The Future of Jackson, MS (Hattiesburg, Tupelo: condos, house, safe area)

[Alicia Bradley]

Ok - I just have to chime in from another section of CD (I saw this thread listed on the right-hand side of the page as "active" or such). I just spent some time checking out Farish St. (and areas nearby) using Google Street View and I must say (never having been to Jackson or even MS, period) - it looks adorable! I saw several bakeries and cool-sounding restaurants listed as 'businesses,' and the streets of Craftsman-style (? - forgive me, my knowledge of American architecture isn't great) homes looked really nice. That part of the city, at least, looked like it's on the up-and-up to me, as a total outsider. Anyway, just a random visitor's $.02.

[naomisday]

I have never been to MS, but I know it is definitely stereotyped...which isn't fair....

Whenever, I have met people from MS...they were always nice....I live in California-

I did meet a lot of people from MS in Memphis.....when I was there for some conferences....

I have always wanted to visit MS...and I plan on doing so....., the South suffers from stereotypes, as does California and NYC.....

[Huckleberry3911948]

i think that the south is in transition. i think in many ways jackson is better off than memphis.
certainly not near as depressed an area as vicksburg.
and far enough from the gulf to avoid the nightmare periodic hazards of being on the gulf.
when i go there the "vibs" are far better than memphis or charlotte

[naomisday]

Huckleberry3911948,

I have been to Charlotte numerous times, my Godmother lives there...I wasn't that impressed
with it-the vibe as you say--I would like to visit some other areas in NC....

I like TN better then NC...I liked Nashville better then Memphis, but I need to spend more time
in TN as well

[mr.bonze]

Originally Posted by jacksonian

Yeah, the Bible Belt is only one part of the hindrance. It has more to do with resistance to change. The statement - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" - bodes well with many here, which is a shame, because many think the way things are is just fine.

Exactly ..they just dont realize how broken it is.

[mr.bonze]

Originally Posted by naomisday

Huckleberry3911948,

I have been to Charlotte numerous times, my Godmother lives there...I wasn't that impressed
with it-the vibe as you say--I would like to visit some other areas in NC....

I like TN better then NC...I liked Nashville better then Memphis, but I need to spend more time
in TN as well

Not sure what kind of "vibe" you are talking about....but ive lived in both places and feel like im qualified to make such judgements. The vibe of Charlotte to me is great. Its, young, vibrant, a lot of things to do. The mountains are 2 hours west, and the ocean and places like charleston are three hours east.

There are certainly many different areas of the city which have different vibes.

People in MS are certainly friendly for the most part, but ive found NC to be friendly too. Granted there are a lot of yankees that have moved here from the northeast, and they arent quite the same hospitality wise.

[ahnraleigh]

Originally Posted by mr.bonze

Granted there are a lot of yankees that have moved here from the northeast, and they arent quite the same hospitality wise.

I agree... for one they don't use derogatory names which should have died after the civil war.

[naomisday]

mr. bonze,

NC is a beautiful state, I would like to spend time in other parts then Charlotte Area, lots of
folks love it there..tons are moving there...., it was nice to visit...I would like to go to the
Coastal Area and Chapel Hill area.....

[Not Made for the South]

So Belk is moving out of Metrocenter. This doesn't help that mall's situation at all. West Jackson still seems to be declining, and the shutdown of Metrocenter would hurt the image of that area for years to come.

I'm still doing research from time to time on the waves of white flight that occurred in this city. I'm still amazed at how quickly Jackson declined; with the large amount of low-income residents in the city relying on government, the Jackson area won't ever get rid of its crime problem. Even if gentrification were to take place, we would see something similar to what has happened in Clayton County in Atlanta and Prince George's County in DC. Because low-income residents were bought out of their now expensive neighborhoods, they moved to nearby suburban areas, causing decline there.

I certainly don't want Jackson to fail, but the fact is that there is a HUGE underclass here. Either something has to change on a national or worldwide scale for that to change or we have to write off some areas of the city as lost causes.

[naomisday]

Not Made for the South,

Sorry to hear that, that is happening in a lot of smaller cities...I have a friend who grew up
in Madison,MS. and Pearl,MS..he told me the same thing