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My husband and I moved here due to a job transfer in 2000. While visiting, people were very friendly and welcoming, however, once you get here they change! The southern hospitality only extends to VISITORS. Once you live here you are an outcast if coming from outside MS. All of our friends are transplants as well because those who have lived here all their lives have their own cliques and don't know how to reach out. Also, there is an attitude of "have" and "have not" here. Very "old school" attitudes and steeped in tradition. You will feel like you have gone back twenty years if you are from a more progressive area. My husband is a successful executive and we live in a very beautiful custom built home on the lake, however, that does not warrant inclusion. "Your daddy had to know my daddy and his daddy had to know your daddy's daddy" is more important. (i.e. snobby and "who's who" attitude). Our child goes to private school, which is another funny thing. All the supposedly "have's" must have their children in private school. The schools here are not good, even the ones that claim to be good. The best one's are at least a year or two behind other state's "good" school systems. Crime is horrendous in Jackson (even worse than the Bronx in NY) and customer service is horrible as well, since these people don't know the meaning of true hospitality. You will find shopping carts scattered around parking lots rather than returned to the stalls, and people racing you to get to the closest parking space. I was amazed that Madison was ranked one of the 10 best cities for families because I was actually humiliated to have visitors from out of town. Yes, of all the area's around Jackson, Madison and Ridgeland are the nicest, but even here the landscaping and roads are horrific. Pot holes and weeds line the streets. We are nature lovers, but there is only one nature trail around. There isn't much to do around here to be honest. The few nice things about living here are: the tall pine trees, lots of lakes and ponds, and weather in the Spring and Fall. Winters are okay, but summers are humid and unbearable. Sorry if I sound really negative (I'm generally a very positive person!) I just wanted everyone to have a realistic picture of what they are coming into before moving. If you are superficial, steeped in tradition, and from a smaller southern town, you may like it. However, if you want authenticity and true beauty, and from a larger metropolitan area, you will probably want to look elsewhere. Hope this helps anyone thinking of relocating to the Jackson metropolitan area!
I can realate to what this woman has to say about the Jackson metro area. People are a bit reserved and snooby in a sense but are willing to give the shirt off their backs. I know that there aren't really a lot of activites going to compared to other states so one has to get involved in church and other places to connect and make friends. Well thats my 2 cents for what its worth.
My husband is a successful executive and we live in a very beautiful custom built home on the lake, however, that does not warrant inclusion. Our child goes to private school, which is another funny thing. All the supposedly "have's" must have their children in private school. The schools here are not good, even the ones that claim to be good. The best one's are at least a year or two behind other state's "good" school systems. Crime is horrendous in Jackson (even worse than the Bronx in NY) and customer service is horrible as well, since these people don't know the meaning of true hospitality. You will find shopping carts scattered around parking lots rather than returned to the stalls, and people racing you to get to the closest parking space. I was amazed that Madison was ranked one of the 10 best cities for families because I was actually humiliated to have visitors from out of town. Yes, of all the area's around Jackson, Madison and Ridgeland are the nicest, but even here the landscaping and roads are horrific. Pot holes and weeds line the streets. We are nature lovers, but there is only one nature trail around. There isn't much to do around here to be honest. The few nice things about living here are: the tall pine trees, lots of lakes and ponds, and weather in the Spring and Fall. Winters are okay, but summers are humid and unbearable.
Sounds like you may be the one who needs to lower your nose and interact with the general population a bit more.
Wow, I just purchased a rental income property in Hinds County. I was under the assumption that it was a nice peaceful community with good rental income potential. Was I misled? "
My husband and I moved here due to a job transfer in 2000. While visiting, people were very friendly and welcoming, however, once you get here they change! The southern hospitality only extends to VISITORS. Once you live here you are an outcast if coming from outside MS. All of our friends are transplants as well because those who have lived here all their lives have their own cliques and don't know how to reach out. Also, there is an attitude of "have" and "have not" here. Very "old school" attitudes and steeped in tradition. You will feel like you have gone back twenty years if you are from a more progressive area. My husband is a successful executive and we live in a very beautiful custom built home on the lake, however, that does not warrant inclusion. "Your daddy had to know my daddy and his daddy had to know your daddy's daddy" is more important. (i.e. snobby and "who's who" attitude). Our child goes to private school, which is another funny thing. All the supposedly "have's" must have their children in private school. The schools here are not good, even the ones that claim to be good. The best one's are at least a year or two behind other state's "good" school systems. Crime is horrendous in Jackson (even worse than the Bronx in NY) and customer service is horrible as well, since these people don't know the meaning of true hospitality. You will find shopping carts scattered around parking lots rather than returned to the stalls, and people racing you to get to the closest parking space. I was amazed that Madison was ranked one of the 10 best cities for families because I was actually humiliated to have visitors from out of town. Yes, of all the area's around Jackson, Madison and Ridgeland are the nicest, but even here the landscaping and roads are horrific. Pot holes and weeds line the streets. We are nature lovers, but there is only one nature trail around. There isn't much to do around here to be honest. The few nice things about living here are: the tall pine trees, lots of lakes and ponds, and weather in the Spring and Fall. Winters are okay, but summers are humid and unbearable. Sorry if I sound really negative (I'm generally a very positive person!) I just wanted everyone to have a realistic picture of what they are coming into before moving. If you are superficial, steeped in tradition, and from a smaller southern town, you may like it. However, if you want authenticity and true beauty, and from a larger metropolitan area, you will probably want to look elsewhere. Hope this helps anyone thinking of relocating to the Jackson metropolitan area!
You are absolutely correct. There is nothing to do here, full of "haves and have nots" and no culture at all. I am from Mississippi and hate it here. Living here is like being stuck in a time-warp. Before you "MS is wonderful" people start bashing me, let me give my pros and cons.
I'm going to start with the Pros so you won't think I'm all about bashing MS. There are some good things here, but the bad far outweighs the good.
Pros:
1. Cost of living is low comparatively speaking.
2. Smaller communities within larger ones.
3. Great climate. I love heat and humidity so this is my number one selling point.
4. Location is center to everything. Jackson is within 4 hours to Memphis, New Orleans, Birmingham, the Gulf Coast and Florida. This is convenient because you frequently have to drive to these places to find something to do.
5. The history here is awesome. Birth place of the Blues, Civil War battlefields, antebellum homes and civil rights monuments. If american history is your thing, then this is the place to VISIT.
6. The people are good people in general. I've never met such generous, genuine people than I have in the state of MS. I've also never met such pretentious, fake people as I have in MS, but I'll save that for the cons. Most people here would give you the shirt off of their back and let you have their last piece of bread. LOVE those folks.
7. It is a largely undeveloped state. I love riding the "back roads" with my windows down and my sunroof open and not seeing a soul for an hour. The rivers and the countryside can be breathtaking.
8. The Natchez Trace is a beautiful drive to take. Stopping at the historical markers is fun and educational.
Cons:
1. The "good ole boy" system is in full effect. Most of the appointed officials are cousins or nephews of someone who is already in an elected position. Don't believe me? Look and see who Bennie Thompson's relative is. Hint: Water outage for a week.
2. If you have a prominent last name, you pretty much get away with murder. You can kill someone and not spend a second in jail, but if your last name isn't recognizable then you sit in jail until your hearing. (I guess this is a pro for some folks)
3. With the above said, if you don't have a prominent last name and kill someone you still have a good chance of walking because the jails are already full and the judicial system sucks.
4. If you happen to be open-minded about things, don't say so in public. People will either snub you on the spot or they will rip you apart when you are not around. You native Mississippians know EXACTLY what I am talking about. If this does not apply to you, then I applaud you, but you know someone who it does apply to.
5. Crime is through the roof in the Jackson area. For every murder or shooting you hear about on TV there are 5-6 more people that are assaulted in various ways that you don't hear about. If they don't die, they don't make the news. Yes, I do have proof, I work in a local ER and see it all the time. Day, night, Sunday afternoons, it happens all the time. If people really knew what was happening in this city nobody would venture into it.
6. The reservoir is nothing but a giant pond of water that many use as a selling point to live around here. Don't wear a light colored bathing suit because it will turn the color of the water.
7. The roads around Jackson are so bad you need to wear a mouthguard to drive to work. Potholes are everywhere and nobody cares.
8. Garbage, garbage everywhere. I guess people think it's ok to throw out a Krystal's bag and empty beer cans/bottles wherever they may happen to be at the moment.
9. Lack of things to do. Let's see. The Natural Science Museum is a great place, the first 5 times you go. It does have wonderful displays and nature trails and I commend the people that run it. But it's kind of like the zoo, once you go a few times, you've seen it all. Speaking of the zoo, it needs to be moved out of the crime ridden area it's in. It has made many great strides, but I hear people saying they don't go because of the area it's in. I go, but I work around that area so it doesn't bother me. Hmm, what else to do? Oh, the Ag museum is neat, but see above. Nothing else to do with kids. If you don't have kids, there are plenty of bars to frequent.
10. Speaking of alcohol, if you want to drink beer stronger than 4% alcohol, the entire state of MS is not for you. Some counties are still dry, some sell beer but not liquor, some only sell liquor in certain city limits. Just plain stupid.
11. Hippocracy. Wow, where to begin. Some of the people you see proud and loud in the choir on Sunday morning were out in the bars the night before. Some churches are a fashion show. A place to see and be seen. Another "clique" you belong to. Many of the preachers live in houses as big as their church.
12. People behaving around their "friends" to their face, but talk about them behind their backs. I know this happens everywhere, but it seems to happen more around here. Fake acceptance is a bad thing. One day a person's true feelings will come out and it's fun to watch when they have to explain themselves.
13. The constant bombardment of the past. Yes, there were terrible things done here. Yes, people were mistreated and murdered. No, this does not need to be forgotten, but the state will NEVER get over it as long as it's rammed down people's throat constantly. It makes white people mad because they didn't do it themselves, their great-great-great grandparents may have. It makes black people mad because it was their great-great-great grandparents that were mistreated and I don't blame them for being upset about it. BUT until someone stands up and says enough is enough this state will always live in the time-warp of that era.
MS will always have a soft spot in my heart because I was raised here. I'm originally from South MS but have lived in the Metro area for 17 years and have hated it from day one. I never planned on moving this far north, but my husband at the time was from here. I have a great job, great friends and my son goes to a great school, but the hippocracy and close-mindedness is not what I want to teach my son. Before you say "MOVE THEN", let me inform you that I am trying my best to get out. I want my son to have culture, acceptance and a future outside of MS. Someone recently made a statement that struck me as so true. I asked him if his cousing, who lives in Memphis, is ever going to move back. He said, "No, you know once people get out of Mississippi they don't want to come back."
This is my honest opinion and I know there are many of you that will strongly disagree. That's ok, I respect your opinion as I hope you will respect mine. For those of you that will come bashing everything I say, read number 11 in the con section.
You can checkout any time you like, But you can never leave!
wow, I wish I read this BEFORE moving to MS. The OP and Ellygirl67 are right about pretty much everything. I am trying to get out as well....hopefully sooner then later.
wow, I wish I read this BEFORE moving to MS. The OP and Ellygirl67 are right about pretty much everything. I am trying to get out as well....hopefully sooner then later.
Unfortunately, some folks think people only post bad things about living here. That's why I post pros and cons so I can be fair. Good luck on getting out! Where are you headed?
Unfortunately, some folks think people only post bad things about living here. That's why I post pros and cons so I can be fair. Good luck on getting out! Where are you headed?
When people who say they are being "fair" also say things like "There is nothing to do here, full of 'haves and have nots' and no culture at all," then it's hard to believe everything they say... don't you think?
Vital there are some things you mentioned that I must say I will agree with you on about the area in which I was born and raised ..... Jackson, Mississippi. This is our way of living and it's hard to accept change. This area is changing and progress is being made, it's just moving slower than what you expect. I laughed when I read your post because my cousin just moved here from Chicago and she also said she hates Chicago and will never go back there again. She praised how Mississippi was on a slower pace, she was able to get more involved in her children education as well as one on one with their teachers because of smaller class size, and many other areas we offer in the south that differs from Chicago.
I'm confused though, I have many friends from high school and college from Mississippi who are now residing in other areas Dallas, Houston, Austin, Atl, Tallahassee and have never heard not one "disrespect" their birthplace with not wanting to return. Their families are here, this where you come to get away from the big city. A good friend of mines teaches 5th grade in Memphis and she's been trying since October to get the from up there. She is having a problem with all of your CONS listed above in Memphis except #6 and #10.
It is what it is ..... some will stay stuck on the past while others move forward with the future. It's not just in Mississippi, it's everywhere.
I hope nobody believes everything they read on the internet. No, I personally don't think there is anything to do here, any culture here and is full of haves and have nots, but that is my opinion just like you have yours. I was pointing out that there are some good things here as well, but they aren't enough to make me stay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jacksonian
When people who say they are being "fair" also say things like "There is nothing to do here, full of 'haves and have nots' and no culture at all," then it's hard to believe everything they say... don't you think?
I hope nobody believes everything they read on the internet. No, I personally don't think there is anything to do here, any culture here and is full of haves and have nots, but that is my opinion just like you have yours. I was pointing out that there are some good things here as well, but they aren't enough to make me stay.
I'm sorry to hear that you're not happy here. There are lots of things to do here in Jackson if you know where to find them, but it's no NYC [nor should it be]. If I were you and were wanting more than what Jackson has to offer but I wanted to stay in the South, I would be looking at larger cities like Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Austin, New Orleans, etc. I don't think you'll find what you're looking for in Florida, unless you consider the beach your holy grail. Years from now, hopefully you'll return to Jackson, if only for a visit, to see that the "colon of America" has blossomed into a thriving heart with a strong beat that is home to many more cultural events and even more to do than there already is here.
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You can checkout any time you like, But you can never leave!
from up there. She is having a problem with all of your CONS listed above in Memphis except #6 and #10.
