Petal, MS information

[usm2009]

Originally Posted by tjt

Hi,
My family is also thinking about moving to the Hattiesburg area for job related reasons. Both my husband and myself were born and raised in Floirda and have never moved away from here. So.. a move is really scary for us. When we were younger gowing up in the Lakeland, Floirda area it was much smaller, less crowed, and much cheaper to live.. of course. But all the hussle and bustle and over crowdedness is driving us crazy now. My husband has the opportunity to move for job related reasons to the Hattiesburg area. We would like a small town maybe outside of the city of Hattiesburg to live in that's not so busy. - but also not too far from Hattiesburg. We were thinking about Petal but would like more information on the taxes and fees..etc that was metioned above. Are you saying that Sumrall is much cheaper on property taxes, etc??? It is further away form Hattiesburg, correct? We are by far not wealthy people and were looking to buy around the 150k to 180k amount. Is it possible in a nice neighborhood for maybe 3/4 of an acre or so? That's what we have here and is plenty of property for us, but not door to door. Is there any place in Petal or Sumrall that you can tell us to stay away from? We have many, many places here in Lakeland, Floirda that I would diffently not live. We just don't want to make a mistake in our area of choosing. We are planning a trip the 1st week of July to look around. Can you give us any suggested areas in looking? We also thought about finding a realtor to help with some information. - taxes, electric, water, cable pricing etc. We just want to get as much information and do as much research as possible before we make a move. I know I may be asking a lot - but any information will help.

Thanks for help!!!

I grew up in a suburb right outside of Hattiesburg called Rawls Springs. It is located about 5 miles from Hattiesburg and is about 8 miles from Sumrall. I lived in Petal for a while and owned a home in Pecan Lakes a s/d about 10 minutes from Hattiesburg. The homes are priced around 100-150 thousand and the bills were not outrageous. There is a s/d called Pecan Lakes in Petal that is really nice and afforable (the home mentioned above). they have a website and numbers on it if you would like to call. Rawls Springs is also right outside of city limits and has cheaper property taxes. Some new homes are being built on Pitts Rd that have a lot of land. But, whether you chose Petal, Sumrall, Rawls Springs, or Oak Grove, all are good choices and not a bad commute to USM.

[mswoodsrat]

I grew up in Sumrall when it was a very small town and before the recent growth. I now live on the MS gulf coast. My wife and I own a home on acreage inside the Sumrall city limits and plan to retire there. We lease it and I was up last weekend preparing it to lease. The lease holder recently moved into their new home. Sumrall is a small, quiet town. You can find land at very reasonable prices. You stated you are looking in the 150-180K range. Land in/around Sumrall ranges from 4-10K per acre. The Consumer Living Index is 82. The U.S. average is 100, so it is below average cost to live there. There are some new sub divisions being built ranging from 110-200+K. However, they are mostly spec houses. I would suggest buying a few acres and building a home, which you can do inside your price range. Folks in Sumrall are laid back, easy going and friendly. The schools are level 5, the highest rating in MS. They now average around 90-100 kids per grade. If you want more info,


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[Sure1988]

Originally Posted by igloo

ACOTE: Thanks for the information. I will definitely look at Sumrall now. Anything negative I should know about the area, i.e. receptive to newcomers, mixed race children (both of ours are adopted & we are white) accepted, etc. Thanks again for any further info. Also my thanks to TAMA for the information provided.

Hello, I too live in the Westbrook Subdivision in Sumrall, MS. My family and I have lived there for almost 2 years now. My next door neighbor refuses to speak or wave at any of us. My 13 year old daughter was so hurt that the lady next door stared at her and snatched her head when she waved and spoke to her. Her husband will speak to us and chat briefly with my husband but you can tell it is not genuine. He was actually at another neighbor's house and my husband blew and waved and neither of them repsonded. Our friendliest 2 neighbors have moved away. My husband and I are both from bi-racial heritages, but we are African American. I lived in Petal for 2 years and loved it. However, I have friends that do not share my sentiment. There are going to be racists almost everywhere you go. I do not recommend Sumrall.