Meridian is a city of just over 40,000 people in the eastern section of Mississippi, close to the border with Alabama. Once the second-largest city in the state, Meridian is currently the sixth-largest--the decline of the railroad and integration of schools have led to this population loss.
Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, and serves as a regional center. Its location at the fork of Interstates 20 and 59 and proximity to larger cities such as Jackson, Birmingham, New Orleans, and Atlanta grant Meridian access to traffic heading across the region of the South. Unfortunately, this highway traffic has also brought drug traffic to the city. Gang violence is a problem, and it sometimes shows up at school.
The schools within the city limits of Meridian are all within the jurisdiction of the Meridian Public School District, while outside of the city proper Lauderdale County Schools is in charge. The MPSD, while officially integrated, is highly segregated, with many white students who live within the city choosing to attend The Lamar School or one of the county schools. Thus, the demographics of the schools do not match those of the surrounding area.
Meridian has more to do than your average MTC placement town, with many restaurants, both chains and independently-owned, and even a (small) number of bars to frequent (not that I took advantage of this). Despite this, most of my free time was spent hanging with fellow MTCers.
To highlight the positive, two of my favorite parts of my Meridian are shown in the pictures on this page: the carousel horses that abound in the city and Bonita Lakes Park.
The carousel horses represent but a few of those I have photographed over the course of my time in Meridian. Originally, the art project was created to raise money for Hope Village, a home-setting for children taken into custody by the Department of Human Services in Meridian founded by actress Sela Ward. Hope Village is actually across the street from Meridian High School, and the children who live there attend MPSD schools. There are over 50 horses in Meridian and the surrounding areas.
Bonita Lakes Park (pictured to the right, directly below the map), is a recreation facility in Meridian with lakes, walking trails, and playgrounds. My favorite way to de-stress after a long day or week has been to go for a run or a walk along the many winding trails at Bonita. It has also been the home base (along with the Thacker Mountain Trail in Oxford) for most of my half and marathon training during the course of my time in MTC.