ġof Ġlightning Ġand Ġheavy Ġrain Ġ- Ġoccasionally Ġoccur Ġ. ĠThese Ġare Ġmost Ġcommon Ġduring Ġthe Ġspring Ġmonths Ġwith Ġa Ġsecondary Ġpeak Ġduring Ġthe ĠFall Ġmonths Ġ. ĠThese Ġstorms Ġalso Ġbring Ġthe Ġrisk Ġof Ġtorn adoes Ġ. Ġ Ġ Ġ= Ġ= ĠEconomy Ġ= Ġ= Ġ Ġ ĠEarly Ġon Ġ, Ġthe Ġeconomy Ġdepended Ġgreatly Ġupon Ġthe Ġrail roads Ġin Ġthe Ġarea Ġ. ĠThe Ġcity Ġwas Ġthe Ġlargest Ġin ĠMississippi Ġaround Ġthe Ġstart Ġof Ġthe Ġ20 th Ġcentury Ġ, Ġwith Ġfive Ġmajor Ġrail Ġlines Ġand Ġ44 Ġtrains Ġcoming Ġin Ġand Ġout Ġdaily Ġ. ĠThe Ġcity Ġ' s Ġeconomy Ġnot Ġonly Ġdepended Ġon Ġthe Ġrails Ġbut Ġthe Ġgoods Ġ, Ġsuch Ġas Ġtimber Ġand Ġcotton Ġ, Ġtransported Ġon Ġthem Ġ. ĠWith Ġthese Ġrail Ġ@ - @ Ġbased Ġindustries Ġ, Ġthe Ġcity Ġwas Ġa Ġgreat Ġeconomic Ġpower Ġin Ġthe Ġstate Ġand Ġregion Ġfrom Ġabout Ġ1890 Ġthrough Ġ1930 Ġ. ĠThough Ġits Ġeconomy Ġslowed Ġwith Ġthe Ġdecline Ġof Ġthe Ġrail ro ading Ġindustry Ġin Ġthe Ġ1950 s Ġ, Ġthe Ġcity Ġhas Ġadapted Ġ, Ġmoving Ġfrom Ġa Ġlargely Ġrail Ġ@ - @ Ġbased Ġeconomy Ġto Ġa Ġmore Ġdivers ified Ġone Ġ, Ġwith Ġhealthcare Ġ, Ġmilitary Ġ, Ġand Ġmanufacturing Ġemploying Ġthe Ġmost Ġpeople Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠAlong Ġwith ĠLauderdale ĠCounty Ġand Ġthe Ġcity Ġof ĠMarion Ġ, ĠMeridian Ġis Ġserved Ġby Ġthe ĠEast ĠMississippi ĠBusiness ĠDevelopment ĠCorporation Ġ, Ġwhich Ġwas Ġformed Ġin Ġ1996 Ġby Ġa Ġgroup Ġof Ġbusiness Ġleaders Ġfrom Ġthe Ġarea Ġ. ĠWhile Ġas Ġof ĠApril Ġ2010 Ġ, Ġthe Ġcity Ġ' s Ġcivilian Ġlabor Ġforce Ġwas Ġonly Ġ15 Ġ@ , @ Ġ420 Ġpeople Ġ, Ġthere Ġis Ġa Ġpopulation Ġof Ġ232 Ġ@ , @ Ġ900 Ġin Ġa Ġ45 Ġ@ - @ Ġmile Ġ( Ġ72 Ġkm Ġ) Ġradius Ġand Ġ5 26 Ġ@ , @ Ġ500 Ġin Ġa Ġ65 Ġ@ - @ Ġmile Ġ( Ġ105 Ġkm Ġ) Ġradius Ġ, Ġof Ġwhich Ġ104 Ġ@ , @ Ġ600 Ġand Ġ234 Ġ@ , @ Ġ200 Ġpeople Ġrespectively Ġare Ġin Ġthe Ġlabor Ġforce Ġ. ĠThe Ġcity Ġthus Ġserves Ġas Ġa Ġhub Ġof Ġemployment Ġ, Ġretail Ġ, Ġhealth Ġcare Ġ, Ġand Ġculture Ġactivities Ġ. ĠE ighty Ġpercent Ġof ĠLauderdale ĠCounty Ġ' s Ġworkers Ġreside Ġin Ġthe Ġcounty Ġwhile Ġ90 Ġ% Ġlive Ġwithin Ġ45 Ġmiles Ġ. Ġ Ġ ĠIn ĠApril Ġ2010 Ġ, Ġthere Ġwere Ġ6 Ġ@ , @ Ġ260 Ġpeople Ġemployed Ġin Ġthe Ġhealthcare Ġfield Ġin ĠLauderdale ĠCounty Ġ. ĠRush ĠHospital Ġis Ġthe