CLINTON, Miss. (WJTV) – This week, our “Your Hometown” features the City of Clinton.

Sleepy little Clinton isn’t so sleepy anymore. Somewhere between the time Grant stabled his horses in the basement of the Chapel on the campus of Mississippi College during the Civil War until now, Clinton outgrew its wilderness motif and has emerged has as the 10th largest city in the state.

But proudly, Clinton has managed to retain its small town charm while it has grown to accommodate its people. 

If we ever doubted the resolve of Clinton to be a metro leader, we should have realized it was serious when it sacrificed some of its picturesque streets and neighborhoods to open up the north south corridor, replacing the tiny two lane street that once was the only way to get from Northside Drive to Highway 80.  

But in the process, Clinton has retained its old downtown area. They invite all of us to come eat and play and experience the feel of an old timey small town central downtown during events like the annual Red Brick Roads Festival. 

Clinton retains its lore. Like coming so close to becoming the state capital that it changed the name of one of its streets to Capitol Street. For the lack of one vote, we’d be visiting the state capital on one end or the other of this street. 

Instead, at the south end of Capitol is Mississippi College. It is the second oldest Baptist College in the nation and the oldest institution of higher education in the state. But it was a prep school. Mississippi College was the first institution of higher education in the nation to grant a degree to a woman.

Education is still paramount in Clinton. It’s one of the places that readily comes to mind when you think of municipalities with good schools. 

One of the extracurricular activities at Clinton High School is the Attaché Show Choir. Lance Bass, with the group NSYNC, was a member when he went to school here.