Business View Civil and Municipal | May/June 2022

109 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 5 CL INTON, MI SS I SS I PP I has one of the best-rated school systems in the entire state, in addition to a 4-year university, Mississippi College, located right in the heart of the city with a population of around 5,000-6,000 students which bring in a lot of revenue for the city. He adds, “What’s unique is we are a certified retirement city and a college town. So, we try to play on the ‘town and gown’ words, that’s something I’m working on integrating more as Director of Economic Development.” The expectation is that the city’s population will grow over the next 10 to 15 years, especially as they attract new companies that are bringing in more employees to live and work in Clinton. According to Lang, “What we have to offer is primed for exponential growth.” Shifting to the topic of housing, the city is looking at what is available now, what the current infrastructure can cover, and how they can expand that. There aren’t any specific plans, although they do have new developments going for Clinton, describes the city’s small-time charm and character, noting, “It has tons of history and influence, whether it’s through art and music or the Civil War. We have the oldest university in Mississippi, and a character that’s unique to this area. We are different from other communities because they are relatively new for the most part. Clinton has been around since the early 1800s and was almost the capital of Mississippi back in the day. What makes us unique is that we’re still a small family-oriented community, but we’re right outside the metro area. So, we can still have the quality of life and the feel of knowing everybody in the community, while still having access to a large market of activities, being so close to the capital city of Jackson.” In terms of industry, Clinton has a great industrial park that’s home to international companies. “They enjoy our access to the interstate, being right at the logistics corridors of Interstate 20 and the school systems where we have our K-12 program,” says Lang. Clinton