Jackson County, Mississippi
Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 143,252, making it the fifth-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seat is Pascagoula. The county was named for Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and afterward President of the United States. Jackson County is included in the Pascagoula, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located at the southeastern tip of the state. The county has sandy soil and is in the Piney Woods area. It borders the state of Alabama on its east side. The county was severely damaged by both Hurricane Camille in August 1969 and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, which caused catastrophic effects. Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which  is land and  (31%) is water. It is the largest county in Mississippi by total area. Despite the county's name, Jackson County does not contain the City of Jackson, the latter is located in Hinds County. Major highways

  Interstate 10
  U.S. Highway 90
  Mississippi Highway 57
  Mississippi Highway 63
  Mississippi Highway 609
  Mississippi Highway 611
  Mississippi Highway 613
  Mississippi Highway 614

Adjacent counties
 George County - north
 Mobile County, Alabama - east
 Harrison County - west
 Stone County - northwest

National protected areas
 De Soto National Forest (part)
 Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)
 Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)
 Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 143,252 people, 56,323 households, and 38,007 families residing in the county. Public Safety
The Jackson County Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement services for communities in the county that do not have their own local law enforcement. These communities are known as Census-Designated Places, or CDPs. Education
School districts in the county include:

The Jackson County School District serves the Hurley, Wade, Big Point, Three Rivers, Harleston, Vestry, Latimer, and Vancleave communities, along with St. Martin and a small portion of Escatawpa. The Pascagoula-Gautier School District serves Pascagoula and most of the City of Gautier. The Moss Point School District serves Moss Point and most of Escatawpa. The Ocean Springs School District serves Ocean Springs. Communities

Cities
 Gautier
 Moss Point
 Ocean Springs
 Pascagoula (county seat)

Census-designated places

 Big Point
 Escatawpa
 Gulf Hills
 Gulf Park Estates
 Helena
 Hurley
 Latimer
 St. Martin
 Vancleave
 Wade

Unincorporated places

 East Moss Point
 Poticaw Landing

Ghost towns
 Brewton

Former census-designated places
 Hickory Hills, merged into city of Gautier

Politics
Like most of the Solid South, Jackson County has consistently voted for the Democratic presidential candidate through 1960, except for 1948, when it was carried by Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond. It turned Republican in 1964, voted for George Wallace in 1968 over Republican Richard Nixon, and has stuck with Republicans ever since. See also

 National Register of Historic Places listings in Jackson County, Mississippi
 L.N. Dantzler Lumber Company

References

External links
 Official Web Site of Jackson County, Mississippi
 

 
Mississippi counties
Pascagoula metropolitan area
1812 establishments in Mississippi Territory
Populated places established in 1812