Does "Home Town" sugar coat Laurel??

[badger74]

Originally Posted by An Einnseanair

Yes, the show Home Town sugar coats Laurel.

"...

The best hope for Laurel is the funding and construction of Interstate 14. The current planned route of that new interstate will take it through Laurel, and suddenly Laurel is at a crossroads again.

We do watch it and I am well aware of the issues with reality TV. BUT adding some facts helps lift that "reality veil" a bit.

[Veritas Vincit]

The show is so well known my mother - who lives in Europe and has only been to the U.S. a few times on vacation - told me to move there. I told here "and where exactly would I be working?" which kinda ended that.



Eventually you need a reason to buy a renovated house somewhere other than the fact that it's been on a cable TV show. Pretty houses alone don't make a town. Many of the nation's worst slums were once great-looking neighborhoods with historic homes and that didn't save them from becoming slums.

[gentlearts]

Especially Erin, and Ben, were raised on a satin pillow in Laurel. Erin’s family is well connected. This has helped in establishing the gentrification there. Not a bad thing.

I think the same could be said for Waco, TX, with the Gaines. Their families were upper crust Waco/Baylor U, and high tide lifts all boats.

[JacksonPanther]

How could they sugarcoat Laurel when they never discuss Laurel on the TV show?

Do they ever talk about job opportunities? School systems? Crime? Heck, No! So if anyone is getting a sugarcoated impression of Laurel, it's their own fault.

It's a dead town in the middle of nowhere, with no jobs, no real prospects, no entertainment. That being said, some people want that lifestyle, and towns like Laurel will appeal to those who want the isolation and don't need a good school system or a local well-paying job.

The focus in the show is really a less than one square mile area of the town. Anything outside of that area, and several parts within that area, are just decrepit.

[Listener2307]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

How could they sugarcoat Laurel when they never discuss Laurel on the TV show?

Do they ever talk about job opportunities? School systems? Crime? Heck, No! So if anyone is getting a sugarcoated impression of Laurel, it's their own fault.

It's a dead town in the middle of nowhere, with no jobs, no real prospects, no entertainment. That being said, some people want that lifestyle, and towns like Laurel will appeal to those who want the isolation and don't need a good school system or a local well-paying job.

The focus in the show is really a less than one square mile area of the town. Anything outside of that area, and several parts within that area, are just decrepit.

I s'pose all that's true.
But do the two stars love each other and are all the people shown in the show actually residents who live there?.... Yeah. I think so. So in that respect there is nothing phony at all about the show.

[stephenMM]

I lived there many years ago as a child. It didn't have much going for it then, and I'm sure that now the crime and drug issues that seem to be almost everywhere have made their appearance. It wouldn't be very high on my list of Mississippi cities to move to, but then I spent most of my later years on the Gulf Coast. The Coast is totally different than the rest of the state. If I could afford it, I'd move back in a second. But my retiree budget would have me in the less desirable areas and it wouldn't be fun.

[brickpatio2018]

I find Laurel to be gorgeous and in a fabulous location, an easy drive to the Coast, New Orleans and Florida, as well up to Jackson, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville. It's also commuting distance to Hattiesburg. With a bit more economic growth over time Laurel will be in a good place.

[Hemlock140]

I think the whole point of the show, aside from making money for the Napiers is to promote Laurel, and attract more people there. I only continue to watch because of hos workshop, I do some woodworking and am very envious of Ben's big shop and tools. Erin is sort of hard to watch, just too sickly sweet. Same with Joanna Gaines, and Chip is just too silly with his over-acting. What I really miss, and had more enjoyable people was "Texas Flip and Move." I heard that Randy from that show died last year.

[on3]

Doesn't your dollar go as far in Petal as it would in Laurel? Just seems like a better choice if Hattiesburg is out of the budget.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by on3

Doesn't your dollar go as far in Petal as it would in Laurel? Just seems like a better choice if Hattiesburg is out of the budget.

Of course not. Petal is right next to Hattiesburg. You pay extra for the location premium. Laurel is 30 miles away, and close to nothing.