Brandon vs Madison/Ridgeland? (Jackson, Flowood: apartments, daycare, how much)

[dobos]

Hi All, My family is relocating from Boston area to the Jackson area. We know we want to be in either Brandon or the Madison/Ridgeland area. Our children are toddlers but we still want to keep schools (high-school esp) in mind - thinking of settling for the long run... I'm not sure how the Rankin schools compare to Madison/Ridgeland (with regards not only to test scores but also safety, attitudes, etc.) We know there are pros/cons to both places but not sure how to narrow it down to either one or the other.

The work commute is no issue either way. Initially most of our travel will be taking kids to daycare, parks, dance/gym class, and other activities. I don't know how much Brandon has to offer in that line and don't want to end up driving over the spillway every day... While it's convienent to be in the thick of things at times, the less crowded, country-ish living of Brandon definitely has its appeal.

Does anyone have any experience / words of wisdom to share in choosing between these two areas? Thanks in advance...

[tecmsu06]

although I'm not particularly familiar with either area, I know Madison is widely considered one of the most affluent cities in Mississippi. I have a lot of friends from Madison who say the schools are excellent. Brandon is also nice from what I hear, but not quite as nice as Madison.

[auntbee]

You can find everything you want in the Brandon area. Look for a home in the Reservoir or Flowood area. That part of town is really booming and is a great place to live. The Northwest Rankin schools are excellent too.

[Miss_B_10]

i am from jackson, and madison is a great great place to raise kids...it is a very pretty city and one of the safest...it is kinda expensive and in that city every one owns houses....there are no apartments in the city...the schools are great...i would pick madison over any city if i could afford it, but if it is too expensive then brandon or nw rankin area is a very good choice as well.

[SashaBlue]

If you are from the Boston area, I think you would like Madison better than Brandon. I love Boston -- been there a few times myself. Madison has the highest scholastic test scores in the state while the Brandon and Northwest Rankin schools pale in comparison.

[auntbee]

I believe all of the Northwest Rankin schools are rated Level 5, which is as high as they go. They do not "pale in comparison" to Madison.

[SashaBlue]

Bottom line... if you are from Boston, you will prefer Madison to Brandon. I lived in Boston and prefer Madison. Rankin County is too backwoods-- not that that's bad.

[auntbee]

I would hardly call the reservoir area of Rankin County "Backwoods". There are some beautiful homes there.

[SashaBlue]

When I say "backwoods", I am not talking about the houses.

[auntbee]

Originally Posted by SashaBlue

When I say "backwoods", I am not talking about the houses.

If you mean the people are "backwoods", you obviously are not really familiar with the reservoir area and the people who live there.