Small Town USA: Meridian, Mississippi & the Gravel Roads Less Traveled

Meridian Mississippi cycling
Downtown Meridian, Mississippi

“Meridian, Mississippi is the seventh-largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. Established in 1860, at the junction of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and Southern Railway of Mississippi, Meridian built an economy based on the railways and goods transported on them, and it became a strategic trading center.”

Meridian Mississippi cycling
JOM’s review bike, the Ribble Cycles CGR SL

“During the American Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman burned much of the city to the ground in the Battle of Meridian (February 1864). Rebuilt after the war, the city entered a “Golden Age”. It became the largest city in Mississippi between 1890 and 1930, and a leading center for manufacturing in the South, with 44 trains arriving and departing daily.” – Wikipedia.org

Meridian Mississippi cycling
Somewhere in Mississippi

Union Station, built in 1906, is now a multi-modal center, with access to Amtrak and Greyhound Buses averaging 242,360 passengers per year.

Meridian Mississippi cycling
Never a dull moment…

In this video, JOM of Gravel Cyclist kicks off a tour of Meridian at Union Station, before heading into the hinterlands of Mississippi and some lovely mixed-surface roads. Other towns visited during this ride include Decatur and Hickory.

Video: Small Town USA – Meridian, Mississippi & Beyond

Additional Photos

Meridian Mississippi cycling
Taking it easy in Decatur, Mississippi
Meridian Mississippi cycling
This course was a front derailleur workout
Meridian Mississippi cycling
The red soil of Mississippi

Links of Interest:

Don’t forget to Like the Gravel Cyclist Facebook page, follow G.C. on Instagram, and subscribe to our Youtube Channel. We are also on Twitter!

4 Comments

  1. Avatar Jeff Reich

    Hello! You were in my hometown and an hour from where I live. Glad you enjoyed it! Any chance of you sharing the route? Thankful for all you are doing. Cheers!

    • JOM JOM

      Jeff, I need to tweak the route before sharing, as I ventured into private land twice (once you saw in the video).

  2. Avatar Reginald Bresette

    Is there a map to this route?

    • JOM JOM

      I stated in the video, not at the moment, the route needs tweaking because of two private roads I crossed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.