Moving to Cleveland Miss soon (Jackson, Shelby: rentals, houses, transfer)

[williamsfam]

Hi we will be moving soon to Clevland from Tampa. Any help would be greatly app.

I do not know the area at all. we have 3 children 2 in middle and 1 in elementary.
My hubby will be at a pharmacy and I might transfer.
We were wondering about the schools and which areas are nice. ETC.
Thanks in advance for anyhelp

[Kicking4JC]

Be prepared for a cultrure shock, ok? It is a smaller city, compared to Tampa. The city is located in the delta, and the school disrict is so confusing. If you live in Bolivar County, there are several school districts. The Cleveland school district consists of 2 high schools and it is the largest school district in Bolivar County. Parks Elementary is probably the best one, according to a friend of mine who majored at Delta State Univeristy in Cleveland, in Elementary Education as far as being in the city limits of Cleveland. Cypress Parks is another elementary but they do something a little different. They have one large room, and then office like wall dividers. The problem is it can be so noisey to concentrate. The other school districts are West Bolivar, Rosedale area, near the river, Shaw School, Shaw School District which is south of Cleveland, and finally North Bolivar which includes Shelby, Winstonville, etc. A sad reality of the delta is a large % of people going to schools, outside Cleveland are either of African American decent in the public schools, or Caucasion in the private school of Mound Bayou. The delta is very big on that. If I had to live in Cleveland, I think the area west of Delta State University is nicer, especially near the duck pond. It seems to be more people buying houses that way, while closer to the university it is rentals. Then as soon as you go East of HWY 8 about a mile or so, you are almost out of the city limits. I wish you the best in the delta. It's another country.

[williamsfam]

Thank you so much for all the information. I will definatly use this as a guideline

[bearridge]

Check your private messages.

[love2teach]

Parks Elementary is where my stepson and from what I hear it is nice.

[Tlanette32]

I lived in the MS Delta all my life. I lived in sunflower county, and moved to Bolivar county the last year I was there ( I left the state in 2005).
Compared to the other parts of the delta, cleveland is OK but it is NOWHERE NEAR as healthy jobwise as Tampa You can go on the internet and look at a profile of cleveland ms.
my son went to Pearman Elementary, and it was a 5 star school ( most of the students scored to proficiency on state exams)
The teachers believe in discipline, and it is also an open concept school
(walls are divided by bulletin boards) Some might say it is distracting, but overall, it is a great school
It depends onwhere you live which school your children will attend.
Friendly people, many places to shop-NO JOBS

[lavenderandgreen]

I hope that by now your move to Cleveland has gone well. I grew up in the Delta and some Delta people have a way of being hospitable while others are very selective. Cleveland is the nicest of the places in the delta to be, I think, and much of the landscape is unchanged but for the change of houses being built outside of town. West of Cleveland is where many are building their houses. The school districts still hold remnants of segregation and their is an obvious split of culture, but there is also a lot of people of diverse upbringing relating to each other and socializing outside of work. It's like a lot of places - it's what you make of it. Larger cities as Tampa might have the advantage of not being as personable. After living here a little while, you know people by face. Many people meeting each other anywhere here, as in many places in Mississippi, are used to smiling and saying hi - they don't often avoid eye contact with you. When I moved here after working in Jackson a short time, my neighbors greeted me (an old street in Cleveland), brought cold sodas to my family and hugged them. I lived alone, but my parents having raised me in the delta, were homesick for it because they had moved away. Just culturally it is different, but aren't a lot of places. I take issue though with people discounting it. Family can be enjoyed and life is slowed down. Enjoy it.