Ranking the best places to live in Mississippi (Jackson, Biloxi: closing, business)

[Muhnay]

I was told when moving to stay out of the Delta. Also I hear crime is a big problem up north in the state near Memphis TN.

I recently Visited Jackson, and I found it to be a friendly, rather clean, city. Hattiesburg MS is also a nice city, about an hour from the coast, and some very friendly people.

I have lived in the big cities and in the country, and you have to develop a mentality for both. One thing about the area here that you have to be prepared for is the Bible Thumping.. now I am not saying this is a bad thing. Everyday instead of good day, I hear "Have a Blessed Day". I am not complaining, just explaining. Also everyone will invite you to their church. There is a major values thing here, that I love. Even the school system is old school like when I grew up. How I recall school. Spanking is still done in these parts. Seattle Touch your kid and goto jail... not aloud to discipline your child there.

Oh sorry got off on a tangent.

I think there is no real bad place here.. unless you have kids, and have to consider schools, then you need to do some research. I find the Elementary Schools in Gulfport to be outstanding, the middle schools not so much. High schools I don't know about yet.

The Greatest thing to me about living here, is your connected. ( Gulfport MS ) Want to goto New Orleans for the weekend, no problem an hour or so away. Want to hit the water and beach, Alabama or Florida best beaches just a couple hours away.. want to go visit civil war forts and battle grounds.. they are all over the place here. Atlanta GA is only 4-6 hours away. Your so connected to everything here.. its a great place to live and go out and explore. Man I am gonna miss it.

[Tama]

Magnolia State--Your original post said that MS was a place where people came for low-cost housing but were blindsided by the stifling limits of the southern small town existence. Is that not correct? I was pointing out that it isn't just MS small towns but small towns eveyone such as those places I mentioned. I know you probably have no interest in those places but I was trying to give an example of my point. Oxford is a small town--20,000 people --and I don't know about Batesville which you also mentioned. I agree these smaller towns are limited but most rural isolated small towns are though they have other things to offer such as what you mentioned in your op. I am simply suggesting that it isn't MS which is stifling with kids forced to drive around the Piggly-Wiggly but rather the community.

[rocketx]

Hattiesburg has much more to offer than this dead port of Vicksburg. There are some locals here bragging on the local am radio show saying that things are booming. Which isn't really true. This port lost its only Cinema which was in decline anyway back in December. CBL Associates seems not to care about thier mall at all. Where in Hattiesburg they take care of thier properties. What these narrow minded locals here don't get is that perception turns out be to the truth. Warren County and the City both have stagnant population and haven't growned. It moves around. The city manager was on the radio explaining that the high end retailers have got it wrong. In my opioin the city manager has its wrong. U know the mayor predicted this city was to have new cinema by summertime and that never happened yet. Subprime mortgage is alive well in this market as well. With 75 homes filed with bankruptcies and 35 homes being foreclosed. High price gas and real estate work agains this place. And u have have backward city and county goverment who work against business along with thier good ole buddy business haunchos. Not to mention the new image the tourist now see Vicksburg that's its sole interest is money not people.
U know most of the locals travel to Jackson and Monroe to find better goods.

[reginald mitchell]

My needs are simple. I'm looking for a small piece of land to buy in the sticks where I can put a trailer and hook up to water and electricity. I'm close to retiring. I know rural life and can handle it, but don't want to put up with stupidity. If need be, I would be driving to a cultural enrichment. I also want to get to the water when needed. Where's such a place in MS?

[Tama]

Reginald I am not sure how far you are talking about driving to entertainment and the water. That would make a difference. Also do you want to be out of hurricane reach. I would say any place between Hattiesburg and Mobile and the coast would have the options you are looking for. Check around Lucedale, Wiggins, or Lumberton. Ellisville between Hattiseburg and Laurel would be another possibilility. If you wanted to be nearer to town and services take a look at Petal.

[southernbliss]

I would say that the coast is the better place to live in ms.I am from mississippi and will always think of it as home but some of the veiws here are with rose colored glass.There is alot of poverty in ms.drop out rate in schools are horrible,unwed mothers.public schools in much of the areas suck.low paying jobs.There is still a big white/black issues here(most of the time it comes from out siders but it is still here nevertheless)but it also has the best people small town feel and I love this place.

[reginald mitchell]

Originally Posted by reginald mitchell

My needs are simple. I'm looking for a small piece of land to buy in the sticks where I can put a trailer and hook up to water and electricity. I'm close to retiring. I know rural life and can handle it, but don't want to put up with stupidity. If need be, I would be driving to a cultural enrichment. I also want to get to the water when needed. Where's such a place in MS?

Originally Posted by Tama

Reginald I am not sure how far you are talking about driving to entertainment and the water. That would make a difference. Also do you want to be out of hurricane reach. I would say any place between Hattiesburg and Mobile and the coast would have the options you are looking for. Check around Lucedale, Wiggins, or Lumberton. Ellisville between Hattiseburg and Laurel would be another possibilility. If you wanted to be nearer to town and services take a look at Petal.

Thank you for your response. A little background might help to move this discussion further along. I grew up in New York and Jersey. I've lived every where in the US and have traveled internationally. I'm sort've a hippie, intellectual type and want to do the land, but as I said, can't and won't deal with the back water non-sense. I'm presently living and working in MN. I have a little cash and want a place that I can purchase cheap. I don't mind being alone, as I am an avid bike ridder and have a pet. I enjoy beaches and fishing. Drivinging somewhere for intellectual stimulation and water sports doesn't present a problem, but I'm not trying to make that an all day trek. I'll start looking into the areas that you suggest. My thoughts are that I might be better off near a college town. However, being sixty, college kids will tend to get on my last nerve. Thus far, what I've read about MS hasn't been very inviting. Seems the general concensis is it's still slightly stuck in the antebellum times and that frankly, scares the hell out of me and my dreams. What's your take?

[Tama]

Reginald I grew up in Penna. and taught school in Jersey--near Phila. I have been in MS for years. I do go back "home" often and travel a lot as well. Since I can come and go as I please, I love living in MS. I may have to leave someday if my mother needs me, but until then it is a great place for me. The only thing I have a problem with is the sometimes exceptionally hot and humid summer. When I first came I went nuts from the bugs-all varieties seemed to be attacking me! Now I don't even notice them except the mosquito. Like any place rural areas can have more provincial attitudes but there are also impressive cultural endeavors and sophisticated attitudes. There are a lot of poor rural areas that is true but don't take the negatives as a blanket indictment. It depends where you are and with whom you associate. Might I say if New Jersey was described all over as say Camden or Elizabeth, you would have a different picture than the true one, right. Same here. That being said everybody has his own reaction to places and you may well be too sophisticated for these parts. LOL!
The areas I mentioned would be an hour or two from the water, some a little less. And for the most part out of hurrricane reach--unless it is another Katrina--we got smashed by that one! Hattiesburg is a university town and Petal is next door but maintains a small town feel. The other areas I mentioned are smaller and furthur from the cultural activities but Lucedale would be near Mobile and that is a pretty big town. Oxford is charming and lively but far from the water. Another place you might consider is the area around Foley, AL or Fairhope,AL, but those areas are pretty beachy and touristy in summer. They probably have places to put a trailer though that would be removed from the bustle. You might find these sites helpful but do remember those rose colored glasses someone else mentioned. That is always a good idea. Good luck!
Hattiesburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
Mississippi Believe It! - Facts about Mississippi Business, Medicine, Entertainers, Writers, Musicians, Athletes, Arts, Healthcare, Generosity and People.
Welcome to the City of Mobile Alabama
City Of Lucedale

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by reginald mitchell

Thank you for your response. A little background might help to move this discussion further along. I grew up in New York and Jersey. I've lived every where in the US and have traveled internationally. I'm sort've a hippie, intellectual type and want to do the land, but as I said, can't and won't deal with the back water non-sense. I'm presently living and working in MN. I have a little cash and want a place that I can purchase cheap. I don't mind being alone, as I am an avid bike ridder and have a pet. I enjoy beaches and fishing. Drivinging somewhere for intellectual stimulation and water sports doesn't present a problem, but I'm not trying to make that an all day trek. I'll start looking into the areas that you suggest. My thoughts are that I might be better off near a college town. However, being sixty, college kids will tend to get on my last nerve. Thus far, what I've read about MS hasn't been very inviting. Seems the general concensis is it's still slightly stuck in the antebellum times and that frankly, scares the hell out of me and my dreams. What's your take?

Oxford would be your ideal town, except it is dominated by college kids and is very expensive to buy a home in-town there. However, the cultural scene is excellent. There's a wonderful new performing-art center that cities 10 times Oxford size would envy. There's great arts organizations, festivals, and art galleries. Both the visual and performing arts are highly valued in Oxford. The solution to the student/expense problem would be to live in the country. If you go about five miles outside of town, you can get a decent house for cheap. In fact, there is a little artist village about 15 minutes outside Oxford called Taylor. No students live there, but it is a hotspot on the weekends because of a restaurant that hosts live folk/bluegrass bands. It's packed with both students and families a like. There's also a little theater there that does a variety show on Saturdays that is a lot like A Prairie Home Companion, but more Southern. Keep in mind that only about 200 people live in this little town. You have to go to Oxford to shop.

[Starshine480]

Tell me what you guys like about small town living, the things you don't like about it.

What I like about small town living is the friendly people, less traffic, and I don't know there's just nothing like living in a small town. Where I live can no longer really be considered as a small town as Horn Lake has been growing by leaps and bounds with people from Memphis moving here to get away from the high crime rate. This has made me sad. Also because of this, the traffic has gotten much worse.

I am hoping that when the restaurants start popping up, we can get unique ones here, like Thai food, different cultural food not coming from fast food chains, but local owners.

Unfortunately, the greatest majority of new eating places here are Mexican because of the growing number of hispanic residents. Of course, we do have Applebee's, McDonalds, Arby's, etc. on the eastern end of our main highway.