Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg, Mississippi
City
Old Warren County Courthouse ("Old Courthouse Museum")
Old Warren County Courthouse ("Old Courthouse Museum")
Flag of Vicksburg, Mississippi
Flag
Official seal of Vicksburg, Mississippi
Seal
Nickname(s): 
"Gibraltar of the Confederacy",[1] "Red Carpet City of the South"[2]
Location of Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi
Location of Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi
Map
Interactive map of Vicksburg
Vicksburg is located in Mississippi
Vicksburg
Vicksburg
Location within Mississippi
Vicksburg is located in the United States
Vicksburg
Vicksburg
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 32°21′9.52″N 90°52′40.38″W / 32.3526444°N 90.8778833°W / 32.3526444; -90.8778833
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyWarren
Founded1811
IncorporatedJanuary 29, 1825
Named forNewitt Vick
Government
 • MayorGeorge Flaggs Jr.
Area
[3]
 • City
35.093 sq mi (90.890 km2)
 • Land33.017 sq mi (85.513 km2)
 • Water2.076 sq mi (5.377 km2)
Elevation
[4]
243 ft (74 m)
Population
 (2020)[5]
 • City
21,573
 • Estimate 
(2023)[6]
20,192
 • Density611.49/sq mi (236.10/km2)
 • Urban
25,888
 • Metro
42,298 (US: 296th)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
39180, 39181, 39182, 39183
Area code(s)601 and 769
FIPS code28-76720
GNIS feature ID0679216[4]
Sales tax7.0%[7]
Websitevicksburg.org

Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census.[5] Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg was built by French colonists in 1719. The outpost withstood an attack from the native Natchez people. It was incorporated as Vicksburg in 1825 after Methodist missionary Newitt Vick.[8] The area that is now Vicksburg was long occupied by the Natchez Native Americans as part of their historical territory along the Mississippi. The first Europeans who settled the area were French colonists who built Fort Saint Pierre in 1719 on the high bluffs overlooking the Yazoo River at present-day Redwood. They conducted fur trading with the Natchez and others, and started plantations. During the American Civil War, it was a key Confederate river-port, and its July 1863 surrender to Ulysses S. Grant, along with the concurrent Battle of Gettysburg, marked the turning-point of the war.

After the war came Reconstruction era and then a violent return to power by white supremacists and the Democratic Party in 1874 and 1875, including the Vicksburg massacre. Today, Vicksburg's population is majority African American. The city is home to three large installations of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which has often been involved in local flood control.

  1. ^ "Mississippi's Rock of Gibraltar". Americas Library. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  2. ^ "Vicksburg, Mississippi Road Trip Guide". Road Trip USA. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  3. ^ "2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  4. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vicksburg, Mississippi
  5. ^ a b "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Vicksburg (MS) sales tax rate". Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  8. ^ "FAITH OF OUR FOREFATHERS: Program to discuss Methodism, Newitt Vick". August 21, 2022. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.