Help, where to go?? (Jackson, Hattiesburg: rent, low crime, homes)

[xfallenxxx]

Helloooo! Currently I am living in Pennsylvania near Harrisburg with my fiance, dog and unborn child. We really really really want to live in Mississippi. I am trying to find the best place to live...
Criteria:

-Very little snow/cold weather
-Close to a river/lake
-Great place to fish and hunt
-Great friendly people
-Low Crime
-Good school
-Good Christian churches
-within driving distance to a big(ish) city (half hour-hour)
-within driving distance to beaches (2-4 hrs)
-Decent jobs
-we are also in our early twenties so some fun things to do
-culture/arts

any information would really help!!!

[xfallenxxx]

**money is not a huge issue either
housing- 100k-200k or rent for 800-1200
i will have my business mgm degree in Dec 2011

[lhpartridge]

Originally Posted by xfallenxxx

Helloooo! Currently I am living in Pennsylvania near Harrisburg with my fiance, dog and unborn child. We really really really want to live in Mississippi. I am trying to find the best place to live...
Criteria:

-Very little snow/cold weather
-Close to a river/lake
-Great place to fish and hunt
-Great friendly people
-Low Crime
-Good school
-Good Christian churches
-within driving distance to a big(ish) city (half hour-hour)
-within driving distance to beaches (2-4 hrs)
-Decent jobs
-we are also in our early twenties so some fun things to do
-culture/arts

any information would really help!!!

Hattiesburg or the surrounding area fulfills most of your criteria.

[gvillesux]

Jackson is the only big-ish city in MS. Little Rock, New Orleans, Mobile, and Memphis are the only bigger cities nearby that i can think of off hand. since you want within 4 hours of the beach, that means south MS. i agree that Hattiesburg or it's surrounding area fits the bill nicely.

[An Einnseanair]

What everyone else said. Anywhere in MS is good for little snow, but even down here the winters do occasionally get cold. The off-side is that the summers can be unspeakably hot and humid.

You'll find more "good Christian churches" than you will ever be able to visit. People will generally be friendly to you if you're friendly to them, but as a "yankee" it may take some time for them to warm up to you and accept you as a local (maybe they'll let their grandkids play with your grandkids).

Jackson is the largest City, but it's only about 175k inside the city itself and about 300k-400k in the urban area including immediate suburbs. Madison or Ridgeland north of Jackson meets most of your "urban", lake, and hunting (Pearl River WMA) requirements, and I think they have decent schools (no recent personal experience). The down side is that north Jackson is almost 4-hours to the MS coast and even farther to the nicer beaches to the east in AL and FL.

Hattiesburg is another option, but not perfect. It's probably smaller than you wanted (about 50-60k or so people), but there's a decent-sized college (Southern Miss) so it will have a little more diversity than your average MS town. It's about 1.5 hours to the MS beaches and about 3 hours to the nicer beaches over in Gulf Shores (aka the "Redneck Riviera"). There are several public hunting areas within a few hours drive. One problem is the lack of a large lake or river. I know you can fish on the Leaf River, but I don't know about water sports (skiing, etc.).

[Tama]

Hattiesburg is actually more heavily populated than the 40k figure due to a very small city limit with burgeoning 'burbs. There is a lake--and rivers--and Mobile and New Orleans would be your biggish cities. When I was of the age for "fun things" to do here there wasn't much. But now there is a music scene and as parents and churchgoers you will probably be plenty busy.

Your housing and school requirements might lend themselves to Petal more than the area to the west of town. Petal is a few minutes away and an incorporated smalll town. There are homes around lakes there in your price range. I am from PA also and I don't think the area here will be lacking in much that you are used to--unless Harrisburg has changed quite a bit since I have been there!

The other locale might be the coast area around Ocean Springs. Also, Oxford--home of Ole Miss--with Memphis being the biggish city.

Paul B Johnson State Park, a Mississippi State Park near Hattiesburg, Petal
Hattiesburg Visitors Center: About the City | Visit Hattiesburg, Mississippi - Visit Hattiesburg, Mississippi (http://www.hattiesburg.org/visitors-center/about-hattiesburg-mississippi/ - broken link)
About Petal: Petal Area Chamber of Commerce
City of Ocean Springs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Oxford Mississippi Convention & Visitors Bureau, Oxford, MS

[MrBeluksee]

I would think, based on your criteria, the only place for you to live would be the Coast, it meets all of the needs you have listed. Hattiesburg is close, but it does not offer the variety of entertainment venues you would find on the coast, plus, I dont think it would offer the same job opportunities...which are limited in supply no matter where you go. We have fine beaches on the MS Coast, and the islands offer a nice excursion if you need to see pretty blue-green water ; I see no need to go to Gulf Shores, other than a beach, which we have here, there is not much to do there. You are only one hour away from NO if you need a bigger city.