Mississippi homebound (Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis: best towns, homes, theatres)

[cncguy2000]

I know a bunch are staying in wiggins, just north of gulfport (20 min)
the guys that put my new roof on stayed up there, (from michigan)
as far as contact, the local papaer has ad's looking for people.
check "sunherald dot com"

[cbass]

Diamondhead is a very nice area which is just outside of Bay St. Louis it is located North of I-10 and Bay St. Louis is South of I-10. Diamonhead is know to be a sort of retirement area, it is gated and is built largely around the golf courses and "club houses" it is not unusal to see families riding down the road in golf courses. Most of the houses are large and are in the price range that you were looking for. I do not know anything about the Diamondhead schools, but Diamondhead is in Hancock County District. I grew up in Long Beach and have always liked it. Long Beach has one of the better public schools in the area and has some nice subdivisions the "bad area" that people are discussing is actually Gulfport but is on the edge of Long Beach city limits. Long Beach does have some of the highest taxes of the Coast towns. It is about 20 minutes from Bay St. Louis, Gulfport,and Biloxi there is alot of convience because it is close to Beach Front and I-10. Ocean Springs is a nice area but it is about 45-60 minutes away from Bay St. Louis. I have read some good things in the paper about the Ocean Springs schools (Jackson County School District), but do not know anything personally. Ocean Springs seems to be having a large growth lately, but it seems to be having alot of "nightlife" growth also.

[michelerae53]

Thanks for all the replies to my questions. They have been a great help. We plan to be coming up in the next few weeks and we are very excited. We really need a fresh start and from all I have heard, Mississippi is the place to make that start. Wish us luck finding the right place! Thanks again.

[Shelleyot]

Originally Posted by chaps

My family is from Michigan and we are planning to relocate to the Mississippi gulfcoast area. My husband is in the construciton business and Michigan's economy is horrible, housing is down and lack of jobs are forcing us to relocate. He has a job and is currently working and living in temporary housing in the Bay St. Louis area. He is really excited about the opportunities for him here and he loves the weather so far - obviously Michigan winters can be brutal. Coming from the Great Lakes area we do a lot of boating in Michigan and love the outdoors as a family.

We have 3 smaller children that will be in 1st, 3rd and 6th grade next year. I am coming down to visit in June and my primary goal is to scope out the areas, schools and housing that is available. I want to be in a family friendly area for my kids. They are used to subdivision life and always having a lot of friends to hang with. I also want to keep in mind that as they grow will the area still be nice for just my husband and I. The schools are extremely important and I am looking at housing, at least 4 bdrm for around $250 - $300K.

Without personally have visited MS yet, the internet has provided some information. Can anybody offer some advice as to where they would choose to call home if new to the gulfcoast area? Likewise, the areas that I should stay away from.

Thank you for reading and hopefully someone can give me some advice.

Welcome to the deep south! If you haven't already done so, consider Diamondhead as a home option. It's a self-sufficient community that has many churches and is part of a desirable school district. It's about 50 min from N.O. and close enough to eveything else you could need. Good luck!

[3y1x]

We have lived in Ocean Springs since October. Did you come in June and decide on an area. We have two children, 1st and 3rd grade. I would love to see where you are with the move, what area you decided on, or if you have decided. My husband is a concrete supplier-I wonder if they've met yet?

[chaps]

Yes, I visited in June and had a great time. It was my first time to MS, wish I could've seen it before Katrina hit.

I spent time looking at several areas and decided that if I moved it would definitely be in Ocean Springs. I think it is a great small town but yet has all the imenities our family would need. We haven't put an offer on a house yet, but eventually it will happen. Probably in the fall.

I have children going into 1st, 3rd and 6th grade. Hopefully, when I move it would be great to possibly meet.

If you here of a nice home in a friendly sub with 4 bedrooms and a large yard, pass the info along. I have a realtor keeping her eyes open in case something comes up on the market.

Take care,

[njkate]

Glad to hear all the positive things about Ocean Springs as it & Bay St Louis were on my list of potential early retirement homes pre -katrina.

How is Bay St Louis doing?

[floridasue72]

I live in Ocean Springs and it is an amazing community. Superior School Districts throughout, it's clean and we have a decent amount of boutique shopping. There is a decent amount of locally owned restaurants, such as Martha's Tea Room, homemade quiches, soups, and salads. 2 Sushi restaurants Chef Scotts and Fuze. An excellent greek restaurant called the Phoenician. There are currently two children's boutiques, one called Lexi Lu's which is great and one just to the left. You'll find upscale salon's such as Todd Boswell's and Salon Beadreaux. Again, the school district is amazing..it's worth buying into Ocean Springs for the quality of life. The drive to gulfport is about 40 minutes to D'Iberville about 25 minutes. When I moved here from Colorado three years ago I was use to shopping at Target, the gulf coast doesn't have a Target yet, however there is a rumor that's been floating around for a while that a Target might be going into a D'Iberville shopping corridor. If I need to get my Target fix on, I drive an hour and 10 minutes east to Mobile and there is a super target located off of exit 13 that is nice. The community itself has an annual art festival and is always throwing events to bring the community out together. They are also very big on public parks which is great for children. I've never felt unsafe in the community with my two young children that are 1 and 4.

[njkate]

Originally Posted by floridasue72

I live in Ocean Springs and it is an amazing community. Superior School Districts throughout, it's clean and we have a decent amount of boutique shopping. There is a decent amount of locally owned restaurants, such as Martha's Tea Room, homemade quiches, soups, and salads. 2 Sushi restaurants Chef Scotts and Fuze. An excellent greek restaurant called the Phoenician. There are currently two children's boutiques, one called Lexi Lu's which is great and one just to the left. You'll find upscale salon's such as Todd Boswell's and Salon Beadreaux. Again, the school district is amazing..it's worth buying into Ocean Springs for the quality of life. The drive to gulfport is about 40 minutes to D'Iberville about 25 minutes. When I moved here from Colorado three years ago I was use to shopping at Target, the gulf coast doesn't have a Target yet, however there is a rumor that's been floating around for a while that a Target might be going into a D'Iberville shopping corridor. If I need to get my Target fix on, I drive an hour and 10 minutes east to Mobile and there is a super target located off of exit 13 that is nice. The community itself has an annual art festival and is always throwing events to bring the community out together. They are also very big on public parks which is great for children. I've never felt unsafe in the community with my two young children that are 1 and 4.

Floridasue,

That sounds great. I no longer have kids living at home....what about adult activities besides the casinos? Are there lilttlepubs you can go socialize and have a cocktail? Restaurants?

[chaps]

It just re-affirms me that Ocean Springs could be called home.

I looked at homes from Bay st. Louis , diamondhead to Ocean springs. My liking of Ocean Springs best was based on the amount of damage from Katrina. The Bay St. Louis area seems really nice but their infrastructure is more damaged. It will take time to rebuild and with small children I feel that I didn't want to locate to such a devasteated area. In 10 years it will probably be gourgeous with the Bay.

Ocean Springs seemed to have a wide variety of things to do and cute pubs and restaurants. I liked the pizza place but it's name escaped me that is right on 90 with all the different kinds of beer.

Another thing that excited me about the area was the soccer and sports fields for my kids. There is movie theatres near by, skate zones, etc.. A lot more than in Hancock County.

Hope this helps.