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i felt the same way living down here... been here for 4 years now and am happy to be relocating. the ONLY thing i will miss from being down here in MS is that it never snows so you never have to worry about additional maintenance on your car during the winter months.
unfortunately, i can't say too many positive things about the place (i'll speak to the gulf coast since i have lived there). i hate to say negative things but i've given this place a chance, even before katrina hit here. it's very slow and boring - there's really nothing going on unless you enjoy spending money at the casinos. even after katrina, many shops and hang-out places never reopened so that just X's a lot more things to do. i was depressed living in MS during my time here. speaking of the education and social level of this place, every girl that i have met (18+) have had gone through at least a divorce and they have at least 1 or two kids. that's insane!
i can't blame you for feeling the way you do about mississippi. it's ranked the way it's ranked for a reason. though, i've met many people who think this state is paradise, they honestly haven't left the area either so they have absolutely nothing to compare off of... they've lived here all throughout their lives and never bothered to travel elsewhere.
i will be extremely happy to be relocating up north and seeing what that has in store me. can't wait to see this place in the rear view.
For all y'all who are indicating you can't leave the state fast enough, that you are "bored", that you only have "negative" things to write about the state in toto, let me ask you this: Is it of your opinion that the rest of the population in the area you live owes you something, must step up to the plate wearing its heart on the arm, showing an open breast, just to please you, just to get you out of your "boredom"? We are all bored from time to time, not just in MS, either (I'm in TX, by the way, and my home state is MS). When boredom sets in, it is up to the individual to get from beneath that yoke, not someone else's. Now, if you're chomping about depression, real depression not just "boredom", then I would suggest professional assistance.
For all y'all who are indicating you can't leave the state fast enough, that you are "bored", that you only have "negative" things to write about the state in toto, let me ask you this: Is it of your opinion that the rest of the population in the area you live owes you something, must step up to the plate wearing its heart on the arm, showing an open breast, just to please you, just to get you out of your "boredom"? We are all bored from time to time, not just in MS, either (I'm in TX, by the way, and my home state is MS). When boredom sets in, it is up to the individual to get from beneath that yoke, not someone else's. Now, if you're chomping about depression, real depression not just "boredom", then I would suggest professional assistance.
i think i speak for many when i say this... no, it's not the responsibility of the state to "get us out of our depression or boredom". you're definitely right in that you gotta find something to relieve your boredom but here's the thing - what do you do when there's absolutely nothing going on? you try to find something to do aside from moping around at home and you explore the area and find out that there's nowhere to go and you'd literally have to drive a 1/2 hour to go to a best buy or to an hour to go to a place with a relatively large shopping mall. with gas prices the way they are now, that's ridiculous. you go to the beach and discover that the water reveals that polluted brown color... i also have yet to find a MS beachfront public area that is not littered with broken beer bottles and fast food trash scraps splattered all over the ground. and to know that MS is ranked close to the bottom for education and with the highest percentage of underage pregnancies, all of these little tidbits of info alone say a lot. in fact, it speaks volumes.
there are reasons why people say places are considered 'paradise' - in this case, a lot of people have never left the state in their entire life so they really have nothing to compare to. it's all relative - honestly, the real depressing part of it is not seeing it from that perspective. while my view of MS is negative, that stems from the comparison between different areas, states, and countries that i have lived in or have been thru. this place really has nothing to offer aside from an unmerciful blazing sun, relentless mosquitos, very slow service across the board wherever you go, and kids popping out kids.
it's not so much the boredom that is the issue here, but rather it's the depressing side of knowing that it's not changing fast enough with attention solely focused on that alone. when you hear in the news that several local community colleges are trying to regain accreditation after having it revoked for not following educational guidelines, i find that really sad... especially for the folks who actually live here. i was thinking of going through with my masters degree, but i couldn't find one decent local school to attend - i'll be damned if i pay that amount of money to a school that's just trying to get its accreditation.
i'm not trying to instigate anything or deter anyone from moving to the south but i feel like they should know the whole story. i've lived it for 4 years and have had enough.
i think i speak for many when i say this... no, it's not the responsibility of the state to "get us out of our depression or boredom". you're definitely right in that you gotta find something to relieve your boredom but here's the thing - what do you do when there's absolutely nothing going on? you try to find something to do aside from moping around at home and you explore the area and find out that there's nowhere to go and you'd literally have to drive a 1/2 hour to go to a best buy or to an hour to go to a place with a relatively large shopping mall. with gas prices the way they are now, that's ridiculous. you go to the beach and discover that the water reveals that polluted brown color... i also have yet to find a MS beachfront public area that is not littered with broken beer bottles and fast food trash scraps splattered all over the ground. and to know that MS is ranked close to the bottom for education and with the highest percentage of underage pregnancies, all of these little tidbits of info alone say a lot. in fact, it speaks volumes.
Did you ever think about forming up a little party of folks to clean up this area of the beach? On occasion, one has to take matters into one's own hands. Best Buy? Is that all there is to do, go to a Best Buy? Surely there is something else "to do" than to blindly follow your nose to the nearest shopping mall to browse and buy.
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there are reasons why people say places are considered 'paradise' - in this case, a lot of people have never left the state in their entire life so they really have nothing to compare to. it's all relative - honestly, the real depressing part of it is not seeing it from that perspective. while my view of MS is negative, that stems from the comparison between different areas, states, and countries that i have lived in or have been thru. this place really has nothing to offer aside from an unmerciful blazing sun, relentless mosquitos, very slow service across the board wherever you go, and kids popping out kids.
I can and will agree with you on a couple of points. "Paradise" is wherever you are, especially if you've nothing to compare. I know folks from my hometown in the Delta who have never left, never had any reason to leave, or just plain didn't leave. Have a good job, have a family, rarely venturing beyond their front door step.
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it's not so much the boredom that is the issue here, but rather it's the depressing side of knowing that it's not changing fast enough with attention solely focused on that alone. when you hear in the news that several local community colleges are trying to regain accreditation after having it revoked for not following educational guidelines, i find that really sad... especially for the folks who actually live here. i was thinking of going through with my masters degree, but i couldn't find one decent local school to attend - i'll be damned if i pay that amount of money to a school that's just trying to get its accreditation.
Schools are businesses, too. They have as much right to compete for your business in order to gain accreditation or re-accreditation as any other school. I wouldn't ping on them for that. Think about it: If a school cannot get accredited, for whatever reason, what happens to the surrounding community? It, too, fails, and the withering downward spiral gets harder to break.
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i'm not trying to instigate anything or deter anyone from moving to the south but i feel like they should know the whole story. i've lived it for 4 years and have had enough.
I realize you aren't trying to influence others, only stating your opinion. But opinions are like a**holes, we all have one. One last question for you: Where in MS are you located? I'm only curious to know because relatively speaking, MS is a pretty fair-sized state, say compared to Rhode Island.
Actually, there are quite a few of us who have ventured away from here, and, gasp, even into other countries. Yet, something always brings us back to this humble little state.
This state is full of culture; full of history--good and bad; it is full of character. But one must do a bit of work to see it's beauty, find it's hidden treasures.
The people who call this place home; who truly love this state, are hard workers, honest and friendly. True, there are many who are not college educated, who have not traveled from their tiny area; but does that make them any less of a people? No, but they do fit in with the culture of this state.
Many people relocate here and do not give us a chance. Whatever reason for that is not really what we should focus on. What people need to understand is that we are who we are, the way we are and we like the way we live.
No, we do not have the latest and greatest night spots to offer, nor do we have endless malls for those who feel they must be entertained most of the time.
What we do have is a tradition and culture that has been around for many years. We have a beauty that only nature can provide. This nature beckons us to sit a spell, de-stress by watching mother nature come alive right before our very eyes. To think and gain prespective of our lives; to dream of what we want our future to be like.
This great state offers people a refuge from the fast pace of life. It reminds us that we are human, and allows us to sink into it's solace and take comfort from it.
This is the Mississippi that so many of us love. This is the Mississippi that we take such pains to preserve. We really do not want our state to become another New Orleans; New York, Atlanta, etc.
Therefore, people who are planning on moving down here need to do their homework. If one finds out beforehand about our state, it will save you much agony and money.
We welcome anyone who comes here, and will help anyone who wishes to be helped. But we do not take kindly to people who constantly put us down, talk about us as if we have no feelings and look down their noses upon our culture.
It is best to research us before undertaking a move here. If one likes the city scene, then we are not for you. We are a slow pace of life and our entertainment reflects our culture.
Rutt Roh
To chime in again because I think you paint a one-sided picture.I can relate to you because it took me literally about six years before I came to appreciate Mississippi.
You make some statements that just are not true, first of all. Many people including myself have been to other places. I grew up 80 miles out of NYC and went there often as my dad had business in NY at least once a month. I lived in Phila for several years. I have been to at least 15 different countries and spent weeks at a time outside the US not just tours. I still leave the state often. I think I have a perspective. I believe to be fair you also have a perspective and though you seem to think it is broad as in having been to "other places" I think it is a limited one and that is the problem.
You talk about all of Mississippi as though your small experience is the whole state. I don't know any girls as of you speak. The people I know are well-educated, have nice homes, and families and their children go off to college. My son went to public school and is now about to get his doctorate.
Here in Hattiesburg there is a Best Buy about five minutes from my house and a Circuit City, Lowe's, Home Depot, a Target, many Starbucks, a Steinmart, a Kohl's, a Bed n' Bath, bookstores, bars, pubs, two universities-fully accredited-two malls including a Dilliard's and Belk's-Petsmart, Play it Again Sports, a gorgeous library, a music scene-and on and on it goes--multiple restaurants. We are an hour and a half away from the casinos, two and a half away from some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
I am a convert. At first I was bored. Then I found interesting work, bike trails, walking and hiking places, classes to take, golf (there are also tennis and softball leagues ), farmer's markets, interesting groups of people from all over, there are minor league sports teams, and 1-A university sports. Frankly, I can't fit all of my activities in and get to my fitness center every day!
Your experience is legitimate for you and perhaps the area you have been living in. But I can't let it be spread out to the whole state and all the people. I may have to go back east at some point and I will miss many many things about living here. I am a sophisticated person I think--and I don't find it slow and backward. Parts of it are, but if you have an education, a good job, and active lifestyle it is as interesting and fulfilling as any other place in the US.
I moved to an area much more rural and backward than the Jackson Metro area from DALLAS about 14 years ago. I hated it when I first moved here. Talk about culture shock. Although the area I moved to was absolutely beautiful, with rolling pastures and trees galore, I missed home.
About 7 years later I had the opportunity to move back home to the Dallas area and guess what? I decided to stay! I relocated to the burbs in Jackson and I haven't regretted it for a moment. I am much older than you, so a thriving night-life isn't high on my list of priorities. Dallas is so big and sprawling and Jackson is much more manageable. If we could just get a Whole Foods, Sephora, Ikea, and Home Goods stores... I'd be in heaven! )
Just like any other place, MS has it's good and bad points
I was not born in MS, but both of my parents were(one in the Delta, and one in a small town in central MS called West). I go there often to visit my family. I currently live in Birmingham. I was born in Milwaukee and have lived in Nashville and spent a lot of time in Chicago over the years. Mississpi is not perfect, but I like the state and wouldn't mind living here. Is MS fast-paced for the most part, no. If that's what you want, live in a metropolitan city such as NY, LA, Chicago, etc. While those towns have their pros, they also have their cons. Crime is usually high, the cost of living is outrageous compared to other parts of the country, and people are often rude, selfish, and pretentious. What I can appreciate about the state of Mississippi is that the cost of living is relatively low as to where an average person making an average salary can have a high standard of living. I have talked to many residents of Mississippi, old and young, who have lived in many of the afforementioned metropolises and all over the world and they say unequivocally that the QUALITY of life is better in MS than those other places. These are fairly wealthy individuals who can afford to live anywhere in the world they want. I love going to West, MS from time to time and take in the peace and quiet and recharge my batteries. People ought to try it. If you live in a fast-paced town and can afford it, go to a rural area(every state has one) once every few months for a few days and stay there. I know from experience that it will make you more productive in the long run!
okay! Seems like some angry people. Many of you have offered lots of suggestions. First of all, I am speaking of Mississippi. I am an Arkansas native, so you can't speak to me like I don't know what life is like living in the South. I grew up in a town of 2000 people. So thanks to all of you that talked down to me....lol! Many of you referred to your child scoring well on the ACT. Well evidentally I'm not referring to your children, and the children falling behind, well their parents I'm sure are not on the Internet aren't probably as educated as yourselves, so again I"m not referring to you or your children. I'm speaking of the teachers letting so many fall behind.... I do have a job and I love my job very much as well as my husband. Also, to the one referring to going to graduate school, my husband can't find a school within 2 hours that has a top ranked MBA program. He is wanting to pursue his 2nd masters. And to the Jackson Zoo comment, HAVE YOU BEEN THERE? IT is quite scary!!!! Scary for the animals and for anyone that has every been to any other zoo.... YIKES!!! It was very sad... And for the person that says take a trip. We have been everywhere within driving distance of us.... You should be able to enjoy the town/city you call home, not a town 2-3 hours away from you. ALSO, to all the GULF COAST PEOPLE.... sounds like you have a great thing there, however, that is not where I am and NOT WHO I'm referring to either. I'm sure it is great there, schools, churches, casiones, etc. So when commenting please know my comments have only to do with the Jackson (metro) area.... As for you all that think I'm talking down to you, not true, many intelligent people we've encountered. AGAIN, I'm speaking about public schools (not colleges). And I'm referring to the majority, kids that struggle.... Not all of you obviously intelligent people that are making a difference in the community and world. SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME if I've offended that group of people.... Thanks for all your comments. I'm going to do more research from your suggestions. No we won't be here for life hopefully no more than a couple years, I'm just asking for help for the NOW!!! THANKS!!!
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Just like any other place, MS has it's good and bad points
