Mississippi? (Tupelo, Olive Branch, Memphis: city hall, how much, homes)

[Scotslass]

Hi all, my name is Sarah im from Scotland.

My boyfriend is from MS and he lives with me in Scotland. He always mentions how different it is here to there as he said its really poor in MS and full of ignorance. I visited the South for 3 weeks and noticed the difference between MS and the rest of the South. This may sound stupid but is it really poor there? I was shocked when i visited because i thought America being one of the super power countries wouldn't have allowed such a thing as in Scotland we dont have poverty like there.

Its a shame cos its nice there. Just seems like MS is the only state thats been left so far behind and no one seems to care about how they live there.

Another thing was why does everyone hunt there, it was like a broken record and really annoyed me as no one seemed to like animals or cared about them all they seemed to care about there was just "shootin'" or killin'" for fun. That is just WRONG. I just got the impression that they are all uncivilized because where im from we dont do such things. Is there anything else to do there apart from hunting or shooting?

Anyhow, information would be greatly appreciated, perhaps its just the crowd of people i was exposed to during my stay but you know what they say, first impressions is your last impression.


Take it easy.

[ella345]

The poverty level that you experienced in Mississippi isn't exactly limited to just Mississippi. Unfortunately, this can be seen throughout the US in other states as well. I guess spending billions of dollars on the never-ending war and space operations are more important to our president.

Moreover, the entire state of Mississippi isn't poverty stricken; there are nice areas. I happen to live in one.

Also, hunting is seen as a sport throughout the US, not just Mississippi. I'm not saying that it is ok, because like you, I don't agree with it either. I am an animal lover also.

Next time when you visit, have your boyfriend take you to other areas. The location where you'll were may just be a particular area that he happens to be familiar with.

[Scotslass]

I only passed through Tupelo and Olive branch is it nice there?

With regards to hunting? Why do the majority of people there consider it a sport? Is there no law on it like here, hardly anyone in the Central part of Scotland do it, we have more productive things to do.

I was really put off the whole culture of America because of this.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by Scotslass

Hi all, my name is Sarah im from Scotland.

My boyfriend is from MS and he lives with me in Scotland. He always mentions how different it is here to there as he said its really poor in MS and full of ignorance. I visited the South for 3 weeks and noticed the difference between MS and the rest of the South. This may sound stupid but is it really poor there? I was shocked when i visited because i thought America being one of the super power countries wouldn't have allowed such a thing as in Scotland we dont have poverty like there.

Its a shame cos its nice there. Just seems like MS is the only state thats been left so far behind and no one seems to care about how they live there.

Another thing was why does everyone hunt there, it was like a broken record and really annoyed me as no one seemed to like animals or cared about them all they seemed to care about there was just "shootin'" or killin'" for fun. That is just WRONG. I just got the impression that they are all uncivilized because where im from we dont do such things. Is there anything else to do there apart from hunting or shooting?

Anyhow, information would be greatly appreciated, perhaps its just the crowd of people i was exposed to during my stay but you know what they say, first impressions is your last impression.


Take it easy.

if you think mississippi is poor go to louisiana. we are from there. if you are in louisiana, mississippi looks like properity and progress. all my family is from louisiana. i love mississippi. if your hunters are killing for fun and not eating their kill, they are not true hunters, and we have names for them. i have attended opera and heard a sorbonne concert in mississippi. they support the arts, unlike here.
i regret your impression was negative.
i have never been to scotland but the movies make it look pretty and a lot like san francisco.

stephen s
san diego ca

[aiangel_writer]

Tupelo and Olive Branch are not poor. There are areas of poverty in some sections, but on the whole, the two towns you mentioned are not poor. Olive Branch is now considered a suburb to Memphis which is in the state of Tennessee.

Tupelo, just a few miles from where I live is very progressive. There is the major furniture industry which is where many have worked all their lives. But that industry is fading. We just landed a new industry, the auto industry. Toyota is building a new plant just a couple miles from my house, about a ten minute drive northeast of Tupelo.
Tupelo has a theatre where live performances are given, an orchastra and many cultural festivals.

Hunting has always been something that has been done around these parts. But in recent years, it has become more sport than anything and the older hunters have bowed out. When I was a child, hunting was something that men did, but they brought the bounty back home and it was eaten. Now days, it is purely sport to the younger generation. Same goes with fishing. Many of the older fishermen eat what they catch but many younger ones do not.

No one in my family hunts anymore. My dh has shown my children how to do so if it should ever become necessary, but neither showed any interest in taking it up as a sport, thank goodness.

Mississippi has it's good and it's bad. The coastal areas are rebuilding because of Hurricane Katrina which struck 2 years ago. It caused major destruction to the whole coastal communities along Ms, New Orleans and portions of Alabama. It is still going to take considerable money and time to bring the coast up to a thriving tourist town again. It will never be the old coast, as all the older homes and old trees did not survive the storm.

Middle Mississippi is very poor with very little industry and lack of infrastructure. I believe this is the next big building boom for the state. There are so many Northern people who are coming to the South to live that they need to go somewhere and there is ample land to build on.

Poverty is something one will find in most all of our states. The US as a whole is a very rich and prosperous country, but people do fall through the cracks and this is an area that I doubt will ever be 'fixed'.

I am sorry you did not like our state. Yes, our country is very different from yours culturally, and might take some getting used to.

Maybe if you ever visit again, you can see some of the beauty that our wonderful state has to offer, believe me, there is much we are proud of.

[onwillowbay]

We moved to Olive Branch in April, 2007. Love it here. I agreed about the hunting and can't even tell you anything about it. Olive Branch has a small town atmosphere, an "olde-town" section and the most incredible rolling hills. Close to everything, magnificent churches of most denominations and just driving around is a thrill. The weather today (September 16 was in the mid 70's ...We had the windows opened all day and the breeze was so wonderfully refreshing. I wouldn't live anywhere else. I grew up in Memphis and would not even consider going there. Olive Branch home prices range from about 160 to over $500,000. You can get just about everything here. The Post Office, City Hall, etc. are places where you don't have to stand in line all day to get waited on. Good builder is Reeves Williams (Bethel Park, runs in the $170s). It's a beautiful place.

[Squidlo]

While not a hunter I've lived in communities that do hunt. If you eat meat at all you support the killing of animals for food. People that hunt only for sport in my book have issues. Its sport when the animals have guns too. The brief time I was in the Tupelo area recently it never crossed my mind once what a poor bit of country this is. Its semi-rural perhaps but poor, not at all. Ive lived in two larger American cities, Portland and now San Antonio and briefly in others. I found Mississippi refreshing. Life is simpler but, its honest and isn't pretentious. As far as the president spending Mississippi's money on war and space... take a peek at just how much federal money comes back to Mississippi. I'm going to guess its more than it sends out. (hurricane relief anyone?) Why does Mississippi need to be like everywhere else? If you dont like it stay out or leave. Id like to think it hasn't been spoiled yet.



Squidlo

[Scotslass]

Hey, people here do average things like hiking, swimming, going to movies, a nice bar etc i just find it rather "worrying" that most young people there hunt, i cant stand it and it puts me off people there because i dont believe in it as i think wild animals should be left alone.

My country is diverse, you have the highlands which is very rural but not poor and the lowlands where i live that is semi modern, that keeps its traditional look but like i said before some parts of the states look like 3rd world countries when i compare to Europe. Im glad our government doesn't let us get that bad. I kinda feel sorry for some people out there.

I had no problems in NY state as it seemed like where im from.

I dont want to sound snobbish to everyone here but as you can imagine i expected America to be better than such a small country like Scotland but i guess i was wrong. I do like America but the way politics is run is very much to be desired, Bush is the most hated person on the planet, we all hate him here bc of the war etc.

I'd just like to find somewhere in America that wasn't pro hunting and pro gun that felt normal to me as like in Scotland we can live in peace without the need for firearms.

[aiangel_writer]

We are a country with our own cultures that go back many years. Although our present political arena is not where many would like it, the great thing is we have elections to rectify problems, that is why we are a democracy. It is the best political system world wide for a reason.

If you do choose to settle here in our country, please, learn our customs, you don't have to like them, but in order to understand us, one has to get to know us. If you come across as snobbish, people will tend to treat you as an outsider. Yes, we are very different from your mother country, but that does not mean we are a bad place.

As to the hunting issue, as stated before, there are many who hunt for sport who are frowned upon as they don't have a true reason for hunting. Many people still hunt and eat what they kill. This is as much a part of American culture and history as the Civil War. They are not apt to change. I'm afraid with your attitude, you will not make many friends here. We are a proud people and do not like being looked down on, especially within our own borders.

blessings...aiangel

[Scotslass]

Im not looking down upon your culture there are just some things that I dont agree on. We are a democracy too just like America.

Im an average hard working person who lives in a semi rural part of the west of Scotland so I wouldn't say I was a snob. I've been to America many times, my partner is American and I know alot about your culture. The rest of America I like but im not going to agree to something just to make friends, thats just fake in Scotland we speak our mind and if people dont like it we say "feck em!"

It sounds like you dont know anything about my country, most Americans i know are very into our culture and how friendly we are. Most have ancestors and there are alot of Americans who move here because they hate the way everything is so lax and attitudes stink

I hope this has cleared some issues up because I think you were getting defensive for nothing. I've noticed that about Americans they hate criticism, here we are very open about issues thats why we move on and try and improve.

No hard feelings eh.