Pros and Cons of Meridian MS (hotel, homes, live)

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by sparkle60

At present, crime in Meridian is rampant. Probably worse than it has ever been. One would be very wise to stay away from this overgrown cesspool.

I have noticed this too. All I hear about is burglaries and shootings every weekend...it's not even a big city. Why are things so bad here?

[red61949]

Meridian is a city in decline. Not much work here and wages are low. Cost of living is low. Lately crime has been bad, but that's probably a nationwide trend. Good hospitals and a great VA clinic. Rents are low. Bonita lakes is a wonderful 4400 acre city park. Cheap place to live for seniors...

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by red61949

Meridian is a city in decline. Not much work here and wages are low. Cost of living is low. Lately crime has been bad, but that's probably a nationwide trend. Good hospitals and a great VA clinic. Rents are low. Bonita lakes is a wonderful 4400 acre city park. Cheap place to live for seniors...

How long has Meridian been in decline for?

[BradfromNO]

Goodness, must be 30 years. But don't let the word fool you, it is still working. Just really slow,
as is most of MS, as is most of the world right now. The little theater there is excellent, the symphony
is too, the college and medical communities are alive and well. Meridian takes in millions from the people
who flow in everyday from the surrounding piney woods and spend all their money there. It's safe to say
if the economy picks up, boards will come down and the town will breathe again. Crime is up everywhere
it would seem. There are not many jobs there and people need to steal to live in a lot of parts of the town.
But I lived there ten years and never felt really unsafe. I just understand the delicate balance between
black and white, having lived it nearly everywhere I have been. Whites fear of blacks and blacks mistrust of
whites is a long-ingrained thing. Once you just live your own life and stop worrying about the boogeyman,
things look alot brighter.

[Glad2bHere!]

Originally Posted by BradfromNO

Goodness, must be 30 years. But don't let the word fool you, it is still working. Just really slow,
as is most of MS, as is most of the world right now. The little theater there is excellent, the symphony
is too, the college and medical communities are alive and well. Meridian takes in millions from the people
who flow in everyday from the surrounding piney woods and spend all their money there. It's safe to say
if the economy picks up, boards will come down and the town will breathe again. Crime is up everywhere
it would seem. There are not many jobs there and people need to steal to live in a lot of parts of the town.
But I lived there ten years and never felt really unsafe. I just understand the delicate balance between
black and white, having lived it nearly everywhere I have been. Whites fear of blacks and blacks mistrust of
whites is a long-ingrained thing. Once you just live your own life and stop worrying about the boogeyman,
things look alot brighter.

Not to get into thread drift....I just wanted to dovetail on that last little bit about Blacks and Whites.

I tend to follow MPB (Miss. Public Broadcasting) a lot and there was an interesting report on how Blacks and White interact and are building on a growing trust level in the Miss. Delta Area. Apparently this effort routinely gets sabotaged....or at least undercut.....by various folks who seek to benefit from keeping things as they are. All the same there have been some recent elections of forward-thinking individuals who are looking to enhance change and I think thats hopeful. Just sayin.......

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by Glad2bHere!

Not to get into thread drift....I just wanted to dovetail on that last little bit about Blacks and Whites.

I tend to follow MPB (Miss. Public Broadcasting) a lot and there was an interesting report on how Blacks and White interact and are building on a growing trust level in the Miss. Delta Area. Apparently this effort routinely gets sabotaged....or at least undercut.....by various folks who seek to benefit from keeping things as they are. All the same there have been some recent elections of forward-thinking individuals who are looking to enhance change and I think thats hopeful. Just sayin.......

I think I read the same article. Dealt with Greenwood and Greenville, both in the delta region which had recently elected white mayors, even the recently passed away mayor of Greenville was white, and this is in town that have a 60%+ black population.

Hell, even in Meridian the mayor is Cherri Berri, she's a white woman and Meridian is about 55% black, may not be the delta here but I can't say it's much better.

[BradfromNO]

Originally Posted by Onemoreyear

Counting down the days till I leave. Can't be soon enough.

What a coincidence! Me TOO! Bye-bye now.

[BradfromNO]

Originally Posted by sparkle60

At present, crime in Meridian is rampant. Probably worse than it has ever been. One would be very wise to stay away from this overgrown cesspool.

Wow, NINE posts on City-Data, that surely means you are an authority, so I'll have to defer to you I guess.
There is nothing wrong with Meridian that a UHaul won't cure, in fact they should give a free rental to everyone
who thinks the way you do. Meridian is a fine city of fine people. THINGS ARE TOUGH ALL OVER, and people
who used to get work in the olden days now can't get work. Lots of times its because they used to be
employable when there were jobs everywhere. Now that there AREN'T, employers have to actually use an
interview to weed out people who, for lack of a better phrase, act the way you do. HR People can sniff out
a chronic complainer and they usually pass. Good for them. Used to be good work for malcontents in factories
that are now in Mexico and Bangaladesh.

[Penguinisha3]

Do your research! No, the crime is not the worst it has ever been. Yes, Meridian, at times can be a boring place to live. So, move and stop complaining. It is meant to be a retirement community. It is a small town to raise your kids safely. The crimes which have happened have been broadcast more these days than they used to be. But, that is not the case. Our crime rate falls below 4 other cities in the state. So, it's not the worst. Crime is everywhere.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by Penguinisha3

Do your research! No, the crime is not the worst it has ever been. Yes, Meridian, at times can be a boring place to live. So, move and stop complaining. It is meant to be a retirement community. It is a small town to raise your kids safely. The crimes which have happened have been broadcast more these days than they used to be. But, that is not the case. Our crime rate falls below 4 other cities in the state. So, it's not the worst. Crime is everywhere.

I do my research. Crime may not be the worst ever here, but it's especially bad when women who are working out at the gym have a strange man walk in and hold them all at gunpoint and ask for their purses, or when a clerk at the Verizon Wireless store is held up at gunpoint and told to empty the register, or when a women getting into her car in front of Books A Million is held up at gunpoint and purse snatched. It's especially bad when for months on end all you hear on the news is about another burglary, another auto theft, another shooting, etc. Meridian has a lot of people afraid to be on the streets after sunset. The Mayor came out with a speech and pledged all her resources to curbing the trend in crime, the very same day another shooting occurred. Meridian has some gang problems that are not being fully addressed, things have been getting worse here for awhile. Eventually, the crime will become so bad that businesses will begin to move out of the city and then Meridian really will look like Greenville.