Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well, I visited and spent some time in NC last summer and I had mixed feelings. It didn't seem too backwards, but half of the people had southern accents, which was weird for me...just not used to it. Despite what people told me though, I thought that NC was quite southern. But, maybe that's just because I'm from CT. I was also considering Alabama, which seems almost similar to MS.
That's funny that you say Hartford, CT is a major U.S. city. It really isn't, lol. It's rather small, with a population of only 124,000 or so. Compared to MS cities though, I'm sure it's quite large. But, I'm comparing it with NYC and Boston in my mind.
I think MS fits the bill from your criteria list. I disagree a bit with Peppermint --in rural areas yes--but I am in Hattiesburg and there is no problem for gays--no in the closet required--but people here generally live private lives and flaunting gayness wouldn't work, I agree. But there is a gay community here and on the coast.
The prom situation was in a less diverse area and actually a gay couple in tux and gown would still be controversial in many places including the Northeast. The girl wasn't stoned or threatened---the school followed the "traditional" approach and though it was sad for this young woman she is breaking new ground for MS and I think a lot of other places. Gay marriiage is in dispute all over the country, for example, not just MS.
Don't give up on MS because it is not universally sophisticated. You seem to want to get away from some of that "sophistication" but maintain openmindedness--parts of MS give you both tolerance and simplicity.
And you are going to have to get over some of your annoyances as well--like the accent---You will have tractor pulls, fishing stories, country folks and catfish restaurants-- you will also have friendly people who love family and
their sports teams--this is Saints country and you will know it. Some of these cultural aspects may not be your cup of tea-can you tolerate it? I have found that the benefits outweigh the negatives and maybe you will too. Good luck!
Have you considered Slidell, Louisiana? It's on the North Shore of Lake Ponchatrain and within 30 min of New Orleans depending on traffic. It's far enough away from the city to be laid back, but close enough to go to Whole Foods, entertainment in New Orleans and most people don't have a "southern" or "Cajun" accent. If you want to live in Mississippi but still be close to New Orleans try Bay St Louis or Picayune. Of those 2, Picayune would be the most likely to induce severe culture shock since it's smaller. Bay St Louis is on the coast and has come a long way since Katrina damn near wiped it off the map.
I am a 26-year old professional, gay male from Connecticut, considering a move to the deep south, and Mississippi is among one of the places I'm researching. I have lived in the northeast (NYC and CT) my entire life and I am sick and tired of the rat race, money-chasing, pretentious culture up here. If I see one more speeding BMW with a yuppie wearing sunglasses on his way to the beach to get his stupid tan, I am going to leave!
Anyway, I did plenty of thinking and came up with several reasons as to why MS may or may not be a good place for me. My hope is that some of you would be able to confirm whether my assumptions are accurate or not. See below.
Reasons why MS would be good for me?
I am a very laid back, quiet person who has a minimal social life and prefers to spend most of my time alone. A few friends are good, though.
I prefer to take my time and not rush with things; I'm not the type of person who is always busy and has plans every day of the week; very relaxed.
I can't stand cities and heavily urban areas with traffic, noise and commotion; quiet, semi-rural living appeals to me much more.
I don't care about nightlife, bars or partying. I am generally a homebody, but sometimes like to go for a hike or bike ride.
I hate winter and hate wearing jackets. My favorite type of weather is 90's, humid, bright and sunny, maybe some haze.
I have always voted Republican and can't stand Obama. Worst president ever.
My dream is to make a decent living and have a decent house in a quiet area with a nice yard.
Reasons why MS would be bad for me?
As a homosexual, I may have trouble being accepted by potential friends. However, I keep my sexual orientation to myself and only tell a select few friends; I generally look, talk and act like a straight man. But, maybe people will wonder why I'm 26 years old and still single.
Although I believe in God, I do not practice religion or go to church, ever. My fear is that people will not accept me if they know that I don't bother joining a congregation or going to church.
According to my research, it seems that although the cost of living in MS is significantly less than CT, my salary would take a major hit, actually putting me in a financially worse situation than living and working here in CT. The only exception would be the Greenville area, in which I would be financially better off.
I would stick out like a sore thumb, being one of the few people without a southern accent; people would see me as a "yankee." Also, the southern accent irritates me. Perhaps this is something I would get used to, though.
I am a very health conscious person who regularly exercises and refuses to consume alcohol or soda. I don't eat beef or pork, and am extremely picky when it comes to eating foods. I try to stay away from fatty, greasy or high sodium foods as much as possible. My fear is that MS is a major fast food state with minimal healthy eating options or restaurants, and that others may think I'm ridiculous for refusing to eat their unhealthy, fatty southern food.
So are my thoughts accurate? Based on the above, please let me know whether you think I would be better off in MS or not. Feel free to bring up other points I may have overlooked.
Thanks!
As a professional means doctor ,lawyer or clergy, I would think the state bar, medical asoc. or church authority might help with this info.
The things I have to say about this is most of Mississippi doesn't have an southern drawl. Also, you said that you like to hike and bike ride....unless you are hiking through a plan old everyday park or bike riding on the street there isn't anywhere to do either the way you are use to. You won't find bike lanes or hiking trails. The land is flat and as you may already know, the people are not much for exercise unless it is an air conditioned gym. Of course there are your few you see running up and down the highways; not many though.
Your sexuality will not be a problem as I am assuming you are not the type that will attract "rednecks" as friends. Those are the only ones (besides the super religous) that may not approve. Speaking of religion, keep it to yourself. If someone askes you what church you go to, smile and politely let them know you are happy to worship from home. If you don't cut them to the quick, you will get bombarded with invites and lots of them can get pushy. There are nice areas in Ms. I would not prefer to live in the state ever again but to each his own.
Btw, Slidell, La is super busy and while not being huge it is crowded and traffic is slow. There is no rural areas around. Picayune, ms...(my whole family lives there) is a completely different place from anywhere I have been. Carriere is also within driving distance to Slidell for work, 30 minutes or so. It is about 45 to an hour from NOLA, depending on how fast you drive. You will most likely need to be close to a larger city in for a good paying job so I would keep that in mind if I were you.
Good Luck, hope you find what you are looking for.
Oh, someone mentioned Rankin County that would be ideal since it is close to jackson and just made 21 on the most resession safe city for employment. Brandon, Richland, Florence, Madison, even the Resivoire area would be good for you. Now that I think about, I do believe the Brandon/Res area has a little walking trail and bikeing area on the water.......I'm not sure about the healthy food stores or placing to eat out though.
It's been about 20 yrs since my brief time in Slidell. I guess everyone moved there after Katrina. It used to remind me of Hattiesburg minus Southern Miss. I'm from Hattiesburg and now reside in the Reservoir area of Rankin County. Yes, there are bike trails around the area, but they are literally in a circle around the area which I think it's great, but if you were thinking of commuting by bike you would have to share busy roads without bike lanes. The main road (Lakeland Dr) into Jackson proper sucks 90% of time because houses keep being built, but the road remains the same. It can take me up to 45 minutes to get home some afternoons from downtown (it's 10 miles to my house). If you are looking for a lower cost of living with the same big city issues, this is the place to be.
There are a couple of organic grocery stores around, but in the summer there are fresh veggies and fruits everywhere. You will not have an issue finding locally grown food.
Look up the crime stats before you move anywhere in MS. I like to visit the Greenwood/Greenville area, but it would not be a choice anywhere on my list of possible places to move. I know, crime is an issue everywhere, but for every crime reported there are 1-2 that aren't. People would be shocked if they knew what really happens in Jack-town that never makes the news.
I'll get off that soapbox and close with this: Everyone will have a different opinion, but I would suggest south Mississippi if you must live in MS. If not, I would consider Louisiana or the panhandle of Florida.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JCrow08
The things I have to say about this is most of Mississippi doesn't have an southern drawl. Also, you said that you like to hike and bike ride....unless you are hiking through a plan old everyday park or bike riding on the street there isn't anywhere to do either the way you are use to. You won't find bike lanes or hiking trails. The land is flat and as you may already know, the people are not much for exercise unless it is an air conditioned gym. Of course there are your few you see running up and down the highways; not many though.
Your sexuality will not be a problem as I am assuming you are not the type that will attract "rednecks" as friends. Those are the only ones (besides the super religous) that may not approve. Speaking of religion, keep it to yourself. If someone askes you what church you go to, smile and politely let them know you are happy to worship from home. If you don't cut them to the quick, you will get bombarded with invites and lots of them can get pushy. There are nice areas in Ms. I would not prefer to live in the state ever again but to each his own.
Btw, Slidell, La is super busy and while not being huge it is crowded and traffic is slow. There is no rural areas around. Picayune, ms...(my whole family lives there) is a completely different place from anywhere I have been. Carriere is also within driving distance to Slidell for work, 30 minutes or so. It is about 45 to an hour from NOLA, depending on how fast you drive. You will most likely need to be close to a larger city in for a good paying job so I would keep that in mind if I were you.
Good Luck, hope you find what you are looking for.
Oh, someone mentioned Rankin County that would be ideal since it is close to jackson and just made 21 on the most resession safe city for employment. Brandon, Richland, Florence, Madison, even the Resivoire area would be good for you. Now that I think about, I do believe the Brandon/Res area has a little walking trail and bikeing area on the water.......I'm not sure about the healthy food stores or placing to eat out though.
The things I have to say about this is most of Mississippi doesn't have an southern drawl. Also, you said that you like to hike and bike ride....unless you are hiking through a plan old everyday park or bike riding on the street there isn't anywhere to do either the way you are use to. You won't find bike lanes or hiking trails. The land is flat and as you may already know, the people are not much for exercise unless it is an air conditioned gym. Of course there are your few you see running up and down the highways; not many though.
As someone who lived in the NE for years, I have to disagree about the accent. Every 3 months during my trips back to MS, the accent would hit me like a ton of bricks. It's strong. NY-ers have a strong accent, Bostonians have a strong accent, and MS-ians have a strong accent. Someone from CT will notice it.
Totally correct about hiking, bike lanes, and exercise. Couldn't agree more.
OP -
I have never lived in south MS. I have very little experience there (only visited on vacations). My experience is in the northern part of the state, and there the your sexuality will probably be an issue to some degree. That's where Constance McMillian was from (around Tupelo, I believe). I cannot imagine that someone who can be open around his/her sexuality would want to live in secrecy. I don't mean to push this issue. I have many gay friends in NY, and I would want them to know the truth before moving from a very open environment to a frowned upon or closed environment. That's my experience in N MS. I cannot speak about S MS at all, but I would caution you to try to find the gay community down there and talk to gays who live there. There is a PFLAG of MS located in Jackson. If you were my friend, asking me this, I would tell you to contact them and ask them questions about this issue. Maybe the situation is better than I think. If you find out it is, I hope you will tell us so I can erase my negative thoughts on the issue and be less ignorant.
The things I have to say about this is most of Mississippi doesn't have an southern drawl. Also, you said that you like to hike and bike ride....unless you are hiking through a plan old everyday park or bike riding on the street there isn't anywhere to do either the way you are use to. You won't find bike lanes or hiking trails
I am not trying to push MS. But this poster gave some criteria and I do believe MS has what he is looking for in the towns I already mentioned. Other places do as well. I like Georgia myself. And the Alabama coast--Fairhope area-is a possibility.
But I suspect some of these responses are coming from people with limited experience in the current state of affairs here. In Hattiesburg--someone else can speak for other places--we have great walking and hiking venues.
Rails to Trails(google it)lots of fitness centers, outdoor walking areas, and nearby Black Creek, Okatoma, and DeSoto forest trails-and Paul B. Johnson State Park has walking and hiking. Not mountainous hiking but rougher than just walking--it is flat after all. I get healthy foods at local farmer's markets, Corner Grocery Stores, health stores and even Wal-Mart. The OP needs to check things out, of course--but I don't get where some of these comments are coming from??
In all honesty I don't think Mississippi is what your looking for. I know that your looking for something different with a slower pace of life. Mississippi will bring the slower pace of life but at the same time you might have a cultural shock and really not enjoy living here. Mississippi is so different even from alabama and georgia in terms of landscape and culture. Have you thought about New Orleans? I think that would fit you well.
What this person said. Here are some cities to consider:
Memphis (Big but not as big as NYC)
New Orleans (see above)
Asheville, NC (very pretty and not so huge)
Nashville, TN
B'ham, Ala
MS wouldn't do for ya man and I think someone mentioned Greenville?!!!! You would be a fish outta water in that S%^Thole.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
