Meridian is the county seat and the most populous city of Lauderdale County in the U.S. state of Mississippi. it is the seventh-largest city in the state (after Jackson, Gulfport, Southaven, Hattiesburg, Biloxi and Tupelo) and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. it serves as a hub for the Eastern Mississippi region. The population was 39,968 at the 2000 census. The current population is larger than in the 2000 census. A recent annexation, in addition to seeing many displaced coastal residents after Hurricane Katrina (many of them have made Meridian their permanent residence), has put the population over 40,000.
