About Vicksburg
The historic City of Vicksburg with its commanding view of the Mississippi River has served as the region’s center of commerce and culture for nearly 200 years.
Fun Facts
Tech-Centered
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) established Waterways Experiment Station as the primary hydraulics laboratory to develop protection of important croplands and cities from the river. Now known as the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), it applies military engineering, information technology, environmental engineering, hydraulic engineering, and geotechnical engineering.
- ERDC houses the largest hydraulic research laboratory.
- There are more engineering Ph.D.’s per capita in Vicksburg, Mississippi than any other city in the United States.
- Over 1,800 Mississippians work at ERDC in Vicksburg which over 900 are engineers and scientists, over 390 hold an engineering and science master’s degree and at least 290 of them are Ph.D.’s.
- ERDC operates on 2.7 million square feet of facilities located on 694-campus. The Vicksburg campus is the largest in the ERDC system of campuses and laboratories.
- ERDC has an economic impact of $369 million in the total United States economy and direct economic impact in the state of Mississippi of over $138 million in both payroll and contracts to Mississippi companies.
- Over 1,890 United States jobs have been created or retained through ERDC Vicksburg’s licensing agreements.
- ERDC holds at least 27 active patents in the state of Mississippi.
- In addition to ERDC, the city of Vicksburg is also home to five more USACE installations, the Mississippi Valley Division, Mississippi River Commission, the Vicksburg District, the 412th Engineer Command, and the 168th Engineer Group (Army National Guard).
- The Vicksburg District provides a full range of water resource products and services, covering 68,000 square miles in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
- Google- Vicksburg-Warren School District
- Apple- Vicksburg Catholic School
Entrepreneurial
- 53% of jobs in Warren County are created by companies that employ less than 100 people.
- 24% of all jobs in Warren County are created by companies that employ less than 10 people.
- 75% of all job creators (companies) in Warren County are headquartered in Vicksburg and/or Warren County.
- 19% of jobs in Warren County are in the hospitality industry.
- The Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce has been supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs uninterrupted since 1889.
- A rail and road loop allows direct access from barge to truck to rail.
- Handles 14 million tons of freight annually
- Only rail crossing of the MS River in the state
- Designated a Foreign Trade Zone and Port of Entry, and maintains a US Customs Service
Cool
- There are almost 500 apartments in downtown Vicksburg with over 90% occupancy
- 1.9 million estimated total visitors (includes day trippers & gamers)
- 10 South Rooftop Bar and Grill is the only rooftop restaurant overlooking the Mississippi River in Mississippi.
- The Chicago Cubs had spring training in Vicksburg in 1908 (the last time the Cubs won the World Series until 2016).
- Vicksburg is home to the Southeast Regional Campus of NCCC Americorps and the FEMA Corps.
- $22 million sports complex opening February 2019
- Vicksburg National Military Park commemorating the defining battle in America’s defining war sprawls over 1,800 acres and receives 500,000 visitors annually
- Vicksburg National Cemetery is the second largest in the nation
- Four world-class casinos along the Mississippi River that include sports book and weekly live entertainment
- Vicksburg welcomed its first brewery- Key City Brewery in 2018.
- Home to the most haunted house in Mississippi—McRaven
- The United States Mint released the Mississippi “America the Beautiful®” Quarter in 2011 featuring the U.S.S. Cairo on its reverse, the ninth coin released in this series dedicated to America’s most scenic and historic places.
- Home to the Riverfront Interpretive Center at Jesse Brent Lower Mississippi River Museum
- American Queen Steamboat Company won second place at the 2015 Seatrade Cruise Awards for On the Front Lines of the Civil War, USA- Vicksburg National Military Park Tour losing to the Vatican City Tour
- With over 9,000 acres of forests and lakes on the banks of the MS River, Tara Wildlife offers youth camps, birdwatching, lodging, hunting, nature festivals, conference center, outdoor weddings, and more.
- Vicksburg is situated on the Mississippi River Trail and the Great River Road
- Longest bridge over the Mississippi River for pedestrian and cyclist use
Full of Art
- The Attic Gallery is the oldest art gallery in continuous operation in Mississippi.
- Vicksburg’s very own “Gold in the Hills” presented by the Vicksburg Theatre Guild holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest running show, playing annually since March 1936.
- Vicksburg is home to the most public art in Mississippi.
- The artwork in the Vicksburg National Military Park is estimated to be worth over $4 billion.
- 1950s, a portion of the park was transferred to the city as a local park in exchange for closing local roads running through the remainder of the park. It also allowed for the construction of Interstate 20. The monuments and land transferred to the city are still maintained by the NPS.
Historic
- Warren County’s first settlement was Fort St. Pierre in 1719 (3oo years ago!).
- The area of Vicksburg’s first settlement was Walnut Hills in 1798.
- Vicksburg was incorporated in 1825.
- The tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the new year began in 1863 when the town of Vicksburg ran out of food while under attack, but the residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legume was thereafter considered “lucky”.
- The end of the 47-day Siege of Vicksburg was on July 4, 1863 (the same day as end of the Battle of Gettysburg).
- At the turn of the 20th Century, the Vicksburg Engineer office (now Vicksburg District) assumed a major portion of the responsibility for construction of the Vicksburg National Military Park, commemorating the siege of the historic hill city.
- 1899 Vicksburg National Military Park was established to commemorate the siege and defense of Vicksburg. The park sprawls over 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) of land.
- Vicksburg served as the primary refugee gathering point during the Great Flood of 1927. It submerged a large portion of the Mississippi Delta.
- On June 28, 1879, an Act of Congress created the Mississippi River Commission to direct all work on the Mississippi River. The same act provided for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts to do the work.
- On August 1, 1884, Capt. Eric Bergland established the first permanent Engineer office in Vicksburg.
- The first bottling of Coca-Cola was in 1894 at the Biedenharn Candy Company which is available to tour
- Phil Gilbert’s Shoe Parlor sold shoes for the first time as a pair in 1884 in Vicksburg.
- 1902 While on a hunting expedition in Sharkey County (just north of Vicksburg), President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear. This act resulted in the creation of the world-famous teddy bear. This is documented at the Onward Store in Onward, Miss.
- The first female rural mail carrier in the United States was Mrs. Mamie Thomas. She delivered mail by buggy to the area southeast of Vicksburg in 1914.
- 1927 Vicksburg served as the primary refugee gathering point during the Great Flood. It submerged a large number of the Mississippi Delta. The US Army Corps of Engineers established Waterways Experiment Station as the primary hydraulics laboratory to develop protection of important croplands and cities from the river. Now known as the Engineer Research and Development Center, it applies military engineering, information technology, environmental engineering, hydraulic engineering and geotechnical engineering. It is the world’s largest hydraulic research laboratory. The city is also home to two more Corps of Engineers installations, the Mississippi Valley Division and the Vicksburg District.
Home
- Low cost of living: Warren County’s cost of living index is 82.8 (national average is 100)
- Vicksburg-Warren County School District (VWSD) is one of three to be the first to be named “District Of Innovation by the MS Department of Education
- VWSD River City Early College High School – Students can graduate with a high school diploma as well as an associate degree
- $134 million renovation and building project that will impact all area public schools
- VWSD has implemented Leader in Me and Ford Generation Learning programs
- 22.5% of Vicksburg Catholic School seniors (Class of 2018) had a 29+ on ACT and received over $3.6 million in scholarships with a graduating class of less than 50