Editing Meridian, Mississippi (section)

==History==
{{Main|History of Meridian, Mississippi}}

=== Early history ===
[[Image:Lewis Ragsdale Grave in Rose Hill Cemetery honoring Lewis Ragsdale, a founder of Meridian, Mississippi.jpg|thumb|upright|A monument in Rose Hill Cemetery honoring Lewis A. Ragsdale, one of the founders of Meridian.]]
Previously inhabited by the [[Choctaw]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], the area now called Meridian was obtained by the United States under the terms of the [[Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek]] in 1830 during the period of [[Indian removal]].<ref name="website">{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/history.htm |title=History of Meridian, MS |access-date=June 7, 2008 |publisher=Official website of Meridian, MeridianMS.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604042331/http://www.meridianms.org/history.htm |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}</ref> After the treaty was ratified, European-American settlers began to move into the area.

After receiving a federal [[land grant]] of about {{convert|2000|acres}},<ref name="mclemore">{{Cite journal |last=Cook |first=Jody |date=December 4, 1979|journal=National Register of Historic Places|title=NRHP Nomination:McLemore Cemetery|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> Richard McLemore, the first settler of Meridian,<ref name="website"/> began offering free land to newcomers to attract more settlers to the region and develop the area.<ref name="mra">{{cite web |url={{NRHP url|id=64000416}} |title=Meridian Multiple Resource Area Nomination | work=National Register of Historic Places |access-date=June 7, 2008 |publisher=National Park Service |date=December 18, 1979 |format=PDF}}</ref> Most of McLemore's land was bought in 1853 by Lewis A. Ragsdale, a lawyer from Alabama. John T. Ball, a merchant from [[Kemper County, MS|Kemper County]], bought the remaining {{Convert|80|acre|km2}}.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mslauder/meridian.html |title=History of Meridian, MS |access-date=June 7, 2008 |publisher=Don E. Wright |date=January 15, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929052255/http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mslauder/meridian.html |archive-date=September 29, 2008}}</ref> Ragsdale and Ball, now known as the founders of the city,<ref name="attractions">{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/culture_attraction.htm |title=City of Meridian, MS – Attractions |access-date=June 8, 2008 |publisher=Official Site of Meridian, MeridianMS.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509171110/http://www.meridianms.org/culture_attraction.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref> began laying out [[Lot (real estate)|lots]] for new development on their respective land sections.<ref name=history/>

There was much competition over the proposed name of the settlement. Ball and the more industrial residents of the city supported the name "Meridian," believing the term to be synonymous with "junction"; the more agrarian residents of the city preferred "''Sowashee''" (meaning "mad river" in Choctaw, from the name of a nearby creek); and Ragsdale proposed "Ragsdale City."<ref name=msguide1938>{{Cite book |author=Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (Miss.) |url=https://archive.org/details/mississippiguide00federich|title=Mississippi:A Guide to the Magnolia State|publisher=Hastings House|location=New York|year=1938}}</ref><ref name="railroad">{{cite web |last=Nussbaum |first=Mick |url=http://www.queenandcrescent.org/meridian_rr_history.html |title=Meridian Railroad History |access-date=June 8, 2008 |publisher=National Railway Historical Society, Queen & Crescent Chapter |date=August 5, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230161332/http://www.queenandcrescent.org/meridian_rr_history.html |archive-date=December 30, 2010 }}</ref> Ball erected a station house on the [[Mobile and Ohio Railroad]] – the sign on which would alternate between "Meridian" and "Sowashee" each day. Eventually the continued development of the railroads led to an influx of railroad workers who overruled the others in the city and left "Meridian" on the station permanently.<ref name=msguide1938/> The town was officially incorporated as Meridian on February 10, 1860.<ref name="history"/>

[[Image:General sherman.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Union Army]] General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] fought and won the [[Battle of Meridian]] in 1864.]]

=== Civil War and Reconstruction era ===
At the start of the [[American Civil War]] in 1861, Meridian was still a small village. But the Confederates made use of its strategic position at the railroad junction and constructed several military installations there to support the war.<ref name="history"/> During the [[Battle of Meridian]] in 1864, Union General [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] led troops into the city, destroying the railroads in every direction, as well as an arsenal and immense storehouses;<ref name=memoirs>{{cite web|last=Sherman |first=William T. |url=http://www.sonofthesouth.net/union-generals/sherman/memoirs/general-sherman-meridan-campaign.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112230137/http://www.sonofthesouth.net/union-generals/sherman/memoirs/general-sherman-meridan-campaign.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 12, 2013 |title=Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman – Meridian Campaign |date=January 21, 1875 |location=St. Louis, Missouri |access-date=June 2, 2010 }}</ref> his forces burned many of the buildings to the ground.<ref name=sherman/> Sherman is reported to have said afterwards, "Meridian, with its depots, store-houses, arsenal, hospitals, offices, hotels, and cantonments no longer exists."<ref name="sherman">{{cite web|url=http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/index.php?id=2 |last=Dougherty |first=Kevin |title=Sherman's Meridian Campaign: A Practice Run for the March to the Sea |access-date=June 7, 2008 |work=Mississippi History Now |publisher=Mississippi Historical Society |date=April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610222325/http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/index.php?id=2 |archive-date=June 10, 2011}}</ref> Despite the destruction, workers rapidly repaired the railroad lines and they were back in operation 26 working days after the battle.<ref name="website"/>

Race relations were tense during the [[Reconstruction era in the United States|Reconstruction era]], as whites resisted [[freedmen]] being allowed to choose their labor, vote, and have freedom of movement. Following a fire that damaged many businesses, the [[Meridian race riot of 1871|riot of 1871]] erupted, with whites attacking blacks in the community. The black community had expanded after the war, as people moved to the city for more opportunity and to create community away from white supervision.

=== Golden Age and the Great Depression ===
The town boomed in the aftermath of the Civil War, and experienced its "Golden Age" from 1880 to 1910.<ref name="mra" /> The railroads in the area provided for both passenger transportation and industrial needs, stimulating industry, businesses and a population boom.<ref name="mra"/> Related commercial activity increased in the downtown area. Between 1890 and 1930, Meridian was the largest city in Mississippi and a leading center for manufacturing in the South.<ref name="website"/>

The wealth generated by this strong economy resulted in residents constructing many fine buildings, now preserved as historic structures, including the [[Grand Opera House (Meridian, Mississippi)|Grand Opera House]] in 1890,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/2000project.htm |title=Grand Opera House Project |access-date=June 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209005620/http://www.meridianms.org/2000project.htm |archive-date=February 9, 2010 }}</ref> the [[Wechsler School]] in 1894,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/artwechsler.htm |title=The Wechsler Project |access-date=June 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713201017/http://www.meridianms.org/artwechsler.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2009 }}</ref> two [[Carnegie libraries]] in 1913,<ref>{{cite news |last=McKee |first=Anne |url=http://meridianstar.com/editorials/x681098601/I-could-write-a-book |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710223345/http://meridianstar.com/editorials/x681098601/I-could-write-a-book |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |title=I could write a book... |newspaper=The Meridian Star |date=January 10, 2008 |access-date=June 6, 2010 }}</ref> and the [[Threefoot Building]], Meridian's tallest skyscraper, in 1929.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/it/2007/11/the-tallest-thr.html|title=Intelligent Travel: The Tallest Threefoot Building in Town|access-date=June 6, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Meridian downtown postcard.jpg|thumb|Downtown Meridian in the early 1900s (photo taken near intersection of 22nd Ave and 4th St looking north)]]
[[File:Meridian Union Station Postcard.jpg|thumb|[[Union Station (Meridian, Mississippi)|Meridian Union Station]] in the early 1900s]]
The city continued to grow thanks to a [[city commission government|commission government]]'s efforts to bring in 90 new industrial plants in 1913 and a booming automobile industry in the 1920s. Even through the [[stock market crash of 1929]] and the following [[Great Depression]], the city continued to attract new businesses. With [[escapism]] becoming popular in the culture during the depth of the Depression, the [[S. H. Kress & Co.]] building, built to "provide luxury to the common man,"<ref name=DowntownHD>National Register of Historic Places nomination form for Meridian Downtown Historic District. January 16, 2007. National Park Service.</ref> opened in downtown Meridian, as did the [[Temple Theater (Meridian, Mississippi)|Temple Theater]], which was first used as a movie house.<ref name=DowntownHD/> The federal courthouse was built in 1933 as a [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] project.<ref name="Robertson"/>

After a brief slowdown of the economy at the end of the Depression, the country entered World War II, which renewed the importance of railroads. The rails were essential to transport gasoline and scrap metal to build military vehicles, so Meridian became the region's rail center again. This renewed prosperity continued until the 1950s, when the affordability of automobiles and the subsidized [[Interstate Highway System]] drew off passengers from the trains.<ref name=DowntownHD/> The decline of the railroad industry, which went through considerable restructuring among freight lines as well, caused significant job losses. The city's population declined as workers left for other areas.<ref name="mra"/>

=== Civil Rights movement ===
During the [[American Civil Rights Movement]] in the 1960s, Meridian was home to a [[Council of Federated Organizations]] (COFO) office and several other activist organizations.<ref name="DowntownHD" /> [[James Chaney]] and other local residents, along with [[Michael Schwerner]], his wife Rita, and [[Andrew Goodman (activist)|Andrew Goodman]], volunteers from New York City, worked to create a community center. They held classes during [[Freedom Summer]] to help prepare African Americans in the area to prepare to regain their constitutional franchise, after having been excluded from politics since [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disenfranchisement]] in 1890.<ref name="schwerner">{{cite web|url=http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/price&bowers/Schwerner.htm |title=Biography of Michael Schwerner |publisher=[[University of Missouri-Kansas City]] |access-date=June 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515025355/http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/price%26bowers/Schwerner.htm |archive-date=May 15, 2008}}</ref> Whites in the area resented the activism, and physically attacked civil rights workers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crmvet.org/docs/msrv64.pdf|title=Mississippi: Subversion of the Right to Vote|publisher=Civil Rights Movement Archive|page=5|access-date=January 5, 2010}}</ref> In June 1964, Chaney, Schwerner, and Goodman went to [[Neshoba County, Mississippi]], to meet with members of a black church that had been bombed and burned. The three disappeared that night on their way back to Meridian.<ref name="schwerner" /> Following a massive [[FBI]] investigation, their murdered bodies were found two months later, buried in an earthen dam.

Seven [[Klansmen]], including a deputy sheriff, were convicted by an all-white jury in the federal courthouse in Meridian of "depriving the victims of their civil rights".<ref name="Robertson"/> Three defendants were acquitted in the trial for the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner.<ref>{{cite web|last=Klopfer |first=Susan |url=http://themiddleoftheinternet.com/Chaney_Goodman_Schwerner.htm |title=Civil Rights Murders |access-date=June 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501073239/http://themiddleoftheinternet.com/Chaney_Goodman_Schwerner.htm |archive-date=May 1, 2008}}</ref> This was the first time that a white jury had convicted "a white official in a civil rights killing."<ref name="Robertson">Campbell Robertson, "Last Chapter for a Courthouse Where Mississippi Faced Its Past", ''New York Times'', September 18, 2012, p. 1, 16</ref>

In 2005, the state brought charges in the case for the first time. [[Edgar Ray Killen]] was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 60 years in prison.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ariel |last=Hart |title=41 Years Later, Ex-Klansman Gets 60 Years in Civil Rights Deaths |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/national/24killen.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 24, 2005 |access-date=August 22, 2009 }}</ref> Meridian later honored Chaney by renaming a portion of 49th Avenue after him and holding an annual memorial service.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crmvet.org/anc/2007arch/0706csg.htm |title=43rd Annual Mississippi Civil Rights Martyrs Memorial Service and Conference and Caravan for Justice |publisher=Civil Rights Movement Archive |access-date=August 21, 2009 |date=May 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505052304/http://www.crmvet.org/anc/2007arch/0706csg.htm |archive-date=May 5, 2010 }}</ref>

=== Modern history ===
Starting in the 1960s and following the construction of highways that made commuting easier, residents began to move away from downtown in favor of new housing subdivisions to the north. After strip commercial interests began to move downtown, the city worked to designate several areas as [[historic district (United States)|historic districts]] in the 1970s and 80s to preserve the architectural character of the city.<ref name=mra /> The Meridian Historic Districts and Landmarks Commission was created in 1979, and the Meridian Main Street program was founded in 1985.<ref name=mra />

[[File:Meridian from 22nd Ave Bridge.jpg|thumb|Looking into downtown Meridian from the 22nd Avenue Bridge in 2008. The [[Hotel Meridian]] was later demolished.]]
Meridian Main Street organized several projects to revitalize downtown. This included construction of a new [[Meridian (Amtrak station)|Amtrak Station]] in 1997, based on the design of the historic train station used during Meridian's Golden Age; it had been demolished.<ref name=unionstation /> Other projects included renovation of the Rosenbaum Building in 2001 and [[Weidmann's Restaurant]] in 2002, as well as support for integrated urban design.<ref name="journal">{{cite news|last=Jeter |first=Lynne |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5277/is_200407/ai_n24281501 |title=Strategic center of the South, Meridian poised for takeoff |publisher=[[BNET]] Business Network |work=The Mississippi Business Journal |location=Meridian, MS |date=July 19, 2004 |access-date=June 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728181431/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5277/is_200407/ai_n24281501/ |archive-date=July 28, 2009}}</ref> Meridian Main Street, along with The Riley Foundation, helped renovate and adapt the historic [[Grand Opera House (Meridian, Mississippi)|Grand Opera House]] in 2006 for use as the "Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and the Performing Arts."<ref name="journal"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msurileycenter.com/about_us/history_renovation.cfm |title=MSU Riley Center – History and Renovation |access-date=May 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223042552/http://www.msurileycenter.com/about_us/history_renovation.cfm |archive-date=December 23, 2007 }}</ref>

After ownership of the Meridian Main Street was transferred to the Alliance for Downtown Meridian in late 2007,<ref>{{cite web |last=Jacob |first=Jennifer |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x681097081/Downtown-Alliance-takes-over-Main-Street-organization |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710003829/http://meridianstar.com/local/x681097081/Downtown-Alliance-takes-over-Main-Street-organization |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |title=Meridian Star – Downtown Alliance Takes Over Main Street Organization |date=December 19, 2007 |access-date=May 25, 2010 }}</ref> the two organizations, along with the Meridian Downtown Association, spearheaded the downtown revitalization effort.<ref name=together>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jennifer Jacob |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x546253503/Working-together |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111064112/http://meridianstar.com/local/x546253503/Working-together |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 11, 2013 |title=Meridian Star – Working Together |date=November 18, 2009 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |access-date=May 25, 2010 }}</ref> The Alliance serves as an [[umbrella organization]], allowing the other two organizations to use its support staff and housing, and in turn the Alliance serves as a liaison between the organizations.<ref name=together/> Plans were underway to renovate the [[Threefoot Building]], but newly elected Mayor Cheri Barry killed the plans in early 2010.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jacob |first=Jennifer |url=http://www.meridianstar.com/local/local_story_003003708.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910064800/http://www.meridianstar.com/local/local_story_003003708.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 10, 2012 |title=Barry, Smith make plans for 2010 |date=January 2, 2010 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |location=Meridian, MS |access-date=January 26, 2010 }}</ref> Today, the Alliance helps to promote further development and restoration downtown; its goal is to assist businesses such as specialty shops, restaurants, and bars because these help downtown become more active during the day and at night. The Meridian Downtown Association is primarily focused on increasing foot traffic downtown by organizing special events, and the Meridian Main Street program supports existing businesses downtown.<ref name=together/>

===Hotels===
{| style="float:right; background:#eee; border:1px solid #ddd; margin:5px"
|+ '''Historic hotels in Meridian'''
|-
|[[File:Great Southern Hotel Meridian, Mississippi.jpg|166px]]
|[[File:Hotel Meridian Postcard.jpg|128px]]
|-
|Great Southern Hotel (1890)
|[[Hotel Meridian]] (1907)
|-
|[[File:Union Hotel Meridian, MS.jpg|155px]]
|[[File:Lamar Hotel.JPG|138px]]
|-
|[[Union Hotel (Meridian, Mississippi)|Union Hotel]] (1908)
|[[Lamar Hotel]] (1927)
|}
{{Main|Hotels in Meridian, Mississippi}}
Given Meridian's site as a railroad junction, its travelers have attracted the development of many hotels. Even before Meridian reached its "Golden Age," several large hotels, including the Great Southern and the Grand Avenue hotels, were built before the start of the 20th century.<ref name=shankhotels>{{cite book |last=Shank |first=Jack |title=Meridian: The Queen with a Past|publisher=Southeastern Printing Company|location=Meridian, Mississippi|year=1986|isbn=0-9616123-2-0|volume=II|pages=6–12|chapter=Chapter 2: A City of Hotels}}</ref> With the growth of the railroads and the construction of the original [[Union Station (Meridian, Mississippi)|Union Station]] in 1906, many hotels were constructed for passengers and workers.<ref name=DowntownHD/> The Elmira Hotel was constructed in 1905,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/downtownhistoricresources/1.html|title=Elmira Hotel|publisher=City of Meridian|access-date=January 3, 2012}}</ref> and the Terminal Hotel was constructed in 1910.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/downtownhistoricresources/4.html|title=Terminal Hotel|publisher=City of Meridian|access-date=January 3, 2012}}</ref> [[Hotel Meridian]] was constructed in 1907, and [[Union Hotel (Meridian, Mississippi)|Union Hotel]] was built in 1908.<ref name=shankhotels/> Union Hotel was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1979,<ref name=nris/> and both Hotel Meridian and Grand Avenue Hotel were listed as [[contributing properties]] to the [[Meridian Urban Center Historic District]].<ref name=DowntownHD/>

As the city grew, the hotels reflected ambitions of the strong economy, as evidenced by the 11-story skyscraper [[Lamar Hotel]] built in 1927.<ref name=shankhotels/> Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, the Lamar Hotel was adapted for use as a county annex building.<ref name=nris/> In 1988 it was listed as a [[Mississippi Landmark]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/prop.aspx?id=16636&view=facts&y=774|title=Lamar Hotel|publisher=Mississippi Department of Archives and History|access-date=January 4, 2012}}</ref> The [[E.F. Young Hotel]] was built in 1931.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efyoungjr.com/current/The_Legacy/the_legacy.html|title=The Legacy|publisher=E.F. Young, Jr., Manufacturing Company|year=1999|access-date=January 4, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704111540/http://www.efyoungjr.com/current/The_Legacy/the_legacy.html|archive-date=July 4, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A staple in the African-American business district that developed west of the city's core, the hotel was one of the only places in the city during the years of segregation where a traveling African American could find a room.<ref name=DowntownHD/>

As the city suburbs developed in the 1960s and '70s, most hotels moved outside of downtown. Rehabilitation of the [[Riley Center]] in 2006 has increased demand and a push for a new downtown hotel.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jennifer Jacob |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x657346372/Threefoot-Building-Part-1-Looking-at-all-our-options |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712170711/http://meridianstar.com/local/x657346372/Threefoot-Building-Part-1-Looking-at-all-our-options |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Threefoot Building: Part 1 'Looking at all our options': Development, demolition and stabilization |date=June 27, 2010 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |access-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Frye |first=Georgia E. |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x681064804/Riley-Center-officials-get-set-to-go |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712212522/http://meridianstar.com/local/x681064804/Riley-Center-officials-get-set-to-go |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |title=Riley Center officials get set to go |date=August 20, 2006 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |access-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref> The [[Threefoot Building]] has been proposed for redevelopment for this purpose, but restoration efforts stalled with a change in city administrations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Jennifer Jacob |url=http://meridianstar.com/local/x2088985616/City-working-on-downtown-hotel |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710003256/http://meridianstar.com/local/x2088985616/City-working-on-downtown-hotel |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |title=City working on downtown hotel |date=June 12, 2011 |newspaper=The Meridian Star |access-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref> The Threefoot Preservation Society was formed in 2013 to raise public awareness and support for the building's renovation, featuring tours of the first floor and anniversary events.

===Historic districts===
{{Main|Historic districts in Meridian, Mississippi}}
[[File:Meridian, MS Historic Districts.PNG|right|375px]]
Meridian has nine historic districts that are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The Meridian Downtown Historic District is a combination of two older districts, the Meridian Urban Center Historic District and the Union Station Historic District. Many architectural styles are present in the districts, most from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne]], [[Colonial Revival]], [[Italianate]], [[Art Deco]], [[Victorian architecture|Late Victorian]], and [[bungalow]]. The districts are:<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref><ref name="historic">{{cite web|url=http://www.meridianms.org/com_historicneighbor.html |title=Historic Neighborhoods in Meridian |access-date=June 8, 2006 |publisher=Official website of Meridian, MeridianMS.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706183851/http://www.meridianms.org/com_historicneighbor.html |archive-date=July 6, 2007}}</ref>

{{color box|#0000FF|1|white}} '''East End Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 18th St, 11th Ave, 14th St, 14th Ave, 5th St, and 17th Ave.

{{color box|#FF0000|2|white}} '''Highlands Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 15th St, 34th Ave, 19th St, and 36th Ave.

{{color box|#00FF00|3}} '''Meridian Downtown Historic District''' – runs from the former [[Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad]] north to 6th St between 18th and 26th Ave, excluding Ragsdale Survey Block 71.

:{{color box|#FF0077|4}} '''Meridian Urban Center Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 21st and 25th Aves, 6th St, and the railroad.

:{{color box|#773300|5|white}} '''Union Station Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 18th and 19th Aves, 5th St, and the railroad.

{{color box|#770077|6|white}} '''Merrehope Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 33rd Ave, 30th Ave, 14th St, and 8th St.

{{color box|#7777FF|7}} '''Mid-Town Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 23rd Ave, 15th St, 28th Ave, and 22nd St.

{{color box|#FF00FF|8}} '''Poplar Springs Road Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 29th St, 23rd Ave, 22nd St, and 29th Ave.

{{color box|#000000|9|white}} '''West End Historic District''' – roughly bounded by 7th St, 28th Ave, Shearer's Branch, and 5th St.