What's So Bad About Mississippi? (Jackson, Biloxi: crime rates, credit, hotels)

[Inn Genius]

I keep hearing how bad Mississippi is, lots of poverty, obesity, bad education, bad race relations, swampy, humid, not much to do, but how true is all this?

I've never been to Mississippi I admit it but I looked on Google Maps and other photos of some of the Gulf Coastal areas and they don't look too bad. Beaches seem to be nice and some of the towns like Biloxi have some great entertainment. Casinos, Hard Rock Cafe, and other amusement like a small-scale Las Vegas.

Really now, how bad can it be? Is race still a problem? Nobody is segregated or forced to eat at separate counters or move to the back of the bus like it used to be in the south.

How about the poverty? Is it really so horrible? After that last recession you won't find too many people livng high and mighty anywhere. If you want to see poverty go to Detroit and some old east coast cities where the industry is all but gone. How bad are conditions in Mississippi? It can't be anything like the old sharecropper shacks, or the old stereotype of fat suspender-wearing hicks driving beat-up trucks can it?

How about bugs, snakes, or alligators? The media makes it look like Mississippi is a bug-infested wasteland with snakes and gators living in swamps in everybody's yard. Can't be all true now can it?

I just need some reassurance that Mississippi isn't the Hell pit it's made out to be. I have a hard time believing what I read or see on T.V.

[Southern man]

Originally Posted by Inn Genius

The media makes it look like Mississippi is .

I do believe you have hit the nail right smack on the head.

[Listener2307]

Inn Genius, you keep it up and you will soon engage yourself in a lifetime of travel. I did. Stayed traveling and mostly on the road from 1963 till 2010. I wish I could start all over.

Nah. Things are fine here.

Come see.

[annie_himself]

LOL there's barely gators in Mississippi.

But depending on where you come from it can be depressing. Some towns like Natchez and Biloxi can be charming. I love Natchez, waiting for Baton Rouge to grab it in our CSA.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by Inn Genius

I keep hearing how bad Mississippi is, lots of poverty, obesity, bad education, bad race relations, swampy, humid, not much to do, but how true is all this?

I've never been to Mississippi I admit it but I looked on Google Maps and other photos of some of the Gulf Coastal areas and they don't look too bad. Beaches seem to be nice and some of the towns like Biloxi have some great entertainment. Casinos, Hard Rock Cafe, and other amusement like a small-scale Las Vegas.

Really now, how bad can it be? Is race still a problem? Nobody is segregated or forced to eat at separate counters or move to the back of the bus like it used to be in the south.

How about the poverty? Is it really so horrible? After that last recession you won't find too many people livng high and mighty anywhere. If you want to see poverty go to Detroit and some old east coast cities where the industry is all but gone. How bad are conditions in Mississippi? It can't be anything like the old sharecropper shacks, or the old stereotype of fat suspender-wearing hicks driving beat-up trucks can it?

How about bugs, snakes, or alligators? The media makes it look like Mississippi is a bug-infested wasteland with snakes and gators living in swamps in everybody's yard. Can't be all true now can it?

I just need some reassurance that Mississippi isn't the Hell pit it's made out to be. I have a hard time believing what I read or see on T.V.

How bad is the poverty? You should look into something called, "The Mississippi Delta" that area is flatter than any part of the great plains, and has been historically great farming land with very little to no urbanization throughout its history, very little infrastructure. Consequently, the Delta is the poorest region of the state, where over 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. Yes, people live in shacks, trailers that are over 40 years old and have seen no restorative efforts, closed up and crumbling buildings and store fronts caused by people leaving the area. The Delta has seen a consistent population loss for some 50 years now. It really is what people envision when they think about Mississippi. Beat up trucks, people with accents so thick that some Americans may need a translator, it's all true in the Delta.

The Gulf Coast of Mississippi is very well to do, offering the 3rd largest assortment of casinos of any area in the country after Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Some very high quality and desirable hotels there that are frequented by famous people, Jay Leno was there last year. The Gulf Coast has decent beaches, good food, and a touristy side to it as well, the area is still rebuilding from Katrina in 2005, but most places have been rebuilt or restored, but the scars of that storm still show in areas of the city.

The rest of Mississippi is much like the rest of the Deep South. Going from small town Mississippi to small town Alabama to small town Louisiana you won't find many differences. Of course small towns in the deep south are still vastly different from small towns in the north.

The one area that holds Mississippi back the most is the lack of a major metro area. Jackson, the state's largest city is sitting at about 175,000 people and a metro of 535,000, which is midsized but nothing spectacular. Inner city Jackson is in trouble and has been on the decline for decades, continued population loss, a dwindling tax base, increased crime rates, etc. Jackson's suburbs have been prospering, even through the recession growth remained steady in its well to do suburbs of Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, and Brandon.

It may surprise some people but the average household income in the United States is $53,000 per year, in Madison Mississippi it's $101,000 per year, and Mississippi enjoys the lowest cost of living of any state in the country, so your dollar WILL go further.

The University of Mississippi (Ole' Miss), located in Oxford, was recently in the lime light of the news for curing a baby of AIDS, the first cure for a baby with AIDS in the world. While Mississippi may have the lowest household income of any state ($36,000 per year), the highest obesity rate, the highest poverty rate, the second lowest high school completion rate, and one of the highest teen pregnancy rates, it all depends on where you live. As I stated above, the Delta drags down the rest of the state. IF the Delta were not included in the state's statistics and demographics, you would see Mississippi climb at least 10 spots on many of these national rankings. Certain areas of the state are growing and doing well, most areas are stagnant or growing slowly, and some areas, mainly the Delta, are shrinking. Mississippi is what you make it, most of the people here seem to like it and know what their state has to offer, travelers will be impressed with the state's history and how far it has come in the past 150 years. It's all about what you make it.

[ColdAilment]

Originally Posted by annie_himself

LOL there's barely gators in Mississippi.

But depending on where you come from it can be depressing. Some towns like Natchez and Biloxi can be charming. I love Natchez, waiting for Baton Rouge to grab it in our CSA.

I'm not sure what you consider barely any, but there are at least a dozen Alligators at Lake Okatibee right outside of Meridian Mississippi, located in the central/eastern part of the state.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Cleveland, which is in the Mississippi Delta, has an Italian Festival in March and an October Fest in...well, you guess which month.

[LCSDays]

While I have never lived in Mississippi, I think it is a very beautiful state. The people are friendly and the Ole Miss campus is one of the most gorgeous I have ever seen.

That being said, as a visitor, I have never paid too much attention to the poverty or obesity of the locals. Perhaps that is a mistake. It is just not something I pay attention to while driving through.

Poverty is a strange and insidious creature. It is everywhere, not just Mississippi. It comes and goes like a bad relative and it always comes at the worse time. People can change it. They just have to want to. The bottom line is, many people do not.

Obesity is not a reason to make a life decision on residence or location. If obese people bother you, look around, They are everywhere. Why does it bother you now? Why would it bother you if you were in Mississippi? Most obese people live the life they want. If they wanted, they could change it.

[pathseeker]

Originally Posted by Southern man

I do believe you have hit the nail right smack on the head.

Mississippi to me seems like such a hidden gem and the folks I talk to from here have tended to be some of the most easy going people I've encountered.

I also find Southerners to be far more intelligent than the media and its sheeple give them credit for being.

[sammyreynolds1977]

Originally Posted by LCSDays

While I have never lived in Mississippi, I think it is a very beautiful state. The people are friendly and the Ole Miss campus is one of the most gorgeous I have ever seen.

That being said, as a visitor, I have never paid too much attention to the poverty or obesity of the locals. Perhaps that is a mistake. It is just not something I pay attention to while driving through.

Poverty is a strange and insidious creature. It is everywhere, not just Mississippi. It comes and goes like a bad relative and it always comes at the worse time. People can change it. They just have to want to. The bottom line is, many people do not.

Obesity is not a reason to make a life decision on residence or location. If obese people bother you, look around, They are everywhere. Why does it bother you now? Why would it bother you if you were in Mississippi? Most obese people live the life they want. If they wanted, they could change it.

Most of the obesity and poverty problems are in the Delta. The Mississippi Delta unfortunately is the same has it was 60 yrs ago. No growth what so ever.