Commuting from Madison to Greenwood? (Jackson, Hattiesburg: best hotels, condo, hotel)

[anonymous246]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and wondering about the possibility of commuting from Madison, MS to Greenwood, MS for work.

I am looking at a job in Greenwood, but the lifestyle there seems to be a departure from what we are used to.

Madison looks like it is more our style -- We are married professionals with a young child and prefer an area with nice shopping and restaurants, good medical facilities, easy access to an airport, etc.)

Google maps says Greenwood is about 1.5 hrs from Madison. Is this accurate? Does anybody make this commute on a daily basis? If so, how is it?

Are there any other Madison-like areas closer to Greenwood? Is there a halfway point where we could live that has easy access to Madison/Jackson and a reasonable commute to Greenwood?

Thanks so much for your help!

[poptones]

That's a ridiculous commute. I don't know what you mean by Greenwood's lifestyle would be too much of a departure for you - what's your lifestyle? Do you crave plastic storefronts and a false sense of security?

If I had a decent job in Greenwood I'd live in Greenwood. There are incredibly beautiful homes there along Grand Blvd. I live in a town called Winona that is, essentially, the halfway point (well, more like 2/3 point) if you wanted to be between Madison and Greenwood, though if you don't know someone who lives in Madison I don't know why you would ever want to go there. I can be in Olive Branch in the same time it takes me to get to Madison, and it's WAY more inviting. It's also like 20 minutes from Memphis, which opens up a whole new world of activities.

How often do you fly? Why would you need to be so near an airport? Madison is still over 30 minutes from Jackson Airport, and that airport sucks. Do you fly every week? What's the difference if it takes 30 minutes or 70 minutes to get to the airport? Greenwood is also on the Amtrak line so you can hop on the train there and go to Chicago or Memphis and onto anywhere else you want.

If you are sure you don't want to live in Greenwood you're way better off going north, not south. It's a really long, boring drive from Greenwood to the Jackson area. I'm 40 miles closer to Jackson than you would be and it's a drive I rarely make because it sucks so. The "South Memphis" area is actually nicer (the cops are much cooler, the people not so fake and pretentious) and much more convenient. Madison is just another rat race.

[covedweller]

I can understand your not wanting to live in the area. Just me talking, but that drive 5 times per week seems like it would get pretty tough. If you are able to work from home some then I might be more open to the idea. Then again, living in this area will spoil you in regard to commuting to work. I realize an hour and a half one way is the norm in many places, but 3 hours out of your day every day is a little much.

As far as the other guy's post about the Jackson airport "sucking", I have no problem with it. No lines and no need to get there too early. I'm also not really sure about the Madison "rat race" and "plastic storefront" comment either. I suppose anyone in need of "cooler cops" may have a different perspective than me.

Sorry to get sidetracked, but sounds like you've already done your research so you already understand Madison is mostly a good residential area, with easy access to the plastic storefronts. As nice of a residential area as it is, still not sure it is worth that commute to me.

[brickpatio]

Your choices in commuting from Greenwood are Starkville (83 miles), Oxford (90 miles), and Madison (100 miles). If you can work from home a day or two a week and schedule phone meetings while driving, it's seems workable. In all three cases, the drive is pleasant and very easy, with virtually zero traffic.

Greenwood does have some quite beautiful neighborhoods, both new and historic, along Grand Avenue and nearby. And it has some sophisticated restaurants and the beautiful Alluvian hotel. To some degree, the Delta culture there is old Mississippi at its best.

That said, Greenwood definitely does not have the modern, upscale shopping, restaurants, hospitals, movie theatres etc of Madison. Oxford does have those things. Oxford and Madison are considered two of the nicest towns in Mississippi, along with Ocean Springs and Hattiesburg.

And Starkville, while not as picturesque as Oxford, is growing and has some great neighborhoods up and down South Montgomery Ave, an amazing campus bookstore at MS State, and some nice little restaurants in the Main St area and the Cotton District.

[poptones]

I'm sorry, but that sounds insane. Commuting 100 miles one way to work each day just sounds crazy. That's three to four hours a day out of your day. If you have kids, this is three hours a day you are sitting in your car rather than spending time with those kids. Ridiculous. Greenwood is just not so bad, nor Madison or Starkville (really? STARKVILLE?) so much greater as to justify such a commute.

My cousin lived in Orange county and did that. He was a VP of several different companies throughout his career and commuted from Yorba Linda into various parts of LA for years, amassing stocks and golden parachutes. He raised two boys into teens, spent many weekends golfing on the house at pleaces like Pebble Beach and the Presidio, and planning his retirement into the PGA sr golf circuit. Then one day an old lady t-boned him and a month later he was dead. Is a 200 mile a day commute really worth it?

[gr8 r8z]

I have a close friend who does exactly what you are contemplating every day. He drives from Cross Creek in Madison to Greenwood Industrial Park every day. I think the worse time is during the winter months coming home during the dark hours, deer are terrible.
I htink he has began staying in a condo one night a week during th emiddle of the week in an effort to break up the drive some.
If you have some questiosn, PM me, I will be glad to put you in touch with him.

[GrandviewGloria]

Madison is wonderful. Best place in Mississippi, for ambitious, high-IQ people. The public schools are excellent, and your kids won't be bullied (or assaulted) for being smart. Tulane has opened an offshoot branch there, with tentative plans to expand. Millsaps College is rated very high, academically, and is right down the road. And there are several less demanding colleges in Jackson, plus a Law School at Mississippi College, in Clinton.

But if you commute that far, every day, odds are you will die on the road. And you will miss out on Greenwood, which has an unique scene. Yes, private schools are an absolute must. But you'll spend that much money commuting.

Join a gym. There are several in Greenwood, and I think the Country Club has one. Use the time you would have spent driving, working out. The effect of working out an extra five hours a week will be exactly the opposite of the effect of sitting in a car, eight extra hours a week. Plus, you'll make friends there. How many friends will you make while driving?

People used to move away from the Delta to get away from all the agricultural pesticides and herbicides. But with the Mosquito sprays and toxic lawncare chemicals in suburbia, today, I don't think you're avoiding much, now. Greenwood people awe even other Delta people. It's known as a town where powerful businesspeople and owners of giant plantations live.

I'm sure you've been told a thousand times, already, that The Alluvian has been named one of the best hotels in the World (or somesuch). That didn't happen by accident. Greenwood has some really neat people. I think you'll like it.

And when you move to Greenwood, you don't just move to Greenwood. You move to The Delta, a mythical place straight out of Tennessee Williams. The people there are a cut above, as you will see, if you can get plugged into the network of cash-poor but otherwise quite amazing farm families. The Delta is far more mainstream American than the rest of Mississippi. It reminds me of the Midwest; just with a Southern Accent.