?? Jackson, TN ???

[JMT]

Originally Posted by TomNashville

Um, okay, that's an exaggeration. Jackson is a full 80 miles from Memphis and Memphis is not growing terribly fast. Western Fayette County is only just now starting to fill in, and it's not even close to being full.

I agree with the earlier post, Memphis is definitely spreading towards Jackson. The Memphis suburbs along I-40 are booming, Arlington and Lakeland are among Tennessee's fastest growing cities. And it'll keep creeping east towards Jackson as more and more people flee Memphis. Shelby County as a whole is barely growing, but it's more of a population shift: people escape the city of Memphis and move to the suburbs. Fayette County will someday soon resemble eastern Shelby County, which 20 years ago was still overwhelmingly rural.

In other words, Jackson is doomed to resemble Memphis.

[TomNashville]

The only cities that have suburban areas that extend 80 miles from the city center are huge metropolises (New York, L.A., Chicago, San Francisco, etc.) and I don't see Memphis becoming like any of those any time soon. Real estate prices in east Shelby have not increased to the point that there's any point in moving beyond Fayette or Tipton County, and probably won't any time soon. The thought that Jackson will become something of a bedroom community for Memphis is unlikely. For that to happen, there would have to be a lot of people moving to Memphis from elsewhere rather than just Memphians fleeing to the suburbs. There's also a lot of relatively undeveloped land on the Arkansas side of the river that's just a few miles from downtown Memphis.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by TomNashville

The only cities that have suburban areas that extend 80 miles from the city center are huge metropolises (New York, L.A., Chicago, San Francisco, etc.) and I don't see Memphis becoming like any of those any time soon. Real estate prices in east Shelby have not increased to the point that there's any point in moving beyond Fayette or Tipton County, and probably won't any time soon. The thought that Jackson will become something of a bedroom community for Memphis is unlikely. For that to happen, there would have to be a lot of people moving to Memphis from elsewhere rather than just Memphians fleeing to the suburbs. There's also a lot of relatively undeveloped land on the Arkansas side of the river that's just a few miles from downtown Memphis.

People aren't fleeing Memphis because of high real estate prices. On the contrary, the city of Memphis has some of the most affordable housing in the state, if not in the country. Eastern Shelby County is hardly a bedroom community anymore of Memphis. Very few people in Germantown or Collierville commute into Memphis to work anymore. FedEx started the charge when it moved 3,000 employees to Collierville. First Tennessee soon followed. As more and more businesses leave downtown Memphis for eastern Shelby County, people in eastern Shelby County, and now Fayette County, hardly ever even venture into downtown Memphis anymore. Just look at how many empty high-rises there are in downtown Memphis. And in spite of incredibly cheap commercial rates in downtown Memphis, it continues to decay.

As you hinted at, if a lot of people still worked in downtown Memphis, then the Arkansas suburbs would've been growing a lot faster than they have (and they haven't been growing at all).

If you want more concrete evidence of the eastbound population shift of Memphis, just look at the malls. Raleigh Springs? Dead (well, except for a new Wal-Mart). Mall of Memphis? Dead. Hickory Ridge? Dying. Oak Court? Dying. Twenty years ago no one would've thought that the Mall of Memphis or Hickory Ridge would become ghost towns. But they have, and I can guarantee you that if current trends continue, the same fate will befall Wolfchase and Collierville.

As Memphis businesses continue to flee eastward along I-40, soon Jackson will be within easy driving distance of Memphis suburban sprawl. Poor Jackson can only watch and hold its breath.

[neeseg]

I moved to Jackson 36 years ago from Nashville....would never go back. The downtown area has be revitalized after the tornado. It is looking great. There is alot of growth in shopping areas north and not south is catching on. Crime is a problem in almost every city. We have our share but, there is an intense push to correst the problem. Teh people are friendly, we have Double A baseball, symphoney, local theater, loads of private schools, great weather, nedw travel baseball complex, and more restaurants than you could ever eat in. The have owned several businesses here, sat on the County Commission and City Council. Things are looking up for Jackson

[takemebacknorth]

Originally Posted by Boris

I've never heard of anyone who just LOVES Jackson other than their Chamber of Commerce officials. But it's not a bad place. You'll notice that the vast majority of posts in this forum are for people who want to live in the eastern half of Tennessee, and there's a good reason for that. If I absolutely wanted to live in Tennessee, I'd check out the eastern part of the state, say from Nashville on east.

Jackson isn't a bad place, but it's got many of the same problems as Memphis. It's kind of like a smaller version of Memphis. Around the interstate you've got new developments, but once you venture into the city you'll find crack neighborhoods, lousy schools, racial tension, and a run-down downtown that is merely a shadow of its former glory.

I live just outside Jackson, moved here in 1995. It is the most God-awful, backwards, redneck, racist, drug ridden piece of earth I have ever experienced. We are moving back to Wisconsin as soon as we can. There are more bad drivers per capita in West Tennessee than anywhere else on earth. And NO ONE here cares about the quality of education in the public schools. It is a disgrace.

[heathersmom]

all I know about jackson is that every time i read about it or hear about it I have to sing " I'm going to Jackson..." by Johnny Cash. Good luck

[MomsTn]

Originally Posted by takemebacknorth

There are more bad drivers per capita in West Tennessee than anywhere else on earth.

Ummmmmmm, have you driven in Minnesota lately?
Around the Twin Cities....
Road Rage....
Big time....

[Golfpro45]

There are about a million better cities to retire in other than Jackson. Some people say that the crime is locked into an area South of I40 but I know firsthand that it's just not true. The upper middle class is being targeted in Northwest Jackson and I was a victim. Crime is only overstated until it happens in your home.

Best of luck!

[Mattie W]

Originally Posted by AppalachianAngler

I've been to Jackson many times and I do not like it at all. It is just an ugly place, in my humble opinion. Crime, run down neighborhoods & downtown area. Not a very good place for retirement. I think Memphis is about an hour and a half away if you want to go to a bigger city for the weekend. And Nashville is a couple hours away.

If you end moving, look for neighborhoods in the North Jackson area.

Middle or East TN would be much better as others have recommended. Middle TN will probably be more costly, however. East TN (other than Knoxville & Chattanooga) will probably be about the same as Jackson. Johnson City, TN - in the northeast part of the state in the mountains - is about the same size as Jackson, TN with much better areas and activites. Plenty of great things for retirees. Just my 2 cents.

I currently live in North Jackson, all the above is true and then some...I can't even go to Mall for fear of being mugged....