Where should I move to in Mississippi (Jackson, Gulfport: middle-class, appointed)

[elusivechanteuse]

Hello I'm and looking into moving to Mississipi. Im also African american. I say this because mississipi is still largely socially segregated.


Safety is a concern. Yes there is crime everywhere but I'm looking for a town/city that has the least violent crime. That's the main reason I've crossed Jackson off of my list.

A supermarket like walmart or Sam's club or Costco or safeway is necessary. I can't do my groceries at family dollar or the dollar General.

I do majority of my clothing and shoe shopping online so a shopping mall isn't necessary, but It would be nice to have one for window shopping lol.


For fun I like to go roller blading, drive-in theatres, regular movie theatres, bowling, billiards(pool), amusement park, muesums, ice skating, aquarium, zoo, and concerts. (There might not be any major artists like Mariah Carey or Beyonce that come to Mississipi and I might have to commute to alabama but that's fine.)

Clubs, and bars are not my thing So it's not necessary for there to be nightclubs and bars.

I don't gamble so no towns like Biloxi or Vicksburg with casinos.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Desoto County would probably work. For anything big, go to Memphis.

[Listener2307]

Where should I move to in Mississippi

Just kind of curious, here.

Why Mississippi?

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Originally Posted by Listener2307

Just kind of curious, here.

Why Mississippi?

Haha, yeah I thought the same, considering how she was planning to move to a muslim neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA back in January...

[elusivechanteuse]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Desoto County would probably work. For anything big, go to Memphis.

Originally Posted by Listener2307

Just kind of curious, here.

Why Mississippi?

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Haha, yeah I thought the same, considering how she was planning to move to a muslim neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA back in January...

You have do lots of research before moving to a new place. How am i supposed to know if i don't ask?

Anyways I'm looking for a more slow paced lifestyle
I like fresh air, the open space.
I love humid weather
I hate traffic.
I like the lower cost of living.

[jhadorn]

I like Tupelo, a city of about 37,000 people in Northeast MS. 2 WalMart Super Centers, Sam's Club, a few small museums, an arena that has shows and sometimes national acts, a good hospital, two movie theaters, billiards, a small zoo...

The violent crime rate on a scale from 1 - 100 is 14. The national average is 31.

Moderator cut: Link removed, linking to competitor sites is not ok

If you hate traffic I think Tupelo is better than Desoto County, and I feel that Tupelo stands on it's own as a city better than Southaven or Olive Branch, both of which are suburbs of Memphis. The downside is that it may be easier to find a job living in Desoto County with Memphis nearby.

[Sharif662]

Originally Posted by elusivechanteuse

Hello I'm and looking into moving to Mississipi. Im also African american. I say this because mississipi is still largely socially segregated.


Safety is a concern. Yes there is crime everywhere but I'm looking for a town/city that has the least violent crime. That's the main reason I've crossed Jackson off of my list.

A supermarket like walmart or Sam's club or Costco or safeway is necessary. I can't do my groceries at family dollar or the dollar General.

I do majority of my clothing and shoe shopping online so a shopping mall isn't necessary, but It would be nice to have one for window shopping lol.


For fun I like to go roller blading, drive-in theatres, regular movie theatres, bowling, billiards(pool), amusement park, muesums, ice skating, aquarium, zoo, and concerts. (There might not be any major artists like Mariah Carey or Beyonce that come to Mississipi and I might have to commute to alabama but that's fine.)

Clubs, and bars are not my thing So it's not necessary for there to be nightclubs and bars.

I don't gamble so no towns like Biloxi or Vicksburg with casinos.

Hello

I would say you narrow it down to Southaven, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Tupelo, Ridgeland, Hattiesburg, or Columbus. I state these for location wise since the first 3 cities are surburbs of Memphis. Tupelo is 1 hour and half from Memphis & 2 hours from Birmingham. Ridgeland is a surburb of Jackson and have the largest shopping mall in the state. Hattiesburg is 1 hour some minutes away from New Orleans & Mobile ( AL). Columbus is 1 hour away from Tuscaloosa & additional half hour from Birmingham.

All cities mentioned above have a Wal-Mart supercenters except Tupelo (2) & Hattiesburg (2). Sam's Club in Tupelo, Hattiesburg, and maybe Southaven.

You want to avoid traffic? Don't drive during lunch hour & 5pm. Contrary to what many people think, Mississippi got traffic in all cities over 20K. LoL

As a fellow Black I can tell you that the social segregation is everywhere in this country. Mississippi isn't that exceptional. Most people are down to earth and hospitality is plentiful here. Enjoy your stay here.

[jhadorn]

I also wouldn't rule out one of the gulf coast cities just because casinos are there. I just wouldn't visit them. Gulfport is getting a really nice aquarium in late 2019.

https://www.msaquarium.org/

You will find much of what you are looking for on the coast, plus good food of all kinds.

[Robert_J]

Originally Posted by elusivechanteuse

...
For fun I like to go roller blading, drive-in theatres, regular movie theatres, bowling, billiards(pool), amusement park, muesums, ice skating, aquarium, zoo, and concerts. (There might not be any major artists like Mariah Carey or Beyonce that come to Mississipi and I might have to commute to alabama but that's fine.)...

Everyone has a different idea of who is a "major artist". I bought pre-sale tickets for the "pit" when the Five Finger Death Punch show was announced for Southaven.

There are a bunch of venues in Memphis (FedEx Forum, Mud Island Amphitheater, Orpheum Theater, Cannon Theater, New Daisy Theater), Desoto County (Bank Plus Amphitheater & Desoto Civic Center) and the cansinos in Tunica. With minimal effort you will find enough shows to keep you occupied. And you will be close enough to drive to Little Rock and Nashville and still drive back after the show. We also will do overnight stays for shows in St. Louis, Biloxi and New Orleans. We are live music nuts.

[GrandviewGloria]

I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Mississippi is rated, year after year, as being the worst (or among the worst) place in America, to be Black, or to be a woman. It's also the worst place to be a child, or to be poor. And it's getting WORSE. The state government seems dedicated to making things uncomfortable for everyone who's not middle-of-the-middle-class (or richer). Budgets for healthcare for the poor, and for institutional care, are being slashed to surreal - even cruel - levels. And the Medical Industry, which basically owns the Legislature, is making sure that nurse practitioners (and nonconformist/off-the-grid doctors), who DO go out into the countryside to help the poor, are being hobbled, and even shut down.

Any area that's low-crime, generally is an area WITHOUT SIDEWALKS. The older towns are where the sidewalks are. And they're also where you'll find the crime.

Since there are few sidewalks, rollerblading would only be feasible in parks. Try it on a street, and if the vicious-breed dogs don't get you, THE DRIVERS WILL. Every few days, there's another story about someone being hit by a car. Often, it's DELIBERATE - basically like target practice. Then, there are the people in cars, who throw things at cyclists and pedestrians.

And you can forget about public transportation in low-crime areas (not that it's exactly great in the inner cities, either: something which has a devastating effect on the elderly, the poor, and the disabled). Once public transportation moves in, the problems start (Jackson Jambalaya: Anna Stephens buys another house), and those with resources start moving away.

For reasons which become obvious once you've been in Mississippi for a while, movie theatres are pretty-much impossible. People misbehave IN the theatres. And, if you so much as look to see who's creating the disturbance, they'll get you in the parking lot. Jackson is hardly the only city in the state, which is without a cinema. Our little "Picture Show Experience" happened in Rankin County, when we tried to see 'The Age of Innocence', in '93. We barely made it to our car, before a pack of White Trash kids attacked. Luckily, Volvos were hard to dent, back then. We haven't been inside a cinema since then - a quarter-century after that scare. We don't even consider the POSSIBILITY of going inside a cinema (unless it's to a gala event in some grand old restored cinema, in a city FAR FROM THE SOUTH). And we're hardly unique in that respect. The menacing teens, by the way, come in all colors.

The state's only zoo is in Jackson. Feral dogs blamed for killing six animals at Jackson Zoo | KFOR.com Need I say more? Bowling alleys and pool halls, in the Deep South, are not places where nice girls go. If you're above going into a casino (so am I), then you'd DEFINITELY be avoiding those other places. I know they're considered respectable in many states. But in Mississippi - well - I don't know any virtuous woman who would entertain such an idea. Come to think of it, I don't even know any Mississippi women of questionable virtue, who'd be caught-dead going into a pool hall or a bowling alley.

As far as air quality goes, Mississippi ranks among the top spots for pollen count (Jackson leads the NATION), and for air pollution (herbicides and pesticides). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jackson...ergy-capitals/

Mississippi is a wonderful place, for high-earning, self-sufficient people, who can afford to buy homes in good neighborhoods in decent-sized towns. The countryside, and the tiny towns, are becoming too risky. (Police chief suspended after pot-smoking video surfaces | Daily Mail Online) You have to surround yourself with "winners" - people whose sober and responsible lifestyles mean they can afford those pricey houses in the good neighborhoods. Essentially, prosperous people band-together for safety, in these deluxe suburbs and exurbs.

Mississippi's a wonderful place, if you can afford central air in your home, and can afford a large, safe, newish vehicle (with a good air conditioner), and can afford to drive that large vehicle twenty to thirty thousand miles per year (or more). EVERYTHING you'll want to do/buy/see will involve a substantial drive, on some of America's worst roads (UPDATED: Feds Close Over 100 Mississippi Bridges, Senator Says | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS) - shared with some of the nation's worst drivers. Really, I'm talking about needing Lexus LX, BM X5, Range Rover, Mercedes GLS, in order to be relatively safe.

You have to become an expert at risk-avoidance and risk-management, if you want to thrive in Mississippi.

But some people DO thrive there. If you like keeping yourself entertained, taking care of a LARGE yard, decorating a large house, dressing to-the-nines, going to the gym, having flawless hair and makeup (the competition is FIERCE, in Middle Class Mississippi: the winners there, can hold their own against the winners anywhere), and can PAY for all of that, then you'll have a great quality of life.

It's all about learning how to insulate yourself against the climate, the losers, the pathos, the depressing lowest-common-denominator mentality, and the danger (and about making bloody-well-sure you'll always have the money to do so).

You have to create your own microcosm - your own 'bubble'. Those who do, thrive. Those who can't or don't, shrivel up and rot.