Is Mississippi particularly welcoming to Northerners? (Jackson, Gulfport: transplants, insurance, low crime)

[Colts]

I'm from Northern Indiana and I plan on exploring a possible job offer in metro Jackson. Madison seems like a nice place to live. How welcoming is the Jackson area to Northerners? Are Northern transplants rare in Mississippi? I don't think it would be a bad transition if Jackson seems like a cosmopolitan place.

[mccarley]

I think you will find folks from Mississippi very friendly till you start telling them how you did it up north.

[Sam I Am]

Madison is a lovely little town and has all the amenities you could want - my folks live there - very clean, good schools, great restored area downtown. Jackson itself is rough in some areas (most big towns are, though). Be prepared for a little bit of slowing down if you're not from a small town in Indiana - I think you will find the people of Mississippi to be very accepting of you. Good luck on your move.

[smarino]

I would agree w/ mccarley. Mississippi people have their preconceptions of Yankees (may as well use the term we use right off), and I have seen by traveling that non Mississipians certainly have their preconceptions about us! Fortunately, things aren't always that cut and dried. I suppose the best way to sum up The South, and keep in mind that there are probably a hundred Souths, is a sign I kept seeing over and over in Memphis by a displaced Katrina artist. Be Nice Or Leave. As long as you are polite, you can get away w/ anything.

I would do more research on Jackson before moving there though. My memories of the city, and you will see a lot of confirmation on these posts, is that there is far too much crime for me. Jackson is a big city, for Mississippi, but cosmopolitan it ain't. It always seemed conservative to me, but I am from The Coast, and going 10 miles in a northerly direction from there was always a step to the right politically. Still, compared to many other places, Jackson can seem pretty friendly. It's just the crime that would concern me. My favorite city in Mississippi is Oxford. What a beautiful place! The literary heritage and university (Go Rebels!) keep it progressive. Unfortunately, it is out of our budget, as a lot of other people are discovering it, and it is really a physically small town w/ limited things to do if you don't live for the football games. The people there were not only polite, but down right friendly and well mannered even by my standards.

My wife is black and I am white and she was worried about moving to The South (see my comments about preconceptions), but she will tell you in a heart beat that everyone has treated us better here than any other area of the country we have lived. We finally settled in Galveston, which is quasi South, as is anyplace in Texas, and the people are friendly, but there is too much riff raff for us, and the last 2 hurricane seasons have been nail biters. I never worried about them when I was growing up in Gulfport. Maybe it was because I was young and didn't own property. But when you actually move to the Coast and see that your life savings could be wiped out by the whim of some unseen insurance agent, and when you think of evacuating and all that entails, it can be nerve wracking. I would keep this in mind if you are thinking of going to any coastal area.

Best of luck w/ your research. The more people you connect w/, the better, but there is no substitute to going to a new place in person to see if it is right for you.

[ggluvbug]

I would say that South Mississippi is pretty open to people from other areas of the country. I would agree with the last poster about the crime in Jackson. To be honest with you, most people I talk to don't really talk to don't really seem to discuss where a person is from--unless that person makes it an issue.

[DoIStayOrDoIGo]

Jackson is far from cosmopolitan!!!! (You can't even buy a bottle of wine in the supermarket).... Many of the locals want you to think it is--the wine and cheese set; good ole boy rednecks abound....and it is over running with crime, reverse discrimination, poor restaurants/poor service.... As you can tell, I won't ever get a job working for the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. By and large, people are friendly and accepting--- but this is not Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, etc.........

[aiangel_writer]

Mississippians are very friendly people. Close knit communities abound all over the state. In all honesty, I belive if someone comes here to live, and they do not come with preconceived notions or try to change the community right off the bad, and allow their neighbors to get to know them a small bit, then yes, they will be welcomed and brought into the family fold so to speak.

If, someone, comes here whether it is from up North, East, West or another country and shows disrespect, is openly hostile to our way of life, belittles our way of doing things, and is distant, then I will say no, Mississippi and her people will become quite closed ranked towards this person or people.

When one moves into a new area, it is a good idea to find out the culture of that area, and try to understand the people. It is a show of respect, which is something still very important to Southerners. WE are willing to become neighbors with most anyone, and will be some of the best friends/neighbors anyone could ask for, if we are treated with dignity and respect.

[donallover]

I grew up in Vicksburg, MS. Miss is terribly! I live in SE Connecticut now. Median Income is $73000/yr where we live. It too is a great place. Good schools, low crime, very educated population. Wouldn't want to leave.
But, I DO miss Vicksburg. I have ALWAYS found the people of all races to be warm, genuine and friendly, despite how the media portrays it.

I've lived in Vicksburg, Jackson, Little Rock, Meriden, CT., Laurel, MD., Springfield, PA., Dallas, Media, PA. 3 cities in CT and now I'm here. I've travelled to dozens of other states and in most cases I find what I expect to find. I'm a friendly person (my MS upbringing) and generally find most other people are as well. I guess if I wasn't friendly I could find people like that too everywhere.

Re: Welcoming Yankees! Yea, I know, we're still living the Civil War. blah, blah, blah. But, don't take it personally. We still consider ourselves Rebels. The South, MS in particular definitely has a culture unlike other areas in the U.S. Many musicians, artists, authors, politicians, love or hate 'em, many have gone on to influence others.

I will tell you however, that my reason for leaving MS was for financial purposes. I was asked to move around the country with a large corporation because I was, at the time, single, educated, ambitious, personable and pretty good at what I did.

However, just before leaving MS I had a District Manager come down from Michigan. He was a very nice guy and very knowledgeable and dedicated to our company. He was a great manager and firm but fair!

He stayed 8 months or so. Why? He couldn't figure out why people who worked for him despised him so much. The reason I told him and our corporate headquarters when they asked for my evaluation was that he came down to "save us backward rednecks from ourselves". He knew his job very well and we respected him for that. But, we constantly heard about how much "better" things were in Michigan, and not as "backwards" and yadda, yadda, yadda.

Now, having lived many other places in the last 30 years since then I can honestly tell you that he was right.......AND wrong! His problem was, and I've seen this in conversations with New Englanders that they can't see beyond their own prejudices...eg. MS is backwards...always has been and always will be! PERIOD!

Is MS on the cutting edge? Well, sometimes and in some places ...Just like other states. Educated? Well, sometimes and in some places...Just like in other states.

So, I guess I would say after 50 plus years in MS and outside MS that if you dont' act "uppity" (Suthreners don't tolerate "uppity" very well! LOL) then you'll do fine. You're not their savior and even if you were they're probably too hard headed to see it. Just make sure you're not too hard headed to believe it!

Best wishes. Go Greenies!! (Class of '71)

[mccarley]

he came down to "save us backward rednecks from ourselves".
That will do it every time.

[wallstreet1986]

The Jackson area is mostly pretty modern and has a lot of restaurants and amenities for families. You will probably be looking at the suburbs closer to the Reservoir like Madison and Ridgeland. The city of Jackson itself is an eyesore and slowly revitalizing itself. It was and still is very poor and needs a lot of work/business attracted to it.

Outside of the Jackson bubble you have some decent areas like Vicksburg, Natchez, Tupelo, Oxford, Hattiesburg, and the Gulf. There are small towns across the state. Oh and I should also mention Meridian - that town is progressing along quite nicely. Sadly to say the poorest part of the state is the Delta which is known for both its food and Blues (they gotta have something to sing about right?) There are some towns in Mississippi that look so poor you wish you could get out.

You will have the easiest time being accepted in Jackson. Mississippi people are friendly but it will take a lot more times in smaller towns to really integrate and will require you to go to church and be involved with the community. Mississippi is also experiencing an influx of companies and opportunities throughout the state that were not always there. You cannot go wrong with the Southeast. Enjoy your move and take advantage of all the new place has to offer.