Relocation Ridgeland/Brandon/Midland questions--ANY answers appreciated!! (Jackson, Clinton: apartments, HOA)

[SouthernBelleNC]

Hello. My family is embarking on a relocation. We initially wanted to live on the Reservoir for boating, seadooing and kayaking but from what I have read and Googled, with 3 Golden Retrievers and 3 children living on the Reservoir may be asking for serious trouble (youngest child is 5). Are there alligator attacks on larger animals on the Reservoir, if there is one child attack (which I haven't found in archives yet) that option is history. One yes for small animal attack is enough to convince me.

Where do you recommend a family look on the outskirts of Jackson--Reunion looks lovely.

Our priorities comingle into safety, location and schools--public/private????

How are taxes?

Red clay I've heard is a problem (though I'm from TN so I've seen it, built on it--is it that different?) as well as sewer systems not being hooked up-not a big deal if its available to the property. Am I missing anything?

Any other tidbits you could provide would be greatly appreciated. I'm just a mom and wife trying to look out for her family and become a great neighbor/friend in Mississippi. Thank you in advance.
Liz

[jacksonian]

Are there alligators in the Reservoir? Yes.
Do they live near the houses? No.

Alligators require a specific type of habitat to survive. The residential areas along the banks of the Reservoir have been designed to make it safe and aesthetically pleasing. The lots directly on the water's edge are usually at least 2' higher than the water's surface, sometimes more. Not only that, but the banks are clean of debris, wet grass, etc and do not attract alligators. Every alligator I have ever seen there has been in the very north portion of the Reservoir, which is a refuge area that has no buildings at all (just north of Hwy 43) and further up the Pearl River.

[Arrowette]

I've never heard of anyone seeing an alligator in the Ridgeland portion of the reservoir - only in the northern, uninhabited part and in parts of Rankin county. HOWEVER, something you ought to think about if you are considering living in Ridgeland is that the city has a firm law on the maximum number of dogs - it's 3. There's no way to get around it. And since you have three dogs already, it may be a bad idea to buy a house in a place where you can't have any others. Even if you don't want any more dogs, sometimes dogs find you, y'know?

I'd never, ever live in Ridgeland for that reason.

Rankin county, including Brandon, has a reputation for being racist.

The city of Madison has incredibly anal HOA's and the mayor recently made it an *arrestable crime* to violate your HOA agreement.

Honestly, there's nowhere in the Jackson area I would want to own a house except Jackson proper and perhaps Gluckstadt.

[poptones]

Are you set on Jackson? Do you have jobs there? Because Grenada lake is also rich with outdoor potential and you can live there very economically.

[Scott365]

Funny you should ask about gators. I just saw a gator being captured by police today on the Jackson news. There have been reported gator attacks on family pets at the reservoir although it is very rare. It's a wrong place wrong time thing for the pet. Most of what you see is a resident snapping a pic of a gator just off the water in their back yard if they literally live on the rez. It's the same as deer roaming through a back yard in the middle of winter... just part of our surroundings.

Red clay is a problem around here. Most foundational problems can be found near the reservoir. Reunion is nice and many folks like it though it is pricey. The benefit of Reunion is knowing your neighbors have the same standards of quality that you share, but that is also the view of most new Madisonians.

Been living in Jackson a long time. My thoughts on the surrounding counties:
Hinds - County of the city of Jackson and where I grew up. I have fond memories of Jackson, but it has changed a lot. Crazy high taxes, common thievery (bikes and anything easily accessible) and Jackson tries to annex other parts of Hinds county every few years cause they "need" more tax revenue
Madison - uppity and good people just trying to move to the top of the corporate ladder
Rankin - good hearted and traditional southern folk earning a living and proud of it

More specifically on the cities:
Reservoir and Flowood - The people remind me of a mix between Nashville and Tampa. Weird I know, but it's mostly folks that like being near the water and like to have fun. Many singles and families along with progressives. The area is documented as the 2nd highest family income in the Jackson area.
Brandon - People are nice and more country in nature, houses are more affordable, but Brandon is far away from corporate life which is why houses get more expensive in the north portion of the city (where you'll find corporate Jackson)
Madison - (the city which resides in Madison county) has the highest family income in the state which means it's the "Martha's Vineyard" of the area.
Ridgeland - Nice area, but locals are worried about it's future since shopping keeps moving north and some Jackson crime has been crossing the borders into Ridgeland.
Clinton - I went to college there. Nice area, but kind of like Ridgeland. Crime is starting to spread there which is scaring some locals.
Jackson - Pretty much a small Memphis. Middle class flight happened a few years back so much of jackson is in disrepair. i'm hoping that will change in the next few years thanks to private businesses improving fondren and a lot of government funding to revitalize downtown.

Jackson taxes are ridiculous. Madison and Rankin county taxes are ok right now, but both areas have experienced a huge surge in population over the last decade. I would think that means taxes will eventually rise.

I would think Madison meets all your priorities. Schooling... public is fine but keep your kids in advanced courses. If not crazy about advanced courses, send them to private school. I would also say Flowood would be great. It's very convenient to Madison, Jackson and the reservoir. Feel free to send me a private message if you have more detailed questions.

[Movingsoonsuggestions]

Hi,

I'm moving soon, and attending the MC law school, located downtown. As much as I would like to walk to school every day, I am getting the impression that it might be wise to consider living in one of the outlying areas? Yes?

[brickpatio]

There are some nice apartment buildings downtown but they are on the pricey side. Check out the King Edward,the Plaza building, Electric 308, and Standard Life Flats.

The first neighborhood next to downtown is Belhaven, bordered by State Street, Fortification, and Riverside Drive around Belhaven University. This area has lots of apartments and garage apartments...you can't go wrong in Belhaven.

For newer complexes, Flowood has quite a few along Lakeland Drive and does Ridgeland along Rice Rd and Lake Harbour Drive.