Clinton was founded in 1823 and was originally known as Mount Salus, the home of Walter Leake, the third governor of Mississippi. Leake built his home in 1812. In 1828, the name of the town was officially changed to Clinton in honor of DeWitt Clinton,the former governor of New York.
The first road through Mount Salus/Clinton was the Natches Trace. Currently Clinton has 3 major highways that cut through the city, U.S. Highway 80, U.S. Interstate 20 and the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Mississippi College, a Christian university located in Clinton, is the oldest college in the state of Mississippi, founded January 24, 1826.Mississippi College is the second oldest Baptistuniversity in the world, and was also the first coeducational college in the United States to grant a degree to a woman.
Clinton is a Certified Mississippi Main Street Community.