Meridian, Mississippi is the closest major city to NAS Meridian. Meridian has about 40,000 people, and is in Lauderdale County, which has a population of about 80,000. Other nearby small communities include Collinsville, Meridian Station, Marion, and Nellieburg, all with one to two thousand people.

It is about 20 miles from downtown Meridian to station; this takes about 30 minutes to commute, but travel times can vary. The average commute in Lauderdale County is about 20 minutes.

Local Housing Rental Prices: The average apartment rent in the Lauderdale County area ranges from $500 to $850 per month, with a median of about $600 per month.

Local Housing Purchase Prices: The average price for a house in Lauderdale County in the last few years was about $116,000 to $155,000.

Short Description of the Area: Meridian is a medium sized city in eastern rural Mississippi, near the Alabama state line. Meridian is the sixth largest city in the state, originally a railroad hub and recently a more diversified light industrial site. The city was founded just before the Civil War, largely destroyed in that war, and rebuilt in the last third of the 19th Century; it has a good sized collection of historic buildings and houses from the 1880s through the very early 20th Century.

Climate and Weather: The area has a humid, warm climate, with winter temperatures from the mid-50s to mid-30s and summer temperatures in the mid 90s to low 70s. Summers are long, and generally bright, have regular rain and thunderstorms, occasional tornadoes, and rare hurricanes hitting from the Gulf, but is far enough inland that this is very unusual. Winters are fairly short and mild, with regular rain and, rarely, snow. Thunderstorms and tornadoes do roll through - be prepared.