Petal, MS information (Hattiesburg, Lumberton, Purvis: fit in, hair salon, rental) - Mississippi - City-Data Forum

igloo · 05-10-2007, 07:15 AM

Considering relocating to Hattisburg, and would appreciate any comments concerning the Petal area, and for that matter any other communities close to Hattiesburg. Thanks.

Tama · 05-10-2007, 03:29 PM

Could you be a little more specific in what you are looking for? Petal is a small town with a school system that a lot of people like--small but competent, I think. It is an easy drive to H'burg and is rather dependent on H'burg for anything other than chain franchises. But it has, for example, a veterinarian, a Wal-Mart, a supermarket, doctors, pharmacies--the basics. You could get more land with a home for less there. Sumrall is another small town on the west of H'burg. Getting furthur away you have Lumberton and Purvis. These towns offer smaller schools and are more rural than H'burg. They are near enough to H'burg to access the shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Tama · 05-10-2007, 03:35 PM

I kind of forgot a place--oops--it not really a town which is why it didn't come to mind. There is an area called Oak Grove-an unincorporated part of Lamar County. It is just outside of the city of H'burg and represents the land of gated communities and McMansions surrounded by rural areas. It also has less pretentious housing available and there is a tremendous amount of retail growth throughout the area. A typical "edge city". It has its own school system which I think is pretty darn good. There is a wide range of choice in housing there.

igloo · 05-11-2007, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tama

I kind of forgot a place--oops--it not really a town which is why it didn't come to mind. There is an area called Oak Grove-an unincorporated part of Lamar County. It is just outside of the city of H'burg and represents the land of gated communities and McMansions surrounded by rural areas. It also has less pretentious housing available and there is a tremendous amount of retail growth throughout the area. A typical "edge city". It has its own school system which I think is pretty darn good. There is a wide range of choice in housing there.

TAMA: Thanks for the information. We are looking for an area where we can find a home with some acreage, and also not too far from Hattiesburg so our son can commute daily to USM. Petal sounds good and close enough. Don't know how far Purvis is exactly from USM, but it has possibilities also. For a decent size lot and home, Oak Grove would be OK, but not much chance of getting any decent plot of land (or so it seems).

acote · 05-14-2007, 01:17 PM

I moved to Sumrall, MS last May. By the way I am an LSU alumnus. If you want land and a home with convenient access to Hattiesburg and USM, this is it. My neighbor just moved to Sumrall area from Petal. He says taxes and fees are high. Can't do anything without a permit.

I live just outside the city limits of Sumrall on Hwy 589 in a neighborhood called Westbrook. You can get a lot with 2 acres for $25,000. Our schools are level 5 rated, the highest level possible. A new elementary school is opening in the fall. New homes in new neighborhood off Scruggs road are priced around $250k with 1 acre lots. Very nice.

The rails to trails bike path goes from Sumrall to USM campus. Your son could ride his bike if he chooses instead of driving. Also, 4th Street goes from 589 to USM without having to get on Hwy 98. From Epley Station to USM is about an 8mile bike ride and 4 miles to Sumrall proper. Epley station is located about 1/2 mile from Scruggs Road at Hwy 589 where Westbrook subdivision is located.

I hope this helps.

igloo · 05-16-2007, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acote

I moved to Sumrall, MS last May. By the way I am an LSU alumnus. If you want land and a home with convenient access to Hattiesburg and USM, this is it. My neighbor just moved to Sumrall area from Petal. He says taxes and fees are high. Can't do anything without a permit.

I live just outside the city limits of Sumrall on Hwy 589 in a neighborhood called Westbrook. You can get a lot with 2 acres for $25,000. Our schools are level 5 rated, the highest level possible. A new elementary school is opening in the fall. New homes in new neighborhood off Scruggs road are priced around $250k with 1 acre lots. Very nice.

The rails to trails bike path goes from Sumrall to USM campus. Your son could ride his bike if he chooses instead of driving. Also, 4th Street goes from 589 to USM without having to get on Hwy 98. From Epley Station to USM is about an 8mile bike ride and 4 miles to Sumrall proper. Epley station is located about 1/2 mile from Scruggs Road at Hwy 589 where Westbrook subdivision is located.

I hope this helps.

ACOTE: Thanks for the information. I will definitely look at Sumrall now. Anything negative I should know about the area, i.e. receptive to newcomers, mixed race children (both of ours are adopted & we are white) accepted, etc. Thanks again for any further info. Also my thanks to TAMA for the information provided.

kookiecookie · 05-30-2007, 12:05 AM

Sumrall, is great. I lived there for 6 years. I have now moved back to Petal. Here is a hard hitting truth. I would rather be blunt.
Sumrall is an awesome little town to live in. I never locked any doors and would even leave at times with my doors and windows ope to let the house air out. I was out in the country by myself. The school system is great, smaller and has more of an ability to help those who needs help. For now it has 4 gas stations. Dollar store. Grocery store. Freds store. 2 pharmacy's. Karate,dance instructors? excerise place, 2 or 3 hair salons,2 doctors offices, Sub-way, Pizza, Wards, Chicken, Ice cream shop, 2 resturants, Tire shop etc. Plus there is a strip mall coming soon. ( I know this because I was moved out of my rental so that they could buy up all the land there.) But still yet Sumrall is dear to my heart, wonderful people and very friendly.
Petal.: Petal is also a great town. It has alot more stores and can survive on its own, apart from Hattiesburg. The prices of land and houses are kind of high, but if you look hard you can still find deals in Petal. (not for long though as it grows so does the prices)
The schools are always boosting on how they were ranked top in the state etc. All this means is that they push their students harder. Petal is a who's who town. Unfortunately it has been passed down to the kids. Your kids must wear the latest fad or name brand. If they can't fit in with the preps then they are ousted to the outer ring and taunted. This is where I grew up and things just aren't the same as they were even 6 years ago. My kids did attend last year and I was out a small fortune for name brand clothes , shoes, etc. Still they had trouble because I taught them to be themselves and not judge others by what they wear or what their parents owned. That is not the Petal way. I am not the only one who knows this. My friend has a daughter in Show Choir, top student etc. even she said that her daughter has a hard time keeping up and always fitting in. But she does what she has to do , and so does her mom.

Somiss · 05-30-2007, 05:11 PM

All of the areas around Hattiesburg are really growing, especially in Lamar County. Sumrall has really grown over the past 5 years or so and has an excellent school system from what I hear. I would think that Purvis, Sumrall, Petal, and Oak Grove should provide good schools. All are located in Lamar County. The area in west Hattiesburg has really grown and continues to grow. Traffic is pretty heavy in the a.m. and p.m. and on weekends.

SashaBlue · 06-01-2007, 04:19 PM

My sister-in-law and nephew live in Petal. When he was in high school, she bought his designer clothes off eBay and saved a fortune. Where's there's a will, there's a way.

tjt · 06-09-2007, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acote

I moved to Sumrall, MS last May. By the way I am an LSU alumnus. If you want land and a home with convenient access to Hattiesburg and USM, this is it. My neighbor just moved to Sumrall area from Petal. He says taxes and fees are high. Can't do anything without a permit.

I live just outside the city limits of Sumrall on Hwy 589 in a neighborhood called Westbrook. You can get a lot with 2 acres for $25,000. Our schools are level 5 rated, the highest level possible. A new elementary school is opening in the fall. New homes in new neighborhood off Scruggs road are priced around $250k with 1 acre lots. Very nice.

The rails to trails bike path goes from Sumrall to USM campus. Your son could ride his bike if he chooses instead of driving. Also, 4th Street goes from 589 to USM without having to get on Hwy 98. From Epley Station to USM is about an 8mile bike ride and 4 miles to Sumrall proper. Epley station is located about 1/2 mile from Scruggs Road at Hwy 589 where Westbrook subdivision is located.

I hope this helps.

Hi,
My family is also thinking about moving to the Hattiesburg area for job related reasons. Both my husband and myself were born and raised in Floirda and have never moved away from here. So.. a move is really scary for us. When we were younger gowing up in the Lakeland, Floirda area it was much smaller, less crowed, and much cheaper to live.. of course. But all the hussle and bustle and over crowdedness is driving us crazy now. My husband has the opportunity to move for job related reasons to the Hattiesburg area. We would like a small town maybe outside of the city of Hattiesburg to live in that's not so busy. - but also not too far from Hattiesburg. We were thinking about Petal but would like more information on the taxes and fees..etc that was metioned above. Are you saying that Sumrall is much cheaper on property taxes, etc??? It is further away form Hattiesburg, correct? We are by far not wealthy people and were looking to buy around the 150k to 180k amount. Is it possible in a nice neighborhood for maybe 3/4 of an acre or so? That's what we have here and is plenty of property for us, but not door to door. Is there any place in Petal or Sumrall that you can tell us to stay away from? We have many, many places here in Lakeland, Floirda that I would diffently not live. We just don't want to make a mistake in our area of choosing. We are planning a trip the 1st week of July to look around. Can you give us any suggested areas in looking? We also thought about finding a realtor to help with some information. - taxes, electric, water, cable pricing etc. We just want to get as much information and do as much research as possible before we make a move. I know I may be asking a lot - but any information will help.

Thanks for help!!!