Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A few years ago we hosted a visitor from Ukraine. She was a TV personality in her town and it was arranged by The State Department for her to stay with a local Mississippi family. So we got her for about a week.
When she left she said (her English was excellent) that she was going to go home and greet everyone and wave to everyone the way we did around here and people were going to think she was crazy!
My Sister, who lived in Switzerland for two years, had the same observation, calling the Swiss "dour" and "unfriendly".
For the most part Americans are happy, friendly people. But the South takes it up a notch.
You should have seen my family's reaction to some of the people around Vicksburg...
The hotel bellboy completely caught my mom off guard!
You should have seen my family's reaction to some of the people around Vicksburg...
The hotel bellboy completely caught my mom off guard!
On Google Maps Vicksburg looks pretty. What did the bellboy do? What did some of the people do around Vicksburg that surprised your family? What were your impressions of Vicksburg?
On Google Maps Vicksburg looks pretty. What did the bellboy do? What did some of the people do around Vicksburg that surprised your family? What were your impressions of Vicksburg?
I've never been to AZ.
The bellboy, a soft spoken white kid with a classic Southern Accent that was no older than me pretty much wanted to strike up a conversation with us because we "had an accent". I thought it was fun, he always said things like Ma'am to my mom, so it was new to her.
My dad liked the battlefield, but when we stayed for the July 4th celebration, he was uncomfortable with all the black folk around. I didn't sense any real danger, there were cops around.
I live in Southern Arizona, little place called Safford, I never lived in a bigger city.
I'm thinking (and working towards) going to Graduate School in the South, Ole Miss is one of the schools in mind. Trust me I loved it in Mississippi, I still think it was the town of Natchez that won me over.
If you liked Woodville, you will love Port Gibson, which is a little bigger and equally historic. It's between Natchez and Vicksburg. You'll also enjoy checking out Carrollton, which is to the north near I-55 at intersection with Hwy 82. It's also very old and has a tiny (population about 2,000). It's dotted with lovely antebellum homes around town. Nearby Greenwood is the quintessential Delta town, which prospered from cotton through the 1920s. Grand Boulevard in north Greenwood is lined with charming homes. And Greenwood is fortunate to be the home of the Alluvian hotel, a 4-star hotel associated the locally owned company that makes high end kitchen appliances. North Greenwood is beautiful, as is the river flowing through town. However, the other side of town is very poor. Carrollton is in the hills and is more of a hamlet, whereas Greenwood, 20 minutes away, is in the Delta and more of a sizeable town. There is also the hamlet of Water Valley, which is loaded with fixer-uppers and supposedly attracting artisans who work in or sell to nearby Oxford where the university is. Water Valley homes apparently are those large old homes going for very cheap prices but benefit from being just 20 minutes from Oxford.
Vicksburg has an urban feel, with many, many elegant and interesting historic buildings, in different points of restoration. On google maps you can check out Drummond Street just south of downtown, which is lined with many historic homes. But also another, even older neighborhood that is slowly beginning to get fixed up is around the antebellum home and bed and breakfast, Anchuca, just a couple of blocks from the historic courthouse. Another one is Duff Green, which is in the same neighborhood I believe.
If you liked Woodville, you will love Port Gibson, which is a little bigger and equally historic. It's between Natchez and Vicksburg. You'll also enjoy checking out Carrollton, which is to the north near I-55 at intersection with Hwy 82. It's also very old and has a tiny (population about 2,000). It's dotted with lovely antebellum homes around town. Nearby Greenwood is the quintessential Delta town, which prospered from cotton through the 1920s. Grand Boulevard in north Greenwood is lined with charming homes. And Greenwood is fortunate to be the home of the Alluvian hotel, a 4-star hotel associated the locally owned company that makes high end kitchen appliances. North Greenwood is beautiful, as is the river flowing through town. However, the other side of town is very poor. Carrollton is in the hills and is more of a hamlet, whereas Greenwood, 20 minutes away, is in the Delta and more of a sizeable town. There is also the hamlet of Water Valley, which is loaded with fixer-uppers and supposedly attracting artisans who work in or sell to nearby Oxford where the university is. Water Valley homes apparently are those large old homes going for very cheap prices but benefit from being just 20 minutes from Oxford.
Vicksburg has an urban feel, with many, many elegant and interesting historic buildings, in different points of restoration. On google maps you can check out Drummond Street just south of downtown, which is lined with many historic homes. But also another, even older neighborhood that is slowly beginning to get fixed up is around the antebellum home and bed and breakfast, Anchuca, just a couple of blocks from the historic courthouse. Another one is Duff Green, which is in the same neighborhood I believe.
I have to really stand by what brickpatio is saying here.
I haven't been to the heart of the Delta, but I want to see the rest of the state too.
TAX-FRIENDLY
One of Kiplinger's top ten most tax-friendly states for retirees, the Magnolia State offers a sweet income tax deal for retirees. It not only exempts Social Security benefits from state income taxes, but it also excludes all qualified retirement income. Remaining income is taxed at a maximum 5%. Mississippi is home to some of the cheapest property taxes in the nation. Residential property is taxed at 10% of its assessed value, and seniors qualify for a homestead exemption on the first $75,000 of value.
State Sales Tax
7%. Prescription drugs, residential utilities, motor fuel, newspapers, health care services, and payments made by Medicare and Medicaid are exempt. Many counties and cities impose convention and tourism taxes on lodging and restaurant receipts.
Income Tax Range
Low: 3% (on less than $5,000 of taxable income)
High: 5% (on more than $10,000 of taxable income)
Social Security
Social Security benefits are not taxed.
Exemptions for Other Retirement Income
Qualified retirement income -- including income from IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, Keoghs, and qualified public and private pension plans -- is exempt from state income tax. Interest income from federal securities and obligations of Mississippi and its political subdivisions are all exempt.
Property Taxes
Single-family residential property is taxed at 10% of its assessed value. The state offers a homestead exemption of up to $300 for all eligible taxpayers. Median property tax on the state's median home value of $98,000 is $508, according to the Tax Foundation.
Tax breaks for seniors: For homeowners 65 and older or totally disabled, there is an exemption on the first $75,000 of value.
To say that my friends and family are bewildered is an understatement. What is weird is that not one of my friends and associates have never been to MS! Their perspectives have been formed by the media. I still wonder, how anyone could be so very angry at MS? Yes, there are problems, but there are more problems here.
So, this is why I initiated this thread. Doesn't anyone want to know how we, here in CA, are perceived by Mississippians? I do. These posters gave a profile that was spot on. THere was no fury or wrath in any of these replies. Unless I'm wrong, and I'm wrong a lot, I heard calm people. Positive, smart, unperturbed, and most importantly, kind people.
Without the help of someone named brickpatio we would not have found this little place in MS called Woodville. I'll just bet that if I dropped some of my angry friends and family smack dab in the middle of MS, and they didn't know where they were, they would say, "Ooooooo! So pretty! And the people are so nice."
But I don't think most Mississippians want us there and they most certainly do not need us. I suspect that many Californians would try to "fix" what may not need fixing.
My father told me, "Don't monkey around with what you don't understand." and, "Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see." I will form my own opinions about MS. This move will be our last.
Oh! Sorry to tell you that Santa's Village in Lake Arrowhead is closed. I remember petting Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. THey put a red ball on the creature's nose.
Seadory -- No most Californians don't want to know what the rest of the country thinks of Californians. If they hear anything negative they just think that the person is resentful because after all -- that person has the misfortune of not being in California (the only place to be on earth!) so therefore they are just bitter, or jealous. Didn't you know that everyone wants to be from California (tongue in cheek)??? Most Californians think they live in the greatest place on earth and basically look down there noses at anything east of the 5 Freeway. That's why real estate incredibly drops in value once you start going inland from the coast (by California standards). The California dream (illusion) exists up and down the coast and inland for only about 25 miles or so. Most Californians I know think everyone loves California and wants to live there and they can't fathom that a lot of people in the rest of the U.S. thinks of the state as the land of 'fruits and nuts'. That's why those bumper stickers, 'don't Californicate Oregon', or 'don't Californicate Washington' or 'don't Californicate Colorado' became so popular. Too many Californians had moved to those areas and started telling the locals what was wrong with their state, how backward and unsophisticated they were, and why California was a far more superior place. Of course all the while forgetting why they had left California in the first place ....
When we left California for the South I had several friends that actually thought I was having some sort of mid-life crisis LOL. To this day they still don't get it even after visiting here. They've drank too much of the California tap water or have breathed too much smog and they can no longer see reality around them. To each their own I guess lol.
Seadory -- No most Californians don't want to know what the rest of the country thinks of Californians. If they hear anything negative they just think that the person is resentful because after all -- that person has the misfortune of not being in California (the only place to be on earth!) so therefore they are just bitter, or jealous. Didn't you know that everyone wants to be from California (tongue in cheek)??? Most Californians think they live in the greatest place on earth and basically look down there noses at anything east of the 5 Freeway. That's why real estate incredibly drops in value once you start going inland from the coast (by California standards). The California dream (illusion) exists up and down the coast and inland for only about 25 miles or so. Most Californians I know think everyone loves California and wants to live there and they can't fathom that a lot of people in the rest of the U.S. thinks of the state as the land of 'fruits and nuts'. That's why those bumper stickers, 'don't Californicate Oregon', or 'don't Californicate Washington' or 'don't Californicate Colorado' became so popular. Too many Californians had moved to those areas and started telling the locals what was wrong with their state, how backward and unsophisticated they were, and why California was a far more superior place. Of course all the while forgetting why they had left California in the first place ....
When we left California for the South I had several friends that actually thought I was having some sort of mid-life crisis LOL. To this day they still don't get it even after visiting here. They've drank too much of the California tap water or have breathed too much smog and they can no longer see reality around them. To each their own I guess lol.
Why, hello socaldude! I'm hearing this more and more from other Californians who move to the South. Dare I say antagonistic describes some? NDL—a former New Yorker who moved to SC, described these CA/NY/NJ types as sanctimonious. Well, there you have it.
My entire life I've heard that Northern CA, Oregon, Washington, and parts of Colorado do not want S. Californians to move to their home states. I used to wonder why. I"d think to myself, "They must be crazy." What could possibly be wrong with us? The bumper sticker is new to me. Yikes!
Well, obviously they're not crazy. About twenty or more years ago it occurred to me that CA, for the most part. is kind of like an aging supermodel. Clinging to a glorious adventurous past and trying to hold herself together with implants, plastic surgery, fillers and supported by an entourage of half baked Democrats. (not all Democrats)
TAX-FRIENDLY
One of Kiplinger's top ten most tax-friendly states for retirees, the Magnolia State offers a sweet income tax deal for retirees. It not only exempts Social Security benefits from state income taxes, but it also excludes all qualified retirement income. Remaining income is taxed at a maximum 5%. Mississippi is home to some of the cheapest property taxes in the nation. Residential property is taxed at 10% of its assessed value, and seniors qualify for a homestead exemption on the first $75,000 of value.
State Sales Tax
7%. Prescription drugs, residential utilities, motor fuel, newspapers, health care services, and payments made by Medicare and Medicaid are exempt. Many counties and cities impose convention and tourism taxes on lodging and restaurant receipts.
Income Tax Range
Low: 3% (on less than $5,000 of taxable income)
High: 5% (on more than $10,000 of taxable income)
Social Security
Social Security benefits are not taxed.
Exemptions for Other Retirement Income
Qualified retirement income -- including income from IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, Keoghs, and qualified public and private pension plans -- is exempt from state income tax. Interest income from federal securities and obligations of Mississippi and its political subdivisions are all exempt.
Property Taxes
Single-family residential property is taxed at 10% of its assessed value. The state offers a homestead exemption of up to $300 for all eligible taxpayers. Median property tax on the state's median home value of $98,000 is $508, according to the Tax Foundation.
Tax breaks for seniors: For homeowners 65 and older or totally disabled, there is an exemption on the first $75,000 of value.
Incredible difference isn't there? I'll have to do the side by side comparison. Now THIS is something I can wrap my little brain around! Now I get why friend retired early from the L.A. Sheriff Dept. and moved to Wyoming. Thank you
The bellboy, a soft spoken white kid with a classic Southern Accent that was no older than me pretty much wanted to strike up a conversation with us because we "had an accent". I thought it was fun, he always said things like Ma'am to my mom, so it was new to her.
My dad liked the battlefield, but when we stayed for the July 4th celebration, he was uncomfortable with all the black folk around. I didn't sense any real danger, there were cops around.
I live in Southern Arizona, little place called Safford, I never lived in a bigger city.
I'm thinking (and working towards) going to Graduate School in the South, Ole Miss is one of the schools in mind. Trust me I loved it in Mississippi, I still think it was the town of Natchez that won me over.
Hi Desert kid! - Ever considered paying a visit to CA? I've used some awfully broad strokes in painting my picture of California. These are accurate generalizations as they apply to my set of circumstances. But, there are so many cultural and geographical variables here that I can't even touch on them. No one ever mentions Tulare County-quite a history. Whenever someone says Tulare I think of these fabulous Quarter Horses that just make me drool. You may or may not already know about that stuff.
Anyway, hope you go to Ole Miss! Sounds like you have a wonderful life ahead of you. Someday I'd like to go to AZ. I looked at some pictures of Safford and it looks like a watercolorists dream. Good luck to you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
