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As a non-native Southerner who has spent a fair amount of time in Mississippi, it's not booming like the Big Four (Florida, Georgia, NC and VA) because it just can't compete with them economically, educationally, and the quality of life is certainly not on par with any of those four either. That isn't to say MS is a bad state, because it really isn't. It actually beats out most states when it comes to history (some of it good, some not-so-good) as it oozes with more Southern history and culture than any other state IMHO. It's home to several Civil War battle sites, it was a major playground in the Jim Crow/Civil Rights era, plenty of internationally-known writers hail from MS (Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, just to name a few) and is arguably the biggest mecca for blues music.
Anyway, I digress. Mississippi's problem is that it tried to drag out that "plantation" mindset as far as it could (in other words, very rural), and only well into the 20th century did true cities develop. Even then, a lot of the major industries are rural/small-town in nature, but that doesn't mean that big-time money can't be made. For example, well over 50% of the state is considered forested - it's got acres and acres and acres of VERY high-quality hardwoods and pines, and I'm surprised the timber industry isn't bigger than what it currently is. Also, plenty of money can be made by attracting out-of-state fishermen and (especially) hunters - it has some quality white-tail deer, and plenty of folks from say, GA and TX would be willing to shell out hundreds, even thousands, just for the opportunity to hunt on quality land. And oh yes, there's the Gulf. Gulfport-Biloxi isn't a huge metro, but it's growing, and as long as the gambling industry continues to thrive, as well as attracting plenty of tourists, it should be bringing in plenty of money to the state.
Educationally, the opportunities aren't as good as any of its neighboring states, but it is slowly-but-surely improving, and its two major public universities, Ole Miss and MSU, are actually under-the-radar in terms of academic quality.
Finally, and quite possibly most importantly, the state of Mississippi has a horrendous history of corrupt politicians. For instance, its previous governor, Haley Barbour, was quite the controversial figure for granting amnesty to a few convicted murderers just before leaving office. When MS gets quality officials elected into office - whether it be mayors, senators & reps (both state-level and those in DC), or governors, it would be a tremendous shot in the arm for the state. Of course, that's much easier said than done.
MS has its share of problems, but they are fixable, it's just up to the residents to ask themselves how badly they want it.
Oklahoma City is doing fine economically. The issue is more a matter of taste. Hardcore evangelical Christianity is some people's cup of tea, but not others. It's a city with all types of people, like any other, but the majority are not shy to make themselves known...
I just heard that people say OKC is having a brain drain and isn't a great place for young people. Maybe that is true, but it doesn't seem like some craphole or anything and pictures of it always look nice.
Furthermore, Mississippi is probably further backward that the statistics would allow. The wealth of Mississippians is largely concentrated in suburban Memphis and the Gulf Coast, and is derived largely from out-of-state tourism income and commuters with jobs in Tennessee,, with even a greater disparity reflected among people with a purely Mississippi source of income..
65% of the workers living in DeSoto County work in Tennessee, and the county's median income is 50% above the rest of the state.
Oklahoma City is doing fine economically. The issue is more a matter of taste. Hardcore evangelical Christianity is some people's cup of tea, but not others. It's a city with all types of people, like any other, but the majority are not shy to make themselves known...
As a non-native Southerner who has spent a fair amount of time in Mississippi, it's not booming like the Big Four (Florida, Georgia, NC and VA) because it just can't compete with them economically, educationally, and the quality of life is certainly not on par with any of those four either. That isn't to say MS is a bad state, because it really isn't. It actually beats out most states when it comes to history (some of it good, some not-so-good) as it oozes with more Southern history and culture than any other state IMHO. It's home to several Civil War battle sites, it was a major playground in the Jim Crow/Civil Rights era, plenty of internationally-known writers hail from MS (Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, just to name a few) and is arguably the biggest mecca for blues music.
Anyway, I digress. Mississippi's problem is that it tried to drag out that "plantation" mindset as far as it could (in other words, very rural), and only well into the 20th century did true cities develop. Even then, a lot of the major industries are rural/small-town in nature, but that doesn't mean that big-time money can't be made. For example, well over 50% of the state is considered forested - it's got acres and acres and acres of VERY high-quality hardwoods and pines, and I'm surprised the timber industry isn't bigger than what it currently is. Also, plenty of money can be made by attracting out-of-state fishermen and (especially) hunters - it has some quality white-tail deer, and plenty of folks from say, GA and TX would be willing to shell out hundreds, even thousands, just for the opportunity to hunt on quality land. And oh yes, there's the Gulf. Gulfport-Biloxi isn't a huge metro, but it's growing, and as long as the gambling industry continues to thrive, as well as attracting plenty of tourists, it should be bringing in plenty of money to the state.
Educationally, the opportunities aren't as good as any of its neighboring states, but it is slowly-but-surely improving, and its two major public universities, Ole Miss and MSU, are actually under-the-radar in terms of academic quality.
Finally, and quite possibly most importantly, the state of Mississippi has a horrendous history of corrupt politicians. For instance, its previous governor, Haley Barbour, was quite the controversial figure for granting amnesty to a few convicted murderers just before leaving office. When MS gets quality officials elected into office - whether it be mayors, senators & reps (both state-level and those in DC), or governors, it would be a tremendous shot in the arm for the state. Of course, that's much easier said than done.
MS has its share of problems, but they are fixable, it's just up to the residents to ask themselves how badly they want it.
Mississippi is actually the #1 exporter of timber. Plum Creek owns a lot of timber ground in the state because the climate allows for faster growth of trees.
I'll share a secret with you: it's not a problem that is peculiar to only Mississippi in the south.
People in the south, and to a large extent elsewhere, have been sort of brainwashed by relentless media-driven "propaganda" into accepting the notion that everything is coming up roses in the south & that there is a shared population & economic boom ongoing throughout the region.
The dirty secret is that in reality there are vast swaths of the area that are entrenched in dismal poverty & horrible health & mortality statistics & experiencing poor economic & population growth, or even loss.
The success & growth of many coastal & urban areas in the south has masked the great imbalance found within the region such that it is overlooked in the rah rah cheerleading made over the general regional situation.
Mississippi perhaps is unfortunate to have the greatest per capita concentration of counties with poor performance in those criteria, hence it's dismal record of population growth.
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