Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 245,285, making it the most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seats are Raymond and Jackson, the state capital. The county is named for General Thomas Hinds, a hero of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.
Hinds County is part of the Jackson, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is a center of professional, educational, business and industrial elites in the state. It is bordered on the northwest by the Big Black River and on the east by the Pearl River. It is one county width away from the Yazoo River and the southern border of the Mississippi Delta.
In the 19th century, the rural areas of the county were devoted to cotton plantations worked by enslaved African Americans and depended on agriculture well into the 20th century. From 1877 to 1950, this county had 22 lynchings, the highest number in the state. Mississippi has the highest total number of lynchings of any state.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 877 square miles (2,270Â km2), of which 870 square miles (2,300Â km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20Â km2) (0.9%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Mississippi by land area and fifth-largest by total area.
Adjacent counties
- Madison County (northeast)
- Rankin County (east)
- Copiah County (south)
- Claiborne County (southwest)
- Warren County (west)
- Yazoo County (northwest)
National protected area
- Natchez Trace Parkway (part)
Transportation
Major highways
