what town was mississippi burning based on

Mississippi Burning was loosely based on the real 1964 murders of civil rights workers in Neshoba County, Mississippi , especially the case tied to Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Why the film uses a different town

The movie uses a fictionalized setting called Jessup County instead of naming the real place directly. That gave the filmmakers room to dramatize the story while still drawing from the actual events.

Real event behind it

The core historical case involved the killings of Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney during the Freedom Summer period in 1964. The FBI investigation into those murders is what inspired the film’s plot.

Quick answer

So the town it was based on is Philadelphia, Mississippi , in Neshoba County —though the movie itself calls it Jessup County.