Natchez in 2017 (Vicksburg, Canton, Kosciusko: homes, wealthy, suburban)

[WestGuest]

There are some old threads about Natchez but nothing in the last couple of years or so.

One person wrote at the end of a thread - There is lots of racism -- going both ways -- He was white and his own story was about Blacks being hateful -- somewhere else i had read the opposite.

Is the town especially conservative-- Dem win but that is probably the minority vote.

Is it still losing population or has it picked up the last few years?

What else?

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Natchez has been losing population for a number of years now. The downtown area is cool, and they have a ton of history. I often clamor on about how Mississippi should embrace history and tourism at a much higher level than they do right now, and I really, REALLY wish Natchez would be at the center of it, because it's there to show.

Seems like the biggest economic drivers for the area are the prison and Alcorn State. And of course there is some old money hanging around.

As for the racism, I'm sure it does go both ways, but you'll have middle and upper class whites (minority) and lower class blacks (majority), mostly, so Democrat elected leaders but the people with money are more Republican minded. White side will be very click-ish and the black side will have more crime. Just the way it is. I try not to label any one side as racists anymore, because it's all just reality.

Anyways, Natchez, like a few other areas in the state, namely the Delta, Kosciusko (Oprah), Philadelphia (civil rights), Canton square (A Time to Kill filmed there) and Vicksburg could really take off with tourism if the state did it right. Maybe combined the Blues Trail with a Civil Rights Trail or something. Look what happened in Birmingham, Obama just got them a federal distinction at the museum there in town.

[brickpatio]

Natchez is really beautiful and also really quiet. There are so many mansions and elegant homes there; it's astounding.

Historically within Mississippi, Natchez was never considered conservative compared to the rest of the state. It had something to do with the original wealthy inhabitants of Natchez who came directly from Europe and apparently often from European upper classes. This is why Natchez initially opposed the civil war and thus from my understanding in part why its beautiful architecture was spared. (i.e. They didn't fight).

The Natchez of today probably is more similar to normal southern small cities, but I have the impression that it still maintains that original sophisticated culture. We just don't hear much about it in recent years because their economy down that way has been very slow. But for a certain kind of person who adores pristine architectural character, scenic countryside, a salubrious semi-tropical climate, iconic Mississippi river setting, and a total lack of suburban sprawl, it would be heaven on earth.