Where in Mississippi....

[ntzhunter]

IF you could find a job ANYWHERE in Mississippi, where would you live? I was having a conversation with a buddy while ago about the best places to live in Mississippi. This is a perspective from a starting family, not a retired couple. Things to consider: school systems, housing costs, things to do, restaurants, etc. Fire away.......

[everette crofford]

probally in charleston if strider academy is still open.

[H20fowlkiller]

Thats a tuff one, Many different things to look at
1. Income
2. What do they like to do for fun
3. How long do they want to commute to work/schools?
4.Country living or in the city?

Me I love the coast mainly because its all Ive ever known. I have contemplated moving further north (Tupelo, or Jackson area) when I was working offshore but I started weighing in my options, all my reasons for moving up north were hunting or getting away from hurricanes. But I started looking at the fact that I could fish on the coast 365 days a year and hunting seaon only runs 100 days a year max, and hurricanes is just something ive learned to work with instead of againgst. So were staying on the coast for now.

[ntzhunter]

In discussion were: Hattiesburg (Im not fond of, but everone else loves it), Oxford, and Ocean Springs/Biloxi
Hattiesburg - bigger city but with the small town feeling, good school systems, and close to coast
Oxford - close to good hunting, public schools, restaurants, etc
Ocean Springs/Biloxi - fishing, islands, schools, restaurants, rivers, lots to do

[GearOut]

Consider Starkville

[huntersmky]

Cleveland... Close to the river for hunting and fishing, Close to my family, still a decent town for the minority of us white people in a regular delta town(those that live in the delta know what I mean), and the economy there continues to be fairly good from year to year with a majority of the people that grow up there returning. Plus, we still have a house there that my wifes family owns from our college days.

[DoublePslayer]

probally in charleston if strider academy is still open.

You from Charleston?

[Agua]

Having lived in all of those places you mentioned, Tupelo or Ocean Springs would be my choice if I were raising a young family.

There are more things to do on the Coast, and more trouble for everyone to get into. Tupelo is more isolated and when I was there, reminded me of a giant Mayberry. Can get boring, but as I've gotten older, I've come to recognize that boring is good.

[slave601]

I would say the ouskirts of jackson wouldn be bad.. Hunting and fishing rite there but not far from everything u need. Growing up in greene co. And bein 45 mins from a wal mart and not even a red light in the whole county gives the young kids way to much time to get into bad things. but living in hattiesburg isn't 2 bad. Just poor deer hunting and 2 far from the delta.

[BAY KINGFISHER]

I would have said Bay St. Louis, prior to Katrina, however tax credit housing and poor leadership is killing us!!! The cost of living doesnt reflect the wages ( insurance rates will kill you). Ocean Springs is nice, has never been hit by a major hurricane much less two of them like my area has. The insurance rates will be the same and if you think living north of I-10 will help you; you'll end up spending the money you save on insurance filling up your tank going to work and shuttling kids to ball practice!!

[teul2]

As much as I love Hattiesburg and USM, I wouldn't live there since Katrina.
It has gotten alot more populated.

[lipsplitter39654]

Greenwood if my kids were grown. Of course when they get grown I am thinking more like Montana.

[JMallard]

Here's a little timeline for perspective.....Enterprise (just outside of meridian on i-59)- 18 yrs,
Starkville - 6yrs,
Port Gibson - 1 yr,
Newton (kinda - lived in Eprise, but worked all day in Newton) - 2 yrs,
Poplarville (pre and post Katrina) - 3 yrs - loved the food, but is basically St. Benard/Tammany Parish North. For instance - 50% of the pop South of Hwy 26 take the St. Benard paper.....

Tupelo - 2.5 yrs.....all that to say,they all have a lot of offer, we have two kids and wife is a teacher. Tupelo has it all compared to anywhere else I have been - pretty good schools (not as great as advertised - county schools are good), great small town atmostphere, plenty to do (good eating, shopping, one hr drive to MSU or Oxford, great churches), great work ethic and CDF spirit. These people have been manufacturing and working good jobs longer than anyone else in MS. Different kind of worker. Toyota is here. Next 15 years in Tupelo will be something that will be written in MS history books, kinda like the coast was in the 90's.
One of the most pleasant surprises is the weather - this summer has been hot, but the first two summers here where NOTHING like South MS heat. Not even close. You do not know heat North MS people until you go through a summer in Poplarville, MS....
Culture, highly educated. Closer to colleges so more people have college degrees.
Good hunting/fishing with the Delta 2 hrs away, and the TennTom 20 mins away, pickwick, close the the COE lakes.
Land Prices much lower than South of I-20....which means you don't have as much of the LA influence.
1 hr 45min to Memphis. 2 hr to Bhrham. it is A LONG way to the beach....but sometimes that is good to. In South MS we went more, but always for shorter time...now we go and stay.

I have lived all over, but this is really where I want to stay.

[jacksbuddy]

If you want to stay close to the Delta, then Cleveland. Don't even consider anywhere else.

Otherwise, I would STRONGLY suggest Oxford, Starkville, or Hattiesburg. My reasons?
1) Education - good schools, and with a college - intelligent people
2) Community Opportunities - did I mention that college towns have more to offer?
3) Cost of living
4) Stable economies - or more so than other areas

[Dux Be Us]

I like where I live...Walls, Desoto County