Cleary, MS

Cleary is a Rankin County census-designated place south of Jackson, tucked between Florence, Richland, and the rural stretches of central Rankin. The 2020 census counted 1,688 residents. It is an unincorporated place, so county and special-purpose districts carry the practical load: the Cleary Water, Sewer & Fire District gives the name a day-to-day presence, while Florence ties the community into the school map. A post office operated under the name Cleary from 1896 to 1908, one small clue to how the name stayed on the map after the mail stop disappeared.

Most of the area is a five-square-mile patchwork of homes, small roads, woods, and open land, with Jackson-area errands pulling people toward Florence, Richland, Brandon, or the wider metro. The local election precinct and water, sewer, and fire district keep Cleary's name in daily use even though it has no municipal government of its own. Cleary's local scoop is a small Rankin County place whose identity lives in its district names, road network, and everyday ties to the surrounding towns.