Formed December 31, 1833 (34th county)
Lauderdale County (72,983), Meridian (35,050)
The tan brick and masonry Art Deco and Beaux Arts facility was constructed in 1907 on a square at 5th Street, 21st Avenue, 6th Street, and 20th Avenue. United States Highway Business 80 travels five blocks to the south of the courthouse. Krouse and Shaw are the architects. The facility was remodeled and enlarged in 1939 and remodeled in 1991. A County Administration building built as a hotel in 1928 was purchased in 1969. Memorials to veterans are on the grounds. The county was established on December 31, 1833 from parts of Rankin and Wayne counties as the 34th county. Meridian has always been the county seat. The county is named for War of 1812 hero James Lauderdale. The county seat name reportedly was provided by a settler who thought it meant “junction.”
Lauderdale County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a collector, a coroner, an assessor and a clerk (executive). It has 5 Supervisors (legislative.) Two Chancery Court Judges serve Lauderdale and Clarke counties, Two District Court Judges serve Lauderdale, Clarke, Kemper, and Wayne counties, and Two County Court Judges and a court clerk serve Lauderdale County (judicial.) The county is on the eastern border with Alabama. Jackson, Mississippi is west and Mobile, Alabama is southeast of the county. The county center is in Meridian 4.6 miles North-Northeast of the city center. The county is surrounded clockwise by Kemper County and Alabama and Clarke, Jasper, Newton, and Neshoba counties.
The area of the county is 704 square miles. It is 18 out of 82 in the state. It ranks 9 out of 82 in population in the state. It has a density of 103.7 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 82 in the state. Lauderdale County has 50.4% of its population in its incorporated areas. Interstate Highway 20 crosses the county east to west from Alabama to Newton County. Interstate Highway 59 enters joined with Interstate Highway 20 from Alabama, splits and goes southwest into Clarke County. United States Highway 11 parallels Interstate Highway 59 from Alabama to Clarke County. United States Highway 45 goes north to south from Kemper County to Clarke County. United States Highway 80 parallels Interstate Highway 20 from Alabama to Newton County. The county is a rectangle with a slanting eastern border. Meridian is located in the southwest quarter of the county. Meridian is the county seat and the largest city. It is 48.0% of the county population. This county is in the Meridian Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Marion
Meridian
