Best town in Mississippi? (Jackson, Hattiesburg: renting, low crime, homes)

[TN-rox]

Hello, what town do yall like the most in Mississippi? Based on crime, outdoor recreation, things to do, and schools? I'm considering moving there instead of LA or AR. I'm am really leaning toward the Northeast/east central parts of the state. Should I? Are there better places across the state? I really want an area with great state parks/outdoor recreation areas and low crime. The best state parks in Mississippi? Thanks so much!!!

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by TN-rox

Hello, what town do yall like the most in Mississippi? Based on crime, outdoor recreation, things to do, and schools? I'm considering moving there instead of LA or AR. I'm am really leaning toward the Northeast/east central parts of the state. Should I? Are there better places across the state? I really want an area with great state parks/outdoor recreation areas and low crime. The best state parks in Mississippi? Thanks so much!!!

I think Oxford is the best town in Mississippi. Crime is very low, there's lots to do, the town is nice and has money, and there are good outdoor opportunites around. Sardis Lake is about 15 min away and is surrounded by Corps of Engineers land, which is open to recreation. There's a state park about 20 minutes north of Oxford. Oxford is in the process of building an extensive system of bike trails, which will eventually go all the way to Sardis Lake. There's a huge national forest about 10 minutes to Oxford with lots of trails and small lakes. What kind of recreation are you looking for? Generally, Arkansas is better for outdoor recreation because of the Ozarks.

[TN-rox]

Thank you so much tennreb! Oxford sounds pretty nice... Lookin' for bike trails, good lakes for fishing and swimming, stuff like that. Yes we were looking really hard at Arkansas for that very reason, but I was wondering if Mississippi has any stuff to do outdoors. Anybody got any other suggestions? Thank yall so much!keep posting!

[williboy]

Laurel or Hattiesburg.

[JMT]

Definitely Oxford. It probably has the best public schools in the state. It's in the "hilly" part of Mississippi. It's a town that prefers locally-owned restaurants and stores and not the big chains. The university offers all kinds of cultural opportunities. And for those times when you just have to go to a big city, it's only an hour from Memphis.

[ladyofms]

My husband and I were both raised in Mississippi, but our jobs took us to other states after college. We are now considering moving back because of family that's getting older. We have found that Oxford is great if you like college sports and can afford to live there. I'm not sure that the housing bubble has hit the inflated prices in Oxford yet. Last time I looked most new construction was priced pretty high.

Last time we went through there we ate at Ajax on the square and overheard some of the professors discussing how they could barely afford to live in Oxford. I didn't ask but I assume they were renting. I also heard some people saying they couldn't wait to move away from there to Jackson. They said they had been there three or four years and were sick of the students and the traffic.

If I were to move my family there (and we have considered it) I would want to live within walking distance of the square so I could enjoy the shady sidewalks and good music in town.

We are in the process of looking at several different towns in NE Mississippi like Oxford, Grenada, Tupelo and Batesville. So far the availability of homes for reasonable prices has put Tupelo and Oxford low on our list, but we haven't completely ruled them out. We're still in the fact finding stage.

Grenada has the lake, award winning public schools and a new public golf course (as well as beautiful old homes with the same sidewalks and established trees as Oxford for a third of the price) that would be great for the kids.

Batesville is closer to Oxford and is having a growth spurt, but the neighborhoods are not very attractive.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by TN-rox

Thank you so much tennreb! Oxford sounds pretty nice... Lookin' for bike trails, good lakes for fishing and swimming, stuff like that. Yes we were looking really hard at Arkansas for that very reason, but I was wondering if Mississippi has any stuff to do outdoors. Anybody got any other suggestions? Thank yall so much!keep posting!

Here's a website about biking in Oxford: Local Biking Info

Very good (and free) fishing can be found within a 15 minute drive of Oxford. Both Sardis and Enid have lots of quiet coves that are great for fishing. Bass fishing used to be huge, but the lakes got Large Mouth Bass Virus, which destroyed bass fishing on those lakes. However, I hear it is making a comeback. Crappie is excellent. You can easily exceed the daily max in a few hours. Fly fishing is nonexistent, so you would need to go to Arkansas for that. You can swim at Sardis, but it isn't particularly great for swimming, though lots of people do it. The beaches aren't very nice (lots of clay), and the water is pretty dark. Skiing/boating is great because there isn't a lot of activity on the lake. You never have to worry about running into someone else.

[TN-rox]

Originally Posted by tennreb

Here's a website about biking in Oxford: Local Biking Info
Very good (and free) fishing can be found within a 15 minute drive of Oxford. Both Sardis and Enid have lots of quiet coves that are great for fishing. You can swim at Sardis, but it isn't particularly great for swimming, though lots of people do it. The beaches aren't very nice (lots of clay), and the water is pretty dark. Skiing/boating is great because there isn't a lot of activity on the lake. You never have to worry about running into someone else.

Thanks Tennreb! Ive been to Sardis and kinda liked it... Speaking of outdoor recreation, are there any caves in Mississippi? Or whitewater rafting? Ive heard there is some of both in NE MS- Is this true???Thanks for yall's help!

[phoebelee]

I'm in Oxford and really like it. I'm surprised to hear that people want to move from Oxford to Jackson, although it's true that there's no Target here and there's several Targets in the Jackson area.

FTR, housing near the Square is going to be THE most expensive in Oxford, which says a lot.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by phoebelee

I'm in Oxford and really like it. I'm surprised to hear that people want to move from Oxford to Jackson, although it's true that there's no Target here and there's several Targets in the Jackson area.

FTR, housing near the Square is going to be THE most expensive in Oxford, which says a lot.

Supposedly, they are building a Target in Oxford at Hwy 6 and Jackson in another new strip mall. I hope it falls through as it will ruin a beautiful forest. People that ***** about not being close to Target are not the kind of people that should be living in Oxford anyway. Oxford is a special place. Suburbanites need not apply.