Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle (GTR) is a region in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The "triangle" is formed by the cities of Columbus, Starkville, and West Point but the region is often more broadly-defined to include all of Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha counties and sometimes additional surrounding communities and counties as well. The term was used as a marketing strategy in the 1960s to promote economic development in the region and encourage additional cooperation between local communities in attracting investment, although the term was in use by 1939. The three counties are home to a population of over 128,000 and 500,000 workers are within 60 miles of the region. The area's economic development potential is anchored by the presence of Mississippi State University, Columbus Air Force Base, and associated spin-off industries in research, high-tech manufacturing, aerospace, transportation, and education. GTR has attracted $5.9 billion in capital investment since 2008. The area is served by Golden Triangle Regional Airport, which is the third busiest in the state. History This area has been considered part of Mississippi's Black Belt, also called "Black Prairie", which extends throughout Mississippi and Alabama. Its economy was largely based on cotton production well into the 20th century. Due to planters' reliance on cotton as a commodity crop, and dependence on enslaved African-American workers before the American Civil War, African Americans constituted a majority of the population of these counties in Mississippi and Alabama before the war and after. Many stayed as freedmen to work as sharecroppers and tenant farmers.