Can anybody tell me any info on gulfport, Mississippi? (Biloxi: homes, casinos) - (MS) - City-Data Forum

nycricanpapi · 02-01-2010, 05:59 PM

I heard so many stories of Mississippi, so I want to see if they are true or not. I heard that it was very racist. My mother is going to Gulfport in February, so I want to make sure she is going to be ok over there. I understand that Mississippi is very country. I checked online it says there is a high percentage of White people. Thereby, there is not much of diversity going on down there. Will the people from over there will be racist towards my mother? Do they get a long with hispanics? Also do the people over there get along with New Yorkers? My mom has a NY accent. What will be the people's reaction if they see a Hispanic person or a person from NY? Well any inputs will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

brickpatio · 02-01-2010, 08:20 PM

The Gulfport-Biloxi area has numerous large military installations, huge Las Vegas style casinos, shipbuilding, NASA, fishermen, and other sources of cultural diversity. It has the cultural influence of New Orleans with its own Mardi Gras. The Mississippi Coast is known for being laid back, fun-loving, tolerant of diversity, and a wonderful place to live.

nycricanpapi · 02-01-2010, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brickpatio

The Gulfport-Biloxi area has numerous large military installations, huge Las Vegas style casinos, shipbuilding, NASA, fishermen, and other sources of cultural diversity. It has the cultural influence of New Orleans with its own Mardi Gras. The Mississippi Coast is known for being laid back, fun-loving, tolerant of diversity, and a wonderful place to live.

Thank you for this insightful post.

Now I can sleep well. I will rep you whenever it allows me to do so.

prsam14 · 02-03-2010, 02:02 AM

Boricua! I can assure you that the gulf coast will be find. I used to be stationed out of Gulfport. Since Katrina, there's been a large number of hispanic that I've notice move into the area. The culture is started to be mixed.

jhadorn · 02-03-2010, 03:37 PM

People have given you an insight to the southern part of Mississippi, so let me tell you about northern Mississippi. My wife and I live in Senatobia, which is about 30 miles south of Memphis, TN and we get along fine.

My wife is from Belize, Central America and is of West Indian, East Indian, and Hispanic descent. People treat her just as they would anyone else, with the exception of the rare narrow-minded person who may make a snide remark. This mostly (come to think of it, pretty much exclusively) happens in the chain restaurant she manages, which has visitors from all over the country.

I think you will find the people of Mississippi much more tolerant and accepting than you think.

SoBelle · 02-23-2010, 10:01 AM

We moved here just a little over a week ago (temporary housing in Ocean Springs while we look for a house) and the people are SO friendly, courteous and neighborly. I moved from South Florida where the people, as a whole, were horrendous to deal with, rude, obnoxious and angry...I mean anger to the excess and I heard some horror stories from people about encounters they had with people when they hadn't done anything to them. I couldn't wait to get out of there! In the short time I've been here in coastal MS, I don't want to leave! I am excited to find "our" home so we can settle in, make friends and enjoy the Southern charm and hospitality! There are lots of organized activities and groups for retirees plus lots of caring people here, so your mother should be just fine. There are "pockets" of crime, racial tension and gang issues all over MS, but that is the exception rather than the rule. My husband is the COO for an agency that builds homes for people who lost theirs to Katrina. He works with and deals with a diverse bunch of people...he LOVES it and they get along well and are like one big happy family. We've taken advantage of the wonderful cuisine that comes with the influx of other cultures and we are ecstatic to have so many culinary options. There is a large Vietnamese population where my husband works and we went to one of their festivals and patronize one of the best French Vietnamese bakeries/cafes in Biloxi called Le Bakery. It's so good Cameron Diaz had them cater an event for her. There's a lot of culture along the coast. Hope that gives you some peace of mind.