JACKSON, Miss. ( WJTV ) – As the capital city becomes a more attractive venue for outdoor activities, a recent report shows that picnics are not one of them.

Landscaping website LawnStarter compiled a list of the best and worst major cities to have a picnic. It looked at the country’s 500 biggest cities nationally to do so. Mississippi ranked 499th nationally for picnic lovers. Among Southern cities, it ranked second only to Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Below is how Mississippi’s capital faired nationally in three key metrics.

• Share of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park – 435th
• Average annual precipitation – 469th
• Crime index – 403rd

Though many local parks exist in Jackson, the city only has one state park: Lefleur’s Bluff. No similar federal parks are in Jackson. Still, doing anything outside in Jackson with average summer temperatures at 83 degrees is not fun, especially if it is humid.

In recent years, crime has led many to avoid -or even leave- Jackson altogether. The capital city has had among the highest rates of gun-related homicides nationally. Less than 83% of the people who lived in Jackson in 2010 still live there now, according to the U.S. Census. The city lost more than 6.5% of its population since 2020.

Despite these factors, the city is still an attractive place for some outdoor activities. In May, Jackson was officially selected as the host city for the National Folk Festival in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The event is expected to draw more than 330,000 visitors to downtown Jackson and generate more than $60 million in long-term economic impact for the city and area.

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