List of municipalities in Mississippi

Mississippi is a state in the Southern United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, Mississippi is the 32nd-most populous state, with 2,968,103 inhabitants and the 31st largest by land area, spanning 46,923.27 square miles (121,530.7 km²) of land.[1] Mississippi is divided into 82 counties and contains 299 incorporated municipalities, consisting of cities, towns, and villages.[2][3] Mississippi's municipalities cover 4.3% of the state's land mass and are home to 50.5% of its population.[1]

Map of the United States with Mississippi highlighted

Municipalities in Mississippi are classified according to population size. At time of incorporation, municipalities with populations of more than 2,000 are classified as cities, municipalities containing between 301 and 2000 persons are classified as towns, and municipalities between 100 and 300 persons are classified as villages.[3] Places may be incorporated to become a city, town, or village through a petition signed by two-thirds of the qualified voters who reside in the proposed municipality.[3] The major function of municipal governments are to provide services for its citizens such as maintaining roads and bridges, providing law, fire protection, and health and sanitation services.[3]

As of the 2010 United States Census, the largest municipality by population in Mississippi is Jackson, with 173,514 residents, and the smallest is Satartia, with 55 residents.[1] The largest municipality by land area is Jackson, which spans 111.05 sq mi (287.6 km²), while Sidon is the smallest, at 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km²).[1] The city of Natchez is the oldest municipality in Mississippi, incorporated on March 10, 1803, and the city of Diamondhead is the state's newest municipality, incorporated on January 30, 2012.[3]