where within 40 mi. of nissan would be a great place to live with top school systems? (Jackson: mortgage, house)

[parrotts5]

we may be relocating from m'boro plant to canton plant soon and i have no idea of what areas to look into....we have 3 children, the oldest starting kindergarten this fall....we want some privacy from neighbors but near shops, large stores, things to do, restaurants..etc......we've been told the madison area had the best school system but i've found online that 5 bdrm homes on at least 2-3 acres is nearly imposible to find unless it's about 800k....we don't mind living out but at least within reach of civilization..aka a starbucks! ha...any info on schools and areas to contemplate???? thanks to all

[Tama]

People seem to like Clinton and if you search it on this forum there are several posts.

[parrotts5]

tama..thanks, i did do some scrolling and found several people that were transferring in requesting areas to look into, it was very helpful and thank goodness i did...my husband REALLY wanted a house on the water and after reading about the alligators....no freaking way! now knowing that they are THERE, no matter what body of water we are on, i would be a wreck with my children! now i'm just sure that we won't be doing any swimming unless it's a pool! i've read mixed things about clinton, good things about madison, minus the cost, but brandon, it seems, is growing, so that may be a good investment area.....i also found that the cost of tags is just unbelievable! anywhere from 500-1500 for tags???? we only pay $75 and we are only required the rear...do you have to have front and back in this state? do they do a % of the worth of your vehicle??? i know they do that in DC....thanks again for answering previously, it was a help to look around the forum....

[Tama]

You only need one tag. The cost goes down as the vehicle decreases in value. It is high-I came from a state where the tags were cheap as well. But it is supposedly offset by having lower property taxes.

[parrotts5]

i told my husband about the tags, the alligators....he looked like he was starting to panic! it's a BIG move for us, if we do, it'll be where we END up i'm sure and i want to choose the right place, we've moved so much and i swear, when anything like this comes up, we have our own black cloud that loves to follow us around and just kick us when we least expect it! we moved out to seattle which omg, i loved it! but we were supposed to be there for 3 yrs and were there for 6mo. bought a house only to have is job close shop, and we were stuck with a $2000 mortgage for 14 mo. thank god they moved us back, but things like that just always happen to us, so this move.....oh i hope we do ok....i hear lots of people asking about accepting outsiders and stuff....does that really happen here???? i would've thought the further down south you go the friendlier and more laid back you get, but from what people are posting, you better bring your A game!

[Tama]

I wish someone from the Jackson area would chime in here to help out! I am down in Hattiesburg and don't know much about the Jackson housing-but again do search the forum. I don't want to influence your decision, but I can say as an "outsider" I haven't found any problem. People here are quite nice in general. I think you will find a lot to like. I never heard of anyone being injured by an alligator and I have been here 30 years! Anyone else??
I would suggest getting in touch with a good realtor and let them help you. As for the car tags-yes they are high-but you may be amazed at the affordability of housing --at least here in Hattiesburg there is a lot of house for the money.
And just to give you some sense of things--I live on a street with people from India, France, the Middle East, and black and white families--all in one small block. Things are different.
Come down and take a look-you might be surprised. Then decide on what you see, not scary tales of yore. Lot of luck--and if you decide to come-WELCOME!

[SashaBlue]

I am from the Jackson area (Ridgeland in Madison County), and let me tell you up front. You will not like living here. We are getting ready to move after being here for over 15 years. Enough is enough. Too bad you weren't looking for that house 2 years ago. We sold a house in Madison (almost 3800 sq. ft. on 5 acres) for a little over $200k just to get rid of it and move into Ridgeland. We are still in the Madison School District which is nice. It's humid here, very humid, and yes, there are alligators. The tags are outrageous, but cheaper in Madison and Rankin Counties. Stay away from Hinds County. We once purchased a 1992 Mustang and the tag in Hinds County was nearly $800. About the alligators, they are in the Reservoir and mainly stay on the Brandon side of Rankin County. The Madison area doesn't have the alligator problem, but watch out for mosquitos and West Nile. We know of several people in our community who got West Nile from the mosquitos. The people in the area are nice and friendly, very neighborly, no matter if black, white, or whatever else. Everyone meshes well together. MS was just named the worst drivers in the USA, and believe me, it is true. Bring lots of patience. If you are looking for 2 - 3 acres, check out Madison County (as opposed to Madison the City). Try Twin Harbor, but be sure you don't live on the Reservoir because of the gators. Good luck.

[parrotts5]

so sashablue, what was enough for you? what did you not like about madison (the city)...we are definitely going to visit these places, but it's good to get an idea before we get there...kind of look at from the dweller's point and ours as well, maybe see what it is that you're seeing....and yeah, bet that house was sweet! and mosquitos...i am a MAGNET for them.....we can be outside with the family, any time of day, and i'm the one that starts getting attacked...will invest in mosquito traps for our property!! but the more i find out about ms....the harder i laugh...just because his job is a big opportunity for quick advancement, but we're getting gators, west nile, worst drivers, and god knows what else! ahhahahaha....ticket to hell please, first class!....and i mean that just for humor...people would think anyone was nuts to leave any area that you have no real nature problem, no congestion (driving, or hostile drivers), homes with land in convenient areas, and um your family...and you're trading all that for gators....freaking hilarious!!!! crap, people from la moved to tn for nissan and i'm like why would you other than cost of living, people from ny, pa, wy...moving to like small towns like carthage, tn...and i'm always how on earth did you find that of all areas....(it's VERY small, two highschools, small small small...did i say small town)..people were overjoyed when only 3 yrs ago they got a mcdonald's kind of small....but i digress....thank you very much for your insight...much much for my poor husband to visit while he's there for a week...i appreciate every ounce of info from everyone....

[Tama]

I am not from Mississippi and I still love my home state. So I think I am kind of objective. Sasha's view, to me, is a little extreme. I wouldn't personally want to make decisions based on someone who was in love with a place and could hear no wrong nor the other way around. Look for some objectivity. Alligators in the resevoir--so stay away from the resevoir---West Nile is in many states. Mosquitoes are not novel to Mississippi. And I agree the drivers are not good. They are rural folk who still drive like they are in a country village. They are not polite about recognizing the need of someone who needs to change lanes, for example. However, Texas has worst drivers and then there is Florida and on and on---The price of tags as I said before is offset by lower housing costs. I am not saying you will love MS or that you should move. Just don't get too put off by someone who is leaving and not observe all those who stay and come back and who love it here.

[Mr.Renaissance]

To start with I would not move to Canton (where the Nissan Plant is located ). Madison, Ridgeland or maybe somewhere in North Jackson would be nice, Madison being the closest to Canton. Anywhere in Madison or Ridgeland would be nice. They are growing really fast. There is a great shopping center under construction in Ridgeland called Reniassance at Colony Park. It will only have the highest quality stores and restaurants, such as Ethan Allen,Talbots, J.Jill, and P.F. Changs. It will also have Jackson's first all-natural grocery store. If you ask me, Jackson Metro is a great and fast growing place to live.

P.S. There are a lot of Starbucks in that area.
Good luck on your move.