Moving from GA to MS (Jackson, Clinton: real estate, crime rates, houses)

[2BoysN1Girl]

My husband is originally from MS and I am from NY. The military has us currently located in GA, about 20 miles south of Atlanta. My husband has decided to hang his boots up after almost 10 yrs of service and we are considering relocating to MS to be closer to (his) family. I currently work for the federal gov't and have been applying for jobs in the Jackson area. I was hoping to get some helpful information from anyone willing to provide it:

What living areas (within 30 mins driving distance) are recommended? I am interested in; good school systems, crime rates, traffic, extracurricular activities and recreational sports for the kids, diversity, quality of life...

Although I was born and raised in the city, I love the suburban lifestyle. I live in a town with a pop of 8,000+ and I love it. I love the carnivals, I love the drive-in movies, the festivals and parades. I guess I'm just a "City Chick Turned Suburban Mom."

[SassyGirl2]

Welcome to City Data. You will meet many good folks here with a wealth of info. Now for your inquiry. I don't mean to sound condescending or anything but there are many, many responses to your questions all reading within the archives. Everyone has their own opinion and you need to research until you find an area you feel interested in. It will just take a little time to search through all the threads. You may want to start your searches with city names and the search will pull up everything concerning that subject (city).

For more info on how to conduct searches, as well as other features offered here at City Data, go to the main screen for City Data, where all the states are listed, scroll to the bottom and under the Administrative Zone, under "About the Forum", click on the FAQ and you will find how to manipulate information.

As for my recommendations on cities around the Jackson area I feel you may find interesting, I suggest: Clinton, Madison, Brandon, and Flowood. Here are some links you may find useful.
Moderator cut: link to a competitors site removed

You can also check City Data for even more info. Access the main page of City Data (I provided you a link below), input the city and state and there you go. Hope all of this will help you have a wonderful experience being part of City Data.

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[Yoru]

Yeah, the above poster is right. You do not want to live in the Jackson city limits if you are raising a family, nor do you want to live in Pearl. Some areas of north Jackson are nice, but you would want your kids to be in private schools, and it's nearly impossible to get them on the waiting list. Madison/Ridgeland are super-exclusive; Brandon and Flowood are wealthy and middle class.

[auntbee]

My suggestion would be the reservoir area. The schools are good and there are lots of sports activities for the kids.

[2BoysN1Girl]

Thanks. I have read most of the post regarding the relocating to the Jackson area and the other areas that I am considering. My family is used to relocating every few years, but now we are looking for some stability. With this being our final move (hopefully), I just want to make sure that we know as much as we can. Thanks.