Possibly moving to Jackson, MS...and know nothing about the area...help!! (Clinton: apartments, for rent)

[Vail-ite]

I am a 24 yr old female. I was recently accepted to the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson. I have never been to MS (never been anywhere in the South). I am from a small ski town in CO, but I have lived in a city (Boston) before. I am hoping to live alone, and would like to spend around $600/mo on rent (less would be great, but a little more wouldn't be the end of the world). Safety is a HUGE concern for me (and my very concerned parents). Anyone have any thoughts on an area that would possibly be a good fit for me? ANY and ALL information and opinions would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thanks!

ps. how "bike friendly" is Jackson?

[tigersbh]

I don't live there but have some familiarity with the area. Clinton and Brandon are some nice suburbs you might want to consider. Madison is very nice but I would bet that rent would be too expensive there.

As for bike-friendly, I really doubt it.

[auntbee]

There are plenty of trails to ride bikes in the Reservoir area. There are also nice apartments there.

[Lefleur]

Hi Vail-ite!

I'm assuming you're from Vail? I lived for a while in your neck of the woods (not Vail specifically, but in Eagle County - message me and I'll tell you more) and now I live in Boston (small world).

I strongly encourage you to visit prior to enrolling down in MS.

The area isn't bike-friendly in the traditional sense. There are some bike trails around (but, ironically, you'd need a car to get to them!). The roads aren't set up for biking around the city by any means. I'd also want to make sure you knew that Mississippi College is religiously affiliated (Southern Baptist) - of course that's not a problem necessarily, just wanted to make sure you were aware.

Good luck with your search.

[jacksonian]

MC Law is located in downtown Jackson, and it is actually quite bike friendly there. I think that most of what has been posted about being not bike friendly is referring to the Jackson Metro area as a whole, which is very spread out. The metro area is about 30 miles in diameter, with Jackson being the center. There are lots of rent/lease properties and houses in the more historic areas of Jackson that are close to downtown, such as Belhaven and Fondren. Also, there are apartments/lofts for rent downtown and just north of downtown. I have seen some really nice condos on craigslist recently that are $500-700 month, and they were downtown or just on the outskirts. If you need some help/links, send me a pm and I'll be glad to provide you with some more info. I have already helped one lady from this forum find a house in Belhaven a few months ago, and she loves it there.

I live in Fondren which is 3.7 miles north of downtown where I work, and biking is great during the spring, summer, and fall months.

[jharrell]

My family is also thinking of moving to Jackson, MS. It's a central location to get us close to our familiy. We currently live in a small country town in Louisiana. We have 4 boys (ages 8 - 6 months). My husband is a hard worker. He likes to Corrections field, preferably privately-run facilities. He is interested in any field that will allow him to work overtime and work well. We're looking for a safe area to rent, since we don't know Jackson, we don't want to buy for awhile. We're needing to keep our rent between $600- $700 per month, if possible. We homeschool, so schools aren't an issue. However, community activities they can participate in are an issue. I know it's asking the impossible, but what's the job market like over there for my husband? Also, we'd love to rent a home, it can be within about a 40 minute commute from the Jackson area (that's what his commute is now). Thanks

[brewerfan13]

Ridgeland or Flowood for that price range.

I'd get a job lined up prior to moving.........job outlook is poor in Mississippi even before the economic downturn.

Mississippi lacks large corporate headquarter businesses. yes, there are some, but very very few....so as a professional options are very limited.

[innovator82]

Originally Posted by Vail-ite

I was recently accepted to the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson.

Vail-ite--I was in a similar situation to you back in 2005--accepted to MC Law from South Carolina and didn't know anything a/b Jackson. Ultimately after doing a lot of research like you are doing, even picking out an apt. community I liked, I decided to go to a different law school (and still sort of regret NOT going to MC).
Anyway, I would suggest you contact Hope Weaver in the admissions office @ MC Law. She was EXTREMELY helpful with helping me learn about the area, where to live, setting me up with students to talk to, etc. I made a trip to Jackson for a few days and met her too to get the lay of the land at school and the area, etc. I would suggest you make a trip to Jackson, but if that is not an option right now you should at least talk to Hope and she will probably send you apartment guides, etc. You can PM me for my name if you really want it to use as a reference.

Anyway there are tons of nice apt. communities in Flowood and Ridgeland, both are where a lot of the MC Law students live. The Rice Rd/Old Canton Rd/Lake Harbor Dr. area in Ridgeland and Lakeland Dr. in Flowood are popular and have many apts. I think the Flowood area apts. were a little less expensive than Ridgeland but also very nice. Two communities I looked at and really liked were The Reserve of Jackson and The Pointe, both in Ridgeland. This was in 2005 so I do not know a/b rents now. Some apts. give MC Law students a discount on rent on account of many students going to MC Law from out of state. Hope this helps.

[family601]

Dont mean to hijack the thread but I would like to post my ques & get opinion from senior contributors /Jackson residents:
Me & my spouse are going to move to Jackson in few weeks (or within 2 month).I got accepted to UM-Medical school and we both are very excited to be "Mississippian" , We are originally from Southern cali/ KS & living in NYC currently. Never blended in this dense urban environment (but my spouse has very very good job here, unfortunately it's coming to end in 2 weeks>>>.damm economy), So we are anticipating to move in a lil early (April). I found this website/forum today and it was very informative (& lil scary) to read about MS (all this iffy neighborhod and KKK talk jk). I've been researching apt communities (as we would like to rent) in Jackson/nearby Area, I found few near Reservior (in brandon/flowood/ridgeland) area but since we never been to this part of country so none of us have any clue which neighborhood to prefer. Our main goal is to be close to UMC yet be in safe area (we had break-in/mugging/vehicle thetft experience in NYC area during past 5 year, even in bestest place) so it's our main concern. At same time, we might have to live separate (depending upon my spouse find any job in Jackson or not) so safety is main concern. School district doesnt matter as we dnt have kids (for now, but we are seriously thinking to make this our permanent place). "innovator82" gave couple of good options regarding apt communities & if there's any current resident living in any of decent apt communities can refre/suggest then it would be great. for now our budget is around 800$/month and planning to buy single fam house by end of this year(gotta get 8K rebate benefit ). I know we should visit area first and then do some searching but it's kinda hard at this moment for us, so plan is to haul our stuff with our vehicle and get there, get a hotel for few days and find some place for living. so any/all tips would be helpful.
thanks for reading my long post ~ excited to be there ( I cant wait to get out of this snow mess)

[MSvirgo]

If you want to live close to UMC, I would suggest the Fondren or Belhaven area. There are plenty of lovely homes in this area. Fondren is actually within walking distance of UMC. I live in south Jackson, but I like the artsy atmosphere of the Fondren district. There has been a lot of revitilization work in the area. There are several festivals that goes on in that area throughout the year. There are some nice resturaunts and antique shops in the area also. Oh yeah, the area is pretty safe.

I have a friend who lives in Fondren. Her house is very nice and spacious. Her rent is very reasonable too. I think she pays $600-$650 a month for a 2bd/2ba.

I hope that this will be of some help to you. Congrats on your move!