Help relocating to Jackson, MS area (Clinton, Ridgeland: crime, homes, school district)

[cwuer]

Possible relocation to Jackson, Ms. I have 3 children, 18yr.old and 2 teenage daughters who will be freshmen in high school. I am from east Tennessee and there is very little crime here. Moved here from Memphis, which had a lot of crime. I am looking for an area that is as safe as possible, has very good schools, and has thriving community like feel. Looking at homes in the $500,000 price range. Can someone who knows this area tell me what they would consider to be the best places to consider, taking my price range and requirements into consideration? It is so hard moving to a new area that you know nothing about. My daughters will be freshmen and they are going to be devastated when they find out we may be moving. Want an area that is dynamic and growing, with lots of kids their age and fun things to do. Thank you very much for your help.

[Jeancat]

You will want Madison or Ridgeland to live. Might want to check Jackson Prep for a school. Clilnton also a nice place to live and it's home to MS COllege. A little further out and more rural is Raymond - has a community college there. All four towns have 4-lane access to Jackson, traffic is bad from anywhere tho.

[Mr.Sippi]

For 500k, you can live like a Queen in Madison. Seriously. And the Madison public schools are fine. If you choose to live in Jackson, stay in the small area between I-55 to the West, Lakeland Dr. to the south, and Countyline Rd to your north, and plan on sending your kids to private schools. There are no other options.
Id stick with Madison County.

[cindyl]

I have a sister who is a great small realtor with a wonderful home with land about 5 miles outside of Madison. You will love the area if you want a beautiful country setting with absolutely beautiful homes. There are lots of nice areas in Ridgeland, Madison and Canton. I live in Northeast Jackson close to Eastover and love the area. However, your children will have to go to a private school right down the street if you want this area. We have tons of children, teenagers, etc. Lots of children but all attend either Jackson Academy (great school) or Jackson Prep. I am willing to help any way I can and will be happy to take pictures of any home or area and e-mail them to you. Let me know if I can be of assistance. I know how hard it is on children, especially in teenage years.

[merigold307]

Madison and Ridgeland schools are good. Jackson Prep is a pretty long distance from either of those 2 cities. With gas prices near $4.00, that's an extra expense that isn't really needed with such good local schools.

[Jackson Supporter]

If you are relocating to Jackson, explore areas in Jackson and Hinds County first. Everyone here is trying to run to Madison. It is the Collierville effect. Sounds familiar? I used to live in Germantown. Jackson has nice properties in Northeast Jackson. Suburbs in Hinds County that are well respected are Byram, Clinton, Raymond, and Terry. The Jackson Public School District is outstanding!! Most high schools have Advanced Placement and Jim Hill offers the International Baccalaureate program. The IB program is similar to AP. However, the students are required to complete 150 community service hours before graduation, write a 4000 word essay on a defined topic, and succeed academically. The point I am trying to make is that a school is a school. It is what your child puts into their academic preparation which makes them successful.

[auntbee]

Nobody has mentioned the Reservoir area as a possibility. The Northwest Rankin schools are very good. It is also a growing area. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't recommend Jackson Public Schools to anyone, even though my own kids graduated from there (many years ago).

[SashaBlue]

For public schools, you will want to check out Clinton and Madison. For private schools, check out Madison-Ridgeland Academy and University Christian.

[auntbee]

Originally Posted by SashaBlue

For public schools, you will want to check out Clinton and Madison. For private schools, check out Madison-Ridgeland Academy and University Christian.

My grandkids went to University Christian until this year. They are now at the Northwest Rankin schools. All of them were making good grades at UCS, but they were behind in some of their classes when they changed to public school, so I don't really recommend UCS.

[george.co.msgirl]

cwuer,
Check out some of the other threads about the Jackson/Madison area. We relocated 7 years ago. Being an 'outsider' and worried about crime I did not consider Jackson at all!! We are really happy with our decision. We came to Madison and love it. We feel safe and like it is a little home town community. Madison probably has the highest percentage of people relocating from out of the area so they are use to us and welcome you.