Mississippi Highway 21 (MS 21) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in central
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. It runs from north to south for and serves six counties:
Scott,
Leake,
Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film
* Newton ( ...
,
Neshoba,
Kemper, and
Noxubee.
Route description
MS 21 begins in
Scott County in
Forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
at an intersection with
MS 35 (Woodland Drive N) in the northern part of town. It heads east as two-lane highway to bypass the town along its northern outskirts for a couple of miles to have an intersection with its former alignment into downtown (Old Highway 21) before leaving Forest and curving northward. The highway winds its way north, then northeast, through mostly farmland for several miles, where it crosses
Tuscolameta Creek
Tuscolameta Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of Mississippi.
''Tuscolameta'' is a name derived from the Choctaw language
The Choctaw language (Choctaw: ), spoken by the Choctaw, an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, is part of ...
and becomes
concurrent (overlapped) with
MS 492 (Damascus Road) near
Golden Memorial State Park, before entering
Sebastopol
Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
. MS 21/MS 492 pass by some neighborhoods and businesses before weaving its way through downtown, where MS 492 splits at an intersection with
MS 487 (Main Street). MS 21 now leaves downtown and crosses into
Leake County for a short distance before leaving Sebastopol and crossing into
Newton County for a short distance before finally entering
Neshoba County
Neshoba County is located in the central part of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,087. Its county seat is Philadelphia. It was named after ''Nashoba'', a Choctaw chief. His name means "wolf" in the ...
(with all this happening in less than a mile).
MS 21 heads northeast for several miles through farmland to pass through
Dixon before having an intersection with
MS 485 to enter a wooded area as it passes by the Neshoba County Fairgrounds and enters the
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians ( cho, Mississippi Chahta) is one of three federally recognized tribes of Choctaw Native Americans, and the only one in the state of Mississippi. On April 20, 1945, this tribe organized under the Indian Re ...
Reservation. It passes through a portion of the reservation as it has an intersection with
MS 488 before the reservation and entering the
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
city limits. MS 21 passes through a rural portion of town before becoming concurrent with
MS 15, with the two heading north as a four-lane divided highway through the
Williamsville neighborhood, where they pick up
MS 16, before MS 21 and MS 16 split off along
MS 19 at a partial interchange. MS 16/MS 19/MS 21 have an intersection with unsigned
MS 885 as they pass through a major business district before the splits into a
one-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or couplet refers to that portion of a bi-directional traffic facilitysuch as a road, bus, streetcar, or light rail linewhere its opposing flows exist as two independent and roughly parallel facilities.
Descriptio ...
between Main Street and Beacon Street to pass through downtown, where MS 21 splits off onto Pecan Street just after passing by the Neshoba County Courhouse. MS 21 passes through neighborhoods as a two-lane as it turns onto Columbus Avenue before leaving Philadelphia and traveling through an even mix of farmland and woodlands for several miles, where it has an intersection with
MS 491, and crosses
Bogue Chitto, before passing through
Coy, where it has an intersection with a county road leading to
MS 393 (Road 789, provides access to
Nanih Waiya
Nanih Waiya (alternately spelled Nunih Waya) is an ancient platform mound in southern Winston County, Mississippi, constructed by indigenous people during the Middle Woodland period, about 300 to 600 CE. Since the 17th century, the Choctaw have v ...
) and enters
Kemper County
Kemper County is a county located on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,456. Its county seat is De Kalb. The county is named in honor of Reuben Kemper.
The county is part ...
.
MS 21 travels east through farmland, then woodlands, to have an intersection with
MS 397 at the
Preston community before entering
Noxubee County
Noxubee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,545. Its county seat is Macon. The name is derived from the Choctaw word ''nakshobi'' meaning "to stink".
Geography
According to ...
. The highway now passes northeast through rugged, hilly wooded, and remote terrain for several miles to become concurrent with
MS 39 and entering
Shuqualak. MS 21/MS 39 travel along Main Street as they pass through neighborhoods and downtown before coming to an intersection with
MS 145, where MS 21 ends and MS 39 continues only west to end at an intersection with
US 45
U.S. Route 45 (US 45) is a major north-south United States highway and a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as .
US 45 is notable for incorporatin ...
.
[ ]
Major intersections
References
External links
*{{commons category inline
Magnolia Meanderings
021
021 is:
* in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro)
* in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai.
* in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta and su ...
Transportation in Scott County, Mississippi
Transportation in Neshoba County, Mississippi
Transportation in Kemper County, Mississippi
Transportation in Noxubee County, Mississippi