Relocating questions? How bad is jackson? (Clinton, Pearl: 2015, apartment complexes, crime)

[PINKYLEE123]

We have lived in both memphis and nashville . I have a few questions ..... How bad is jackson? is it like memphis? Where should we look for homes? work will be downtown. We have no children but, care little about nightlife etc. Is the city like memphis were the suburbs are moving further and further out - are there gated communties? i have read alot about madison - is it too hard to live there and work downtown jackson? where would you suggest - for traffic and safety - 300 - 400k range

[madison2013]

Yep, just like Memphis. The families have moved to the North (Madison) and east (Brandon / Pearl).

For $3/400k I would reccomended Reunion in Madison. Newer neighborhood. Has its own lake, golf course and very beautiful homes.

The drive from Madison to downtown takes around 25 minutes but if you value quiet living with upscale shopping and dining then Madison is for you. If you want to be really close to shopping, big box stores, and lots of families with kids I would suggest the Brandon area. If you have experienced big city traffic then the Jackson metro traffic will be a breeze.

I live in Madison so if you have any questions just ask or PM me.

[brickpatio]

Here is a general neighborhood comparison between Jackson and Memphis:

Midtown Central Gardens/ Evergreen/ Rhodes in Memphis = Belhaven and Fondren in Jackson

Belhaven is the square mile immediately surrounding Belhaven University...Compared to Memphis, Belhaven is more hilly and quaint versus in Memphis the larger houses closer together (in Central Gardens). Safety levels between the two are similar, i.e. plenty of doctors, lawyers, business people, students live in Belhaven and Fondren, often for 20 to 30 years with almost nothing happening to them crime-wise, but on the other hand crime definitely occurs in the area like most urban areas). Fondren is an area of restaurants and shops, similar perhaps to Overton Square and Cooper-Young in Memphis, but there is also a wonderful residential neighborhood between Old Canton Rd and N State St that looks very much like Belhaven. I would say that crime is definitely an issue in Jackson proper, but not so much in these areas that it prevents tons of professionals to live here and love it, which is full of huge hospitals, colleges, and other centers for employment.

East Memphis/Walnut Grove area in Memphis = Eastover in Jackson (find Eastover Drive on the map, near the intersection of Meadowbrook Rd and Ridgewood Rd)

Compared to East Memphis, Eastover in Jackson is more hilly, with more expansive lawns, etc. The neighborhoods adjacent to Eastover have smaller homes. built in the 60s and 70s mostly..specifically the areas at the very eastern ends of Meadowbrook Rd and Northside Dr where they back up to the Pearl River. This area is considered very much in-town these days, with area highlights being the shiny new Whole Foods, Highland Village shopping center which is very pretty, and Banner Hill with beautiful LeMuria bookstore and nearby Fondren, Belhaven and downtown. The attraction of this area is the mature neighborhoods with huge trees, hills and easy 10 minute commute anywhere in town. Again, many old Jackson families live in this area for decades with not one experience of crime. On the other hand, crime definitely occurs. This is not the suburbs.

Germantown and Collierville in Memphis = Ridgeland and Madison in Jackson metro

Ridgeland/Madison is a quite a large area, all in Madison County. In Ridgeland, which is closer in, you have the area west of I-55 at the Old Agency Rd exit near the Renaissance shopping center. This census tract is the wealthiest in Mississippi. There is a subdivision called Bridgewater which has homes in the $750k to million range. But there are adjacent neighborhoods such as Dinsmor and just north in Madison called Cypress Lake that may be in your price range.

Highland Colony Parkway is really nice. Personally one of my very favorite areas is called the Township at Colony Park, which includes shops, restaurants, hotels, and houses that look similar to Harbor Town on Mud Island in Memphis. I think it's very arguable that this is the best area to live in the Jackson metro, because of the proximity to so many beautiful new developments.

In Ridgeland on the east side of I-55, parts of it have lot of apartment complexes etc, but there is a big, really nice residential area called Wendover, along Rice Rd adjacent to the Natchez Trace which is really popular and full of young families. The Natchez Trace has a beautiful bike and running path that runs for over 10 miles along the Reservoir that is very popular.

Nearby, still in Ridgeland, you can also look at the subdivisions near the Jackson Yacht Club with beautiful views of the Reservoir. If you don't need public schools, this is also one of my favorite areas of Jackson...really gorgeous. If you're into sailing, the Jackson Yacht Club has some of the best water views in the city and a beautiful pool, deck and bar/restaurant. To get downtown, you can hop of the Natchez Trace, hit I-55 and be downtown in maybe 20 minutes, perhaps 25.

In the city of Madison, everything is nice. As noted above, everything along Hwy 463 such as Reunion mentioned above or nearby Annandale is upscale, all the way for about 10 miles up to Hwy 22, which is the outer edge of the metro area. It's definitely arguable that Hwy 463 is overall the nicest area of the metro, with pretty terrain and so many nice subdivisions and big homes with golf courses etc.

The area north of the Madison city limits is known as Gluckstadt, and this includes Lake Caroline, a huge lake and residential area with a golf course, tennis courts, their own restaurant and clubhouse. Lake Caroline from the Gluckstadt exit at I-55 is 16 miles north of downtown, so again 20 or likely 25 minutes commute. As far as safety, everything in Madison and Rankin counties is safe. To me Lake Caroline has a festive feel to it, especially on weekends with so many people out playing golf, tennis, boating, etc.

On the east side of I-55 in Madison, check out Lost Rabbit, a gorgeous residential area along the Reservoir. It's expensive but there are some (a few) smaller homes. This is definitely one of the prettiest areas, including adjacent residential areas outside of Lost Rabbit itself. The commute downtown would be at least 25 minutes. This is another location that is so pretty, it hard to argue that this isn't the best place to live in the Jackson metro.

In Madison, anything along Rice Rd all the way down to the Natchez Trace near the Reservoir is full of nice residential subdivisions. You can't go wrong on this area. The main benefit here is you get the best of living in Madison while also being literally two minutes from the Reservoir and the Yacht Club.

If you're interested in living downtown Jackson, check out the website for Downtown Jackson Partners, which lists all the buildings that have been renovated into apartments. The ones I know of are the Plaza Building, Electric 308, King Edward and Standard Life Flats, all of which are tall historic buildings converted into cool, new apartments. There are a few others. Compared to Memphis, downtown Jackson is much, much earlier in its redevelopment stage, where Memphis was in say the mid 90s at best. Capitol Street which is the main street downtown is currently being rebuilt and renovated with brickwork, landscaping, roundabouts and other decorations, which will be really pretty when completed in 2015.

Some nice features downtown include the Mississippi Museum of Art, nearby New Stage theatre (in Belhaven), nearby Fondren for restaurants etc, and downtown itself has several nice places (Parlor Market, Mayflower, Underground 119 (music), George Street (bar with music), and Hal and Mal's (music). Overall living downtown is nowhere near as advanced as all the development in downtown Memphis. That said, it could definitely be fun and the aforementioned buildings are really cool to look at.

Metro Jackson also has an area in Rankin County called "the Reservoir area" (people usually say they live "out at the Reservoir") which is out east along Lakeland Drive (Hwy 25). Part of this is the city of Flowood, past the airport. I would consider this area similar to say DeSoto County in Memphis, i.e. tons of new homes, schools, suburban shopping, apartments etc. The main difference is that part of this area is right next to the Reservoir. From Flowood to downtown again is about 25 minutes.

My favorite spot at the Reservoir is an area called the Northshore, literally along Northshore Parkway on the north side of Pelahatchie Bay. You're a solid 30 minutes from downtown at that point, but the benefits are living close to the water and lots of nice, secluded roads to get out and bike, run, walk etc. Check out one subdivision literally right on the water called Arbor Landing, which has its own website. Really neat area, very safe, new and somewhat secluded.

Lastly, the town of Brandon along I-20 east in Rankin County is comparable perhaps to Bartlett in the Memphis area, except that Brandon is real town rather than just a suburb and much prettier than Bartlett in my opinion. Brandon has homes at basically every price point and is about 10 miles east of downtown Jackson. Brandon is totally safe, solidly middle class and upper middle class, and some amenities include the pro-baseball team in next-door Pearl and the new Outlets of Mississippi mall.

Clinton is another nice town on the west side of the metro, with the main asset being overall attractiveness and being the location of Mississippi College. There is far less going on, on this side of the metro...much quieter...but Clinton has some very nice, new neighborhoods right off I-20 and a nice Old Town next to the college which would be a very pleasant place to live, with easy 10 minute commute to downtown.

Most of the nice shopping is in north Jackson, Ridgeland and Madison all to the north...and east in Flowood. The best shopping areas are Fondren, Highland Village, and Banner Hall in Jackson, the Renaissance and the Township in Ridgeland, and all the new suburban shopping in Madison. Madison has the best place to go to the movies with an opulent cinema and places like Kroger and Home Depot look palatial.

So there you have it. Probably many more choices than you were expecting.

[bwsj81]

IMO, Memphis is a bigger dump than Memphis - but comparable. Same type of scenario where the money and people have moved or are moving to the suburbs - Madison, Brandon, Flowood, Pearl, etc. Pretty much, east of 55.

There are gated communities. 300-400k house will definitely by in the aforementioned areas. Commute will probably be around 30 mins, give or take the exact locations of the home and work.

[viverlibre]

Dang brickpatio I had to take a nap after reading all that. Overall a good summation, bottom line, if you can live with crime and want to be near the hip scene (though not near as hip as Memphis), live in Belhaven. If money is no object, live in Gluckstadt or Madison (reunion is a nice neighborhood, plus happening with hot swingers - and I do mean hot!). If price is an issue, but saftey is paramount and you want a little more traditional mississippi livin, look at Flowood and Brandon.