These counties share a unique cultural history that distinguishes them from other areas in the state of Mississippi.
The northeast Mississippi region is notable for its hilly terrain and infertile soil that made it unsuitable for cotton farming during the Antebellum period.
Dramatic poverty[clarification needed] continued in the region until the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933.
Growth in the manufacturing sector during the 1950s and 1960s provided an economic boom to the region, and today North Mississippi benefits from the presence of a large health service industry centered on Tupelo.
The area is represented in the House by Trent Kelly (a Republican from Saltillo) as part of Mississippi's 1st congressional district.