Speaking to my friends at Smith County Republicans the other day, someone asked me what I most loved about moving to Mississippi from London.
There are so many things I love about the Magnolia state, the more I thought about it, the longer my answer grew. I thought I’d list a few of my favorite things about life in Mississippi. 1. Southern Civility. Yes, it’s a bit of a cliché, but as an outsider I can confirm it’s the truth; Mississippi folk are the friendliest people on the planet. Southern charm makes being here such a joy. 2. Mississippi BOOM! Since I arrived almost five years ago, economic output in the state is up about a third. There’s been a massive injection of inward investment. You can feel the growth. Coming from the other side of the Atlantic, it's uplifting to live in a place that is on the up. 3. Income tax on the way out. Mississippi is on the way to eliminating the income tax entirely, like Florida, Tennessee and Texas. It is great to live in a society where taxes go down and public officials can’t expect to keep taking more. 4. Space. With 3 million people spread out over 48,000 square miles, Mississippi has lots of space. There’s a great big outdoors. Our state might not have mega cities the size of Atlanta or Chicago, but having seen the boarded up offices and shops in Chicago, I wonder if modern technology means that being more spread out is actually the way to go.
5. Stunning small towns. Too often downtown America feels abandoned, people and businesses having moved to the suburbs. One of the delights Mississippi has to offer are towns that are actually prospering. Downtown Oxford, Starkville and Natchez, for example, are full of shops and restaurants – and thriving. 6. Universities. Our family is at the stage where we’re starting to think about college options. There are so many great choices in this part of the world. Sending your kid to a southern university reduces the chance they’ll become a communist – which is why, I suspect, we are seeing such a surge in applications from outsiders wanting to study in this state. 7. High school football. The football season is about to begin and when it does, the highlight of my week will be watching Friday night football. It is a festival of everything Americana….. 8. College football. The next best thing is college football. Sure, we don’t have an NFL team, but I genuinely prefer watching SEC teams play. 9. The weather. Some folk complain about Mississippi’s heat and humidity. Coming from London where one would sometimes seldom see the sun, I love the climate here. The sun in our state is up bright and early (almost) every day. Glorious. 10. Gardening. I love gardening, and it seems you can grow almost anything here. Sweet peas. Hibiscus. This year I’ve had a bumper crop of grapes and even starting to get some mulberries. If living in America means you’ve won first prize in the lottery of life, being in Mississippi means you got the bonus ball! Douglas Carswell is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
This post is a paid advertisement.
11 comments:
I moved away but I want to add to the positivity and include the things I miss.
FOOD: I miss a half dozen local restaurants. Just cant find anything else like Mississippi cuisine anywhere in the world.
FISHING: MDWFP does an amazing jobs keeping state lakes well stocked for anglers.
FAMILY: I come back for my family. Yes, a lot of Mississippians leave, but many NEVER LEAVE. And they are always the same when you come back home.
HUNTING: I always come back home to go hunting. Mississippi is the best.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: This one is true. The good and the bad.
He forgot to mention food! British food is horrid.
I love Mississippi, we just have to get tougher on Crime. That one thing we can be number one on and doesn’t cost more money, just Judges doing their jobs!
@11:18 That is incredibly Mississippi ignorant. Seriously. Saying British food is “horrid” is like saying “American food is horrid” just because yankees make sweet cornbread. The food you get in London will be different than Liverpool and even more different from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Plus there is the concept of preserving culture and tradition. Something Americans reject since our only culture is TV. So American food will always be over seasoned, over cooked, and full of artificial colors and flavors.
11. Mosquitoes-
It’s a bit outdated to say that British food is horrid when London has had pretty much any world cuisine under the sun for the past thirty years (and quality options for it). But what do I know? I only lived there for a year (unlike 11:18, who probably visited there last in 1978, in recent times).
But does he miss the "mushy peas" and the "sauce" they pour over (and ruin) a good steak?
I moved to Mississippi from Texas. The reason I am staying is to benefit both states. When I moved here I raised the average IQ of both states. As far as friendly people, south Of I10 the people are, or were, very friendly. The farther you go north the more unfriendly people become,
MS is deprived of the glorious Premier League of real Football and Haggis, to be eaten with nips and tatties, a glass of Scotch Whisky and a reading of Robert Burns' "An Address to A Haggis".
I am a believer that Mississippi is a better place than most outsiders perceive but not as great as many natives who haven't spent much time outside think it is.
Political and social inertia and small minded thinking keeps a lot of towns from thriving. Growth is not adding more fast food restaurants and dollar generals to an area. The education system here is not very good, some schools are okay, but too many people are too invested in athletics as the pathway to college and this drives some of the private schools that siphon away public support from communities that need it.
I'm a Christian, but too many churches and neighbors hide behind Christian values and fail to adequately educate their families on sexual health and alcohol consumption and use. In many communities churches drive the social and political activity and those are very different worlds.
The high rates of poverty across the state contributes to the high crime that is sadly everywhere now, along with too many citizens on drugs. I truly don't know how to change that mindset and the answer isn't easy.
I feel as though we made some major progress in the 90s and early 2000s but that progress has stalled the last fifteen years. I hope we can get some momentum again.
The best thing about Mississippi is the beautiful and well run city of Jackson. It’s among americas safest cities and has excellent schools.
Post a Comment