Hattiesburg? (Laurel, Petal, West: crime, house, buy)

[Tama]

abcdef Can you give some numbers in terms of the taxes and costs you experienced in Petal and then those of South Carolina? Your concern about the pay for public servants is admirable and I agree wholeheatedly. Who would want to run into a burning building for $20,000 a year? However, this is not unique to Mississippi. What high crime are you talking about? Since the change in police administrators in Hattiesburg crime has gone down and it was never really high compared to "real crime areas" just higher compared to the norm here.
Petal is not my idea of a fun place to live because it is too rural for my tastes but the things you rail against(high wind and power outage--where did that come from?)don't fit the picture. Unless you are comparing the place to a large metro area like Atlanta there are plenty of things to do in the surrounding areas. Shopping, dining, films, sports, the beach, golf, bowling, volunteer work, university concerts and lectures, book stores, bike trails and clubs, hiking, the learning in retirement center at USM, a beautiful public library and its offerings, hunting and fishing for the outdoorsmen, the coast and its casinos and shows=nothing to do?

[Laurelite]

Hattiesburg area including Petal and Oak Grove and too many other areas to list is registered as the 6th most liveable city in the US for retired people. I don't live there but I wish I did. Some of you Hub City folks can tell us what agency it was that defined you as 6th most liveable city. From Hattiesburg you live 1 1/2 hr from the Gulf Coast, 3 to 4 hrs from Pens. F, 1 3/4 to 2 hrs from New Orleans and 6 hrs from Atlanta. You can go and have fun then return to a very good place to live.

S. Car is a great place also...There are many great places in the USA. One only has to find the place that suits them the best.

[BucFan]

I'm weighing whether to retire from the military in MS, SC, FL, or TX. I always thought MS had low cost of living, taxes, and home insurance. I guess I was mistaken, based on the comments of this thread. Thanks for the information. Visiting Craigslist it appears that you get a lot for your money in housing. I'm impressed with what one can buy with $200k compared to the cookie-cutter houses in FLA.

[abcdef]

By far South Carolina is a great place to retire , especially for the military population . You could have the best of all & everything while not being far from either the mountains or the ocean , while still having access to Fort Jackson for the benefit of the military benefits of shopping , etc. Check out the benefits of retirement in South Carolina . We don't have the hot humid weather as Mississippi has , we don't have the hurricanes or tornados & we have 4 seasons , while none are to the extreme.

[BucFan]

Thanks. Have lived in Augusta, GA - so I kind of know SC. My biggest concern is the cost of living/housing/taxes/insurance rates. Will do a lot of homework before final decision in 1 1/2 yrs (early retirement date!).

[BucFan]

Is Hattiesburg considered high risk for hurricane damage? I see that its about 2 hr drive from NOLA. Usually that amount of distance should be safe. Comments?

[marmac]

I am impressed that the state of Mississippi is one of the most active states in attracting retirees. Their "Retirement Cities" program has given them national recognition.
Yes, Hattisburg is one of the official retirement cities listed in their program. When you go to the state website, you can click on the cities that are --certified--- and they will give you all the info to make comparrisons between the cities such as----median house price, cost of new houses, and real estate tax comparrisons.

I am not a person who works for the state . I actually am from Ninnesota who has researched areas in Mississippi for retirement and was impressed with the system in place to attract retirees.
Their program is definitely one of the best I have found in my researching.

[tennreb]

Originally Posted by BucFan

Is Hattiesburg considered high risk for hurricane damage? I see that its about 2 hr drive from NOLA. Usually that amount of distance should be safe. Comments?

Hattiesburg is susceptible to minor wind damage from hurricanes, not flooding. A major hurricane is very rare (two in the past 100 years), but when it does hit, you can expect to have replace your shingles, be out of power for a few days or more, and have to do some major yard cleanup of downed limbs and such. Better built structures will obviously have less damage. People seem to be shifting to metal roofs in order to minimize possible storm damage (and most people prefer the look).

[BucFan]

Thanks -and marmac, will visit the site as suggested.

[BucFan]

http://www.visitmississippi.org/retire/