Madison and Ridgeland are suburbs of Jackson in Madison County. Both cities retain the feel of small southern towns, but with the added benefit of being near all the amenities and attractions of nearby Jackson.
Location
Madison and Ridgeland are approximately 9 - 10 miles north of downtown Jackson, and three miles from one another, but with all the new construction, they really just run together! Baton Rouge, Louisiana is approximately 155 miles away. New Orleans is only a 3 hour drive with Memphis about 4 hours. Vicksburg, with all its scenic attractions, is also only 30 mnutes away!
Airports
The main airport servicing residents of Madison County is Jackson International, approximately 12 miles from either Madison or Ridgeland. Madison has an airport for private planes conveniently located off Old Canton Road. It will also accomodate small jets.
Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport is 87 miles away, and Mid Delta Regional Airport is approximately 93 miles away, in Greenville.
Terrain
The total land area of Madison is 13.5 square miles, and the city is at an elevation of 335 feet. Local reservoirs are the Ross Barnett Reservoir, Lake Castle and Culley Lake. Ridgeland is at an elevation of 353 feet, with a total land area of 15.9 square miles.
Population
The estimated population of Madison in July 2004 was 16,462. Madison has been one of Mississippi’s fastest growing cities in the past few decades. Over 97% of its residents have graduated from high school, and over 55% have attained a bachelor’s degree. Fifteen percent of the population of Madison has earned a graduate or professional degree.
The estimated population of Ridgeland in July 2004 was 21,577, making it Madison County’s largest city. Among the adult population, over 93% have finished high school, and almost 50% have a bachelor’s degree. 17% of Ridgeland’s residents have attained a graduate or professional degree.
Jobs
The median household income in Madison is $78,480, making it the city with the highest per capita income in the state of Mississippi.
The main industries providing employment in Madison are educational, health and social services (20.9%), finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing (12.7%), professional, scientific, management, and administrative services (12.4%), and retail trade (10.8%).
Ridgeland is the commercial center of Madison County, where the median household income is $47,573. The industries providing employment include educational, health and social services (20.1%), retail trade (14.0%), professional, scientific, management, and administrative services (11.7%), and finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing (10.4%).
The average commute for residents of Madison and Ridgeland is between 20-25 minutes.
Colleges/Universities
There are many reputable colleges and universities near Madison and Ridgeland, with an enrollment of over 2,000, including Belhaven College and Millsaps College, both private schools, Jackson State University, Mississippi College in Clinton, Hinds Community College with an enrollment of over 10,000, in Raymond, Holmes Community College in Goodman, with a Ridgeland branch, Mississippi Valley State University, Mississippi Delta Community College, and Alcorn State University.
Housing
The median home value in Madison is $154,387, and in Ridgeland it is $136,500. There are homes and multiple new subdivisions in these areas with homes from the $150,000 range to over $3,000,000.
Both cities offer shaded older neighborhoods and newer suburban developments of single family homes. Ridgeland has many retired and assisted living communities.
Historic Building
The Madison Square Center for the Arts was originally constructed as a school, but now is the focus of arts for Madison residents. The 1890 building is on the National Register for Historic Places.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Liberty Park is a multi-purpose sports complex in Madison with baseball and softball fields, soccer fields, volleyball courts, and a walking track and cross-country track.
Strawberry Patch Park is a beautiful seven-acre neighborhood park, with a two-acre lake. Residents enjoy the walking trails and exercise stations, playground equipment and picnic areas.
Simmons Arboretum is a nature area in Madison, with walking trails that run through varieties of Mississippi’s native plant life.
For recreational enjoyment, Madison and Ridgeland residents have easy access to the nearby 33,000 acre Ross Barnett Reservoir, and the Natchez Trace Scenic Parkway, which runs from Natchez Mississippi to Nashville Tennessee, and passes through Madison County.
There are many opportunities for a game of golf in Madison. Annadale, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is the most well-known course, and is a stop on the PGA tour. Colonial Country Club, Deerfield Course, Reunion Golf and Country Club, and Whisper Lake Country Club are all private 18-courses in the city.
Special Attractions/Events
In addition to the cultural attractions in nearby Jackson, the City of Madison hosts a spring HomeExpo show, a German Fest, Cajun Fest, the summer FreedomFest, a harvest-time Scarecrow Festival, and an Annual Christmas Parade.
Ridgeland also is home to such festive events as the Spring Folk Music Festival, Circus Days in May, July's “Celebrate America Hot Air Balloon Glow”, and the Annual Pioneer and Indian Festival, each fall, at the Natchez Trace Crafts Center.
Shopping is plentiful at the Northpark Mall in Ridgeland, and antique hunters delight in the Antique Mall of the South, also in Ridgeland.
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