Moving to Jackson - best location for me? (Pearl, Ridgeland: apartment complex, lease)

[Philly213]

I am a 31 yr old white single male, no kids, and moving to the Jackson area for a job promotion. My work would be located in Byram, MS. I would like a drive time of 25-minutes or less to work. I have lived in all regions of this country, including big and small cities so nothing will surprise me. I will be flying to Jackson in the very near future for 1-2 days to find an apartment so I will try to be very specific to help narrow my search.

In order of importance:
1) Safe and quiet apartment community. I don’t want to have to worry about crime or loud/trashy neighbors.
2) Decent selection of bars and restaurants nearby. I do enjoy having dinner at restaurants a couple times a week. I will need to create a social life, so some decent bars nearby is important (not dancing clubs). I prefer bars that attract mostly to young educated people. I also enjoy grabbing a few too many drinks while watching a football game; so a few sports bars in the area would be great. Walking distance to a bar would be a nice bonus.
3) Bicycle Trail. I am looking for a bike trail nearby that would provide me with at least 15 miles of trail roundtrip, mostly paved, and I do not want to ride next to cars on the road. Being able to safety ride my bicycle from my apt to the trail would be a big bonus but I do have a bike rack if needed.
4) Quality Grocery Store within 3-5 miles – Fresh Market, Whole Foods, etc .. fresh/organic produce and quality selection of meats/prepared foods.

I will probably be living in the Jackson area for 3-4 yrs and would like to live in the same place for my entire duration. Basically I am looking for a safe and quiet community but yet close to the action. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

[JacksonPanther]

You do realize you're moving to Mississippi, right?
I mean, it's the country. It's not going to have the same amenities as a major city. So be prepared to adjust your expectations.

Forget living in Byram, Raymond, or any south of Jackson community. These are all bedroom communities not appropriate for a single guy looking to hang out.

Try to get to Byram in 25 minutes or less, I would drop Brandon from your list. It's just too far from Byram.

Depending on your style, Ridgeland, Madison (the city, not the county) or downtown Jackson.

Ridgeland has most of the bike trails in the area.

Finding bars that are close enough to walk to will be next to impossible (what that says about drunk driving in the area speaks for itself, but whatever). I guess in Ridgeland there are apartments close to the lakefront bars - Pelican Cove and such. No matter what, this isn't Chicago - in general people drive everywhere.

If you live downtown in one of the converted highrises or apartments, there are downtown bars and restaurants you can stagger home from.

Fresh market is in Ridgeland, Whole Foods won't be built until next year, and that will be in Jackson (but not downtown). Kroger, while not a yuppie grocer, is very well managed in the Jackson area. Madison, Ridgeland, and Jackson all have good stores.

Originally Posted by Philly213

I am a 31 yr old white single male, no kids, and moving to the Jackson area for a job promotion. My work would be located in Byram, MS. I would like a drive time of 25-minutes or less to work. I have lived in all regions of this country, including big and small cities so nothing will surprise me. I will be flying to Jackson in the very near future for 1-2 days to find an apartment so I will try to be very specific to help narrow my search.

In order of importance:
1) Safe and quiet apartment community. I don’t want to have to worry about crime or loud/trashy neighbors.
2) Decent selection of bars and restaurants nearby. I do enjoy having dinner at restaurants a couple times a week. I will need to create a social life, so some decent bars nearby is important (not dancing clubs). I prefer bars that attract mostly to young educated people. I also enjoy grabbing a few too many drinks while watching a football game; so a few sports bars in the area would be great. Walking distance to a bar would be a nice bonus.
3) Bicycle Trail. I am looking for a bike trail nearby that would provide me with at least 15 miles of trail roundtrip, mostly paved, and I do not want to ride next to cars on the road. Being able to safety ride my bicycle from my apt to the trail would be a big bonus but I do have a bike rack if needed.
4) Quality Grocery Store within 3-5 miles – Fresh Market, Whole Foods, etc .. fresh/organic produce and quality selection of meats/prepared foods.

I will probably be living in the Jackson area for 3-4 yrs and would like to live in the same place for my entire duration. Basically I am looking for a safe and quiet community but yet close to the action. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated!!!

[brickpatio]

The Pointe apartments in Ridgeland fits most of the things on your list. The best bike trail runs for about 15 miles parallel to the Natchez Trace and the Reservoir. These apartments are across the street from an entrance point to the bike trail and there are many bars and restaurants and nice grocery stores in this area. Byram is about 20 miles south of here.

An alternative would be in Flowood roughly at the intersection of Lakeland Drive and Old Fannin Rd which has new suburban developments and many apartments all along that area ..... or closer to Reservoir on the Rankin County side at roughly Spillway Rd and Old Fannin. Rd. There are nice roads for biking that run along Northshore Parkway and Spillway Rd which run basically on either side of Pelahatchie Bay and plenty of apartments in this area also.

[GrandviewGloria]

The only place even CLOSE to what you're looking for is "The Township" in Ridgeland. The place was developed along 'new urbanism' lines, and includes some expensive apartments (or condos, but available, probably, for rent, if you can prove you're not a deadbeat). Lots of Yuppie attractions, nearby: and the nearby hotels get lots of singles in-town on business, looking to hook up. So, the nearby bars will be well stocked with suitable possibilities. There's a great gym, nearby, except that its tennis courts have the 'amenity' of a machine incessantly spewing poison for the mosquitoes. Lovely, I know.

Anyway, that whole 'Township' enclave was built for your demographic (although their billboards and ads featured racially indeterminate yuppies "liveen lifestyle", which turned off pretty-much everybody, and nearly bankrupted the development.). The Tuscanyesque 'Renaissance' 'Lifestyle Center' is just down the parkway from Township. Nice place to hang out, if you can stomach the speakers hidden in the flowerbeds, blasting the kind of music favored by ex frats and suzies from Ole Miss. Since you go to sports bars, I'm guessing you'll like that music.

[chalcedony]

I'd think the Belhaven/Fondren area would offer some of what he wants, at least in terms of being <25 minutes from Byram and with some walkable amenities. It would still be a bit of a drive to the Fresh Grocer in the northern suburbs (a heavily traveled route), but Jackson is a small enough metro that it won't take too long. More than 3 to 5 miles, but the trip shouldn't be too bad except during rush hour. Don't they have some bike trails in northeast Jackson that help connect with Ridgeland? I remember some pretty good bike lanes on Old Canton Road or something like that.

Definitely wouldn't want to live anywhere around Byram though--as a single male, that would be a social death wish. Pretty much everyone in Byram is married with kids.

[Philly213]

Thank you all for your advice, very helpful and much appreciated! I will probably be in Jackson in 3-6 weeks to scope out a place. By reading this forum and doing a little research, I think I have it narrowed down to Ridgeland or Belhaven/Fondren. Ridgeland seems like a safe bet but typical boring suburbia. I am interested in the Belhaven/Fondren area. The idea of walking to a restaurant/bar in a town setting with mixed culture and educated people is enticing. If anyone recommends an apartment or cross streets in the Belhaven/Fondren area which would be a nice and safe place to live, please let me know so I can check it out when I am in town.


PS: “The Township” does not sound like a place for me. I probably gave the wrong impression in my original post but I wasn't in a frat, not a meathead or gym rat, and I don't enjoy upscale rent payments. I might enjoy some of their yuppie amenities nearby (grocery stores, bike trail) but I don't enjoy those people I envision to live there.

[bwsj81]

Bring a car. I honestly can't think of one apartment complex or even county with everything you're looking for.

For safety and a decent complex, I wouldn't even consider living too close to work in Byram. I would venture slightly north and focus on Pearl, Brandon, Flowood or Fondren, which should all be within 25 minutes of work. IMO, Ridgeland is a dump.

This area is greatly lacking when it comes to bars. In Jackson, there's a dance club called magoos, a couple strip joints, and F Jones (bring a bulletproof vest). Near F Jones, they're supposedly building a strip of bars like most major cities have. Which will be nice, but downtown is currently a mess. And a few decent spots like Hal and Mals. Flowood has a few restaurant/bar combos like Legends, Mugshots, and the traditional Applebee's etc. I'm pretty sure they cant sell alcohol after midnight. I predict Pearl will be the best spot once they start and finally finish building around the Braves stadium there. There's supposed to be a huge shopping center coming in and their liquor laws were recently changed to attract more restaurants and bars. Brandon is what it is. Has your usual restaurants, no great bars that I know of. Fondren has some decent options for restaurants and bars. Any of these counties and you'll be at the same places over and over. There isn't a huge selection.

The only organic whole foods that I know of are in Fondren and Brandon near Shiloh park.

[GrandviewGloria]

What OP is describing, basically, is Portland (where the absence of a huge, dangerous underclass keeps rents reasonable, and makes walking/biking a safe proposition). Mississippi is at the opposite corner of the continent from Oregon. Jackson isn't portrayed by any shows like 'Portlandia'. 'Larry the Cable Guy', 'Madea's Big Happy Family', and 'Honey Boo Boo Child' come reasonably close to capturing the 'Jackson Lifestyle', though.

Anyway, the only place I can see the OP being happy would be Belhaven/Fondren, which have bits of the vibe/scene that makes the inner parts of Portland so much fun. I think OP must be from a place where 'Sports Bar' doesn't mean what it does in the South. Apparently, it means something nice, where he's from.

We don't go into bars. But we used to get dragged into them, when we were too unimportant to be able to say "no" to associates who insisted we accompany them.

Racking my brain, I can remember that there was a bar/restaurant with a good crowd.... Scrooge's: an atmosphere like 'Cheers'... I recently heard of a gold-digger who would hang out there with her mom. Mumsy would point out the really rich men. Miss Goldigger finally caught one, too! A love story so true to the tenets of Fashionable Northeast Jackson. Warms the heart! Anyway, Scrooge's Facebook comments include one from a Movie Producer's wife and a local debutante/heiress: so the crowd can't have changed much. And, you can "watch the game" there in the bar. So, it may satisfy OP's need for a 'sports bar'. https://www.facebook.com/ScroogesJackson

And what do you know!!! Poet's is still there! Less millionaire-intensive than Scrooge's, but still a good hunting ground, it's in a seventies reproduction of New Orleans' French Quarter (still leased-up solid, too!!!). Poet's is where a hunky young 'straight' bodybuilder was promised by a local 'straight' oilman that he would be put through med-school, if he got in (He made it through school, too!) Ahhhhh: another Fashionable Northeast Jackson story of love and success! Innyhoo, since 'metrovibe' advises us the crowd has not changed, I imagine Poet's II is where the nicest assortment of grown adults who still go to bars will be found. First Look: Poets II | Photo 1/11 | Metromix Jackson

But basically, by the time you're old enough to be expected to be married and able to qualify for a loan on a 3br, 3ba fine brick home, habitually going into bars is not considered to be the most respectable of activities. Not in Mississippi, anyway.

[Philly213]

Thanks again for the input. I should be moving to Jackson sometime in early January. My expectations of Jackson are very low after reading all your comments. But I am moving here for work (for a couple years), not the city. My list above is my wish list, not my must have list.

GrandviewGloria – When I mentioned Sports Bar, I am just looking for a decent place where I can sit at the bar and watch college football on Saturday night or sometimes watch my favorite nfl team on Sunday. I am sure several bars like that exist throughout the Jackson area. If I have to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, so be it! And the locals, like you say, that frown upon someone in their 30’s going to bars are some of the backwards people I purposely avoid. Bless their hearts!

I am still hopeful there is a place of residents in the Jackson area that is relatively safe, contains some educated people, and close to decent restaurants, bars, & grocery stores.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by Philly213

Thanks again for the input. I should be moving to Jackson sometime in early January. My expectations of Jackson are very low after reading all your comments. But I am moving here for work (for a couple years), not the city. My list above is my wish list, not my must have list.

GrandviewGloria – When I mentioned Sports Bar, I am just looking for a decent place where I can sit at the bar and watch college football on Saturday night or sometimes watch my favorite nfl team on Sunday. I am sure several bars like that exist throughout the Jackson area. If I have to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, so be it! And the locals, like you say, that frown upon someone in their 30’s going to bars are some of the backwards people I purposely avoid. Bless their hearts!

I am still hopeful there is a place of residents in the Jackson area that is relatively safe, contains some educated people, and close to decent restaurants, bars, & grocery stores.

If you continue to read the Mississippi and Jackson boards, you will begin to get a good feel for which posters to rely upon, and which to read, laught at, and ultimately ignore.