Jackson Jambalaya

KF, did you see the WLBT article claiming Jackson proper real estate up 32% from last year? https://www.wlbt.com/2026/05/09/jackson-home-values-surge-32-metro-real-estate-market-shifts-new-opportunities-sellers-buyers/

Jackson come back???? Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Just by looking at the cities he has helped does not put a lot of hope for Jackson.

i was hoping for a mayflower recipe

Jackson has one major advantage which could be the asset that saves it in the future: location. If you were scouting locations around the south to start a city, Jackson sits on a prime spot in the middle of everything. Location is always important. Judging by the present trend of population decrease, much of Jackson WILL be starting from scratch in the foreseeable future. Worthless today, prime real estate tomorrow. It's possible.

We can hope.

Thanks for sharing!

In a city where your main revenue is parking and water........you would think they would actually collect that money. They haven't in 16 years. Yes. These are facts.

Zillow reports that my property in Fondren has increased 8k in the last14 months. Suck it, haters.

This city still has a lot going for it. University of Mississippi Medical Center is one of the biggest medical hubs in the state. Jackson State University and the other colleges keep bringing in young talent. We sit smack dab in the middle of the state, and the Jackson metro still has more than 600,000 people. That’s a pretty stout foundation if folks are willing to build on it.

But there are four things we need to be honest about.

**1. Jackson is fixable.**
This isn’t some hopeless case. Cities all over this country have taken their lumps and come back stronger. Jackson can too.

**2. Mississippi’s reputation is a real problem.**
Whether we like it or not, a lot of folks outside this state still think Mississippi is stuck in 1962. That makes it harder to recruit businesses, professionals, and families.

**3. Too many people have thrown up their hands.**
Complaining is easy. Rolling up your sleeves is harder. Jackson won’t turn around until more people decide it’s worth the effort.

**4. We’ve got to stop bleeding people.**
If our best and brightest keep packing up for Dallas, Atlanta, and Nashville, we’re trying to fill a bucket with a hole in the bottom.

That’s the plain truth. Jackson still has good bones, good people, and plenty of potential. But potential is like a tractor parked in the barn. It won’t do a lick of work until somebody turns the key and puts it in gear.

Don’t confuse stabilization with recovery. Drive through west and south Jackson and then give us an update.

That is based on inflation, not real appreciation. Dream on.

Fact Jackson is one of Americas most dangerous cities Fact Jackson schools suck fact JPD isn’t very good at solving crime fact hinds county judges are soft on crime. At best Jackson MAY stop the bleeding at best but NEVER recover

How much is this grift costing? Nothing will change until the culture changes, and that will take a generation or more.

You can bounce back when 2 or 3 of the dozen variables that affect a city's growth have skewed negative. It takes time, intense effort and luck, and usually fails, but it's not impossible. It's worth a shot.

But with Jackson, ALL the variables conspire against it. It's in a poor state. That poor state is run by Republicans who associate cities with black people and Democrats, and thus are not inclined to help. The most basic infrastructure is not just dilapidated, it's crumbling. It literally does not work. The national perception is now in Flint, Michigan territory thanks to the water crisis. The layout actively undercuts redevelopment, as endless trash sprawl separates the few cores that might be worth redeveloping from any currently non-impoverished area. There are no strong anchor institutions like a (good) university or physical attraction (e.g., riverfront). Better housing is very cheap in the suburbs, which have far better schools. The rest of the southeast region is growing rapidly, so young people can move to a much better place and still come home to see the family over a weekend, etc.

I absolutely agree young people should fight for a better southeast, maybe even a better Mississippi (although that's something of a longshot). But sticking around and fighting for Jackson specifically is just a dumb allocation of your limited time on this planet.

If you are under 30, you owe it to yourself and your children to try to get out.

Part of any "Right to Rise" has to be parents able to access quality schools that don't teach socialism and such that they aren't getting taxed twice. Some form of parent directed school choice with State dollars is likely the biggest component of fixing Jackson along with infrastructure and police.

This is a great episode. There is one thing that I think people are forgetting. Jackson is probably one of the only major cities in America that has a dedicated state law enforcement agency inside of an improvement district. Capitol PD has changed the game. The CCID should be lit up with investment. Even with a liberal DA and liberal judges, the CCID now has some of the best law enforcement possible. Not many other cities with the same DA and Judge issues have this. The state needs to pony up and make them the highest paid officers in Mississippi. They also need to expand north to County Line.

Fondren and Belhaven are the catalyst. Unbelievably beautiful homes, undeniably southern, fantastic food options, and 4 major hospitals sit right in the middle of them. The more restaurants, high end apartments, hotels, entertainment options that open there, the better. Jackson has all the problems you could imagine, but let's not forget that it is a tiny major city comparatively speaking, and any decent inflow of people can change it for the better. I am bullish on Jackson. Let's make the Museum Trail rival the Beltline in Atlanta. Young people that love Mississippi don't really want to leave, but they don't want to live in Jackson. Make it an exciting new urban area centered around recreation and great food and they will have reason to stay. The jobs will come when the demand to live here comes. We should have boardwalks and trails all throughout the Pearl River floodplain. We don't even need (or want) some crazy bar scene. Let's just focus on having the most outdoor activities possible and fill the vacancies downtown.

I remember those old white ladies that used to have “Pray for Jackson “ bumper stickers . Just look at what they did to Jackson. Gods punishment has reigned down.

I know way more about Jackson and its future than he does.
My advice: Get out NOW while you CAN.

My gosh there are so many sky is falling negative assholes on this blog. Can y’all be somewhat optimistic? And to the lady saying you’d waste your time on earth fighting for Mississippi & Jackson, what do you want people to do then? Just be complete consumers that produce nothing for society or their community? Jackson is 100% worth fighting for and it is a crying shame how many people have tapped out around here. Every other old city in the south has ferals living in it and sky high homicide rates, yet their people still take pride in their town and never gave up. All you assholes that ran away 30 years ago and are so proud of it ARE THE REASON that Jackson’s in bad shape. Maybe if the weenies stuck around a little longer there would have never been a Chokwe Sr. or Yarber or Chokwe Jr.. Voting matters and less than 20k people vote in Jackson’s mayoral elections. That can be overcome so very easy with any inflow of population. We can, and we will take back Jackson, our state’s capital and largest city. Have some pride dammit!!!

Two sets of people under every post about Jackson regardless of the facts or commentary presented: One set hopes Jackson will get better (for everyone's benefit) and the other set hopes Jackson will never get better (probably racial reasons)

You would have to depopulate the city and replace them with responsible, hard working, civic minded individuals who are neither looking for a handout, or looking to prey on the weak and elderly.

@1:37
You are right; young people don't want to live in Jackson.

All we have to do is get people to stop focusing on race and come together for the same goal. Unfortunately, too many are unwilling to do that.

I have not once regretted leaving Jackson almost 30 years ago. I never once had any kind of problems with my water. Low crime and I feel safe. Excellent law schools,fire department and LEO. Lower taxes and my home has increased in value. Moving out of Jackson was an excellent move for me.

1:37- have you traveled to west and south Jackson lately? The new city administration is doing great with ideas for downtown, Fondren, northeast Jackson but not a word about west or south Jackson. Evidently they know its going to be a heavy & maybe impossible lift.

@2:30
You failed to mention a third set of People-- REALISTC ones.

Playing the race card?????

The folks that run the city are not business friendly at all. Profit has somehow become a bad word. Some of these folks feel like in order to make money you have to steal it from someone.

It is not the people who left Jackson that is the problem. The problem is the people who stayed in Jackson. Most of the honest hard working people got tired of having the crooked politicians and the crooked people in the city running everything. The reason there is so few people in Jackson voting on the mayor election is a good percentage of people left in Jackson are not allowed to vote. No matter what Jackson does the city will continue to be a dump until the crooks, thieves, murders, and dishonest politicians are not running things.

People who say Jackson will NEVER do this, or NEVER do that, or it will NEVER recover are either so full of hate or have no conception of time and history. What they don't realize is that Jackson's fate depends on people. Same with Madison, Clinton, Pearl, Brandon, and wherever. Jackson changed, or more likely the people of Jackson changed. Madison can change too. So can Clinton, Pearl, Brandon and the rest. In years to come they could be just like Jackson. It depends on the will and movement of the people. All can change for the better or the worse. It's happened before so stop this NEVER bulls..t.

Exactly, 12:51! ...that, and real estate SPECULATION on the part of out-of-state entities (something Donald may actually do something about - but we'll see...). Speculation is driving-up prices all over - even in places where price increases make no sense (like in Jackson).

3:13 so you are bragging about how self serving you are? Wow I’m sure you’ll be remembered for doing a lot!

3:16, you're right - REALISTIC ones! And for those who are whining about South and West Jackson (which both used to be wonderful and beautiful places to raise their families), I have one thing to say...you cannot help those who do not help themselves!!!

Dealing with the City of Jackson can be challenging, I have personally been affected this week by the actions of a black employee who knowingly broke the law to financially harm my team because we are white and he said he doesn't like white people. I have also had good experiences in Jackson but I can not figure out how to go over this guys head to undo what he did. It was not a Police Officer either. He will do various things when he handles the business of white people and there is nothing we can do about it yet.

Home prices are climbing primarily due to simple supply and demand. Large leasing companies are aggressively buying up single-family homes with all-cash offers, removing them from the market for regular buyers. These properties are then converted into rental units — often HUD/Section 8 rentals — while the companies frequently change names or restructure their holdings every year or so to stay a step ahead of fed/state compliance. With fewer homes available for purchase and strong demand from families who want to buy, prices keep getting pushed higher.

As long as the judiciary and city government are run by clowns nothing will change much. We all just watched the man with the furniture store plead for help to an uncaring circle of tribal chiefs that did nothing. All of the talk about self determination, local entrepreneurship, and other HBCU business school buzzwords are meaningless blather without actual action.

Bright Flight

Jackson was once a healthy and thriving city, but it was not made so because people came up with slogans like "the right to rise." It was made so because you had people who lived, worked, and governed in Jackson who cared about viable economic development, quality of life, schools, and law enforcement. All of those areas were severely neglected, resulting in blight and decline.

West and South Jackson are dumps because rednecks from Madison and Rankin county come dump their shit over there.

@12:32 Zillow won't determine what your house is worth. Reality will. And price discovery will only happen if and when you sell it. Jackson wont be saved because it isn't worth saving. Suck that.

9:02 Jackson is absolutely worth saving and it will be saved. Jackson has some of the finest houses in the state, very well attended faithful churches that are historic, 5 universities, lots of great restaurants, plenty of historical buildings, a handful of large companies, a state park, several multi use trails, the current and former state capitols, 5 major hospitals (one is about to build a massive cancer center) and it is smack dab in the middle of the south. Plus lots of good hearted people that work hard to build up the city and love each other. Your bitterness is just plain sad.

The great irony of #2 is that we continue to perpetuate that national reputation ourselves. It is almost like a hive mental illness, TBH.

I'm neither bitter nor sad. Just realistic. Everything you listed is a legacy of a different people from a different time. Those are sunk costs/assets that cannot be moved. Nothing you mentioned generates wealth. Jackson cannot be saved. It can only continue to limp along as a ward of state and federal intervention. I.e., a steady stream of tranfer payments.
Tl;dr You can't save a city that doesn't want to be saved. They only want this month's check to clear.

Until the streets and water system are fixed - nobody wants to move to, or start a business in Jackson, MS. Everything "positive" about Jackson is pure marketing supported by zero reality. They need billions just to fix the streets, and neither the city nor state has it.

@ 12:36 You are so right. U have to stop the bleeding of people. The best way is to start with the young. We, older people only have 30 years left and we are tired and have moved on.

Had to come to the comments to watch all the necks rage at the thought of a Jackson comeback. Didn't disappoint.

Ad hominem attacks are pointless. As is any emotional attachment to Jackson. It's more like most suburbanites just don't care. Most of the citizens of Jackson don't care, so why should I? There's zero rage at the thought of a Jackson comeback, because there's zero chance of it happening.

I have some WorldCom stock that I'll sell him for $65 a share.

@2:12 PM, reality is not based upon what we want. Reality stands on its own and regardless of what anyone thinks about it.

3:10 is correct. Other than crime, inept leadership, grift, and immoral citizens the biggest thing dragging Jackson down is the racism.
Chokwe, and sister, Harvey Johnson, Stokes, Socrates etc. and their blatant hate and racism toward whites ruined that city.

Many posters, such as 2:12, display a false pride regarding our old homeplace. They're really complaining that we went to the dance (left Jackson) and didn't invite them to go along.

7:50AM, As a younger man in 2005-2006 going through that phase of wanting an old house to “fix up” and preserve in Fondren; I dealt with a realtor(vulture)who wanted to sell me a house on Northview Dr and explained to this naive country boy that Northview was still a part of Fondren as we witnessed vagrants at that little park over there. That was back when flipping houses was popular and profitable. That realtor was so infatuated with Pine Hill Dr and mentioned he knew many of the residents on the street and they were successful lawyers and real estate professionals who co-existed with the ghetto who lived at the other end of Pine Hill. I’m sure their children were in private schools so apparently they didn’t co exist with their ghetto neighbors very well.

Some of those same crooks are still in business in Fondren today and thank God one elderly man who was a Fondren resident gave me some advice that I listened to about Jackson’s decline. I never bought my first house in Fondren or Jackson and I didn’t care that I would be missing out on Brent’s Drugs “egg and olive sandwiches” that was a selling point of buying a house in Fondren.

The uppity country club Democrats of Fondren are still living segregated lives but love to preach to the suburbs.

7:57 - how many Madison tags do you see in South Jackson? I can assure you have and never will see mine.

And in Madison County we can call Waste Management for a pick up at no charge for any bulk items.

Good point.

I assume you have previously taken your own advice?

After living in Jackson for 60 years, we chose to move after so much disappointment, but I am ACTIVELY CHEERING for any improvement to the city. The city affects every other community around it, so if it improves we all benefit - fingers crossed!

DJP brings another huckster to town. What else is new.

It’s simple.

Jackson leadership HATES white people and does want them involved, expect for paying the lion’s share of the taxes.

White liberals think they can influence and change this.

Just ask Jeff Goode.

It’s never going to happen.

Black leaders and white liberals want Jackson to be a city dominated by black culture, politics and leadership. Whites need not apply.

Racism at its worst.

This. Accurate and sad AF 11:38.

1000% true.

Until the demographics, quality education, and culture changes, along with establishment of competent leadership, there's little hope for a bright future ahead.

Is Urban Strategist anything like Community Organizer?

Same same.

What is missing from all this bullshit is this. Chattanooga was the pits in 1990 - it had the dubious honor of being the most polluted city in America, but today Chattanooga is thriving by anyone's definition. The main difference between Chattanooga and Jackson is the Chattanooga leadership (note, not elected leadership, but real leadership) revived Chattanooga with mainly private money, and the rest, as they say, is history. Jackson has neither the elected or "real" leadership to accomplish anything like what was done in Chattanooga because the elected leadership goes out of its way to thwart the efforts of the "real" leadership. That, and the citizens of Chattanooga, have elected real leaders, not race baiters.

Fondren Town Center - packed all around - lots to do but if this can happen during the week it can work.

Jackson only gets better when conservatives move back and vote like hell to change things. Jackson is tiny and it can be done. Isn’t there routinely less than 20k people that vote in the mayoral race? If we all lived in the CCID it would be tolerable until a conservative takeover of city government occurred. I want Jackson back. I’m tired of laughing away the problems. It’s our State Capital for crying out loud. It can be a beautiful and safe city again. Imagine the day that our college grads from State and Ole Miss barely even think of leaving Mississippi and WANT to be in Jackson. The CCID makes this possible. You can just call Capitol Police and they will be there in 3-4 minutes.

I'm guessing that 3:54 hasn't had a gun stuck to his head or been kidnapped. I've had both. If you want to risk your life in Jackson, be my guest. Not me. Been there. Done that. Barely lived to tell about it.

It’s my opinion that Andy Gipson, even with the tall hat and Mis’ippi accent, is the only man that will have to balls to aggressively pursue the crime in Jackson. That will straighten things out for sure. It could very well happen, so it may be time to get in while the getting is good!

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner!

The young people that love Mississippi and want us to have decent urban areas and want to stay in Mississippi post grad really do enjoy Jackson. Fondren and Belhaven are fantastic old southern neighborhoods full of good food and plenty to do. The CCID should be bursting at the seams with development. In spite of libtard judges and a crooked DA, Capitol PD has been all the difference and made living here much easier and better. The thugs truly do fear Capitol PD. It is working and it will continue to work, but we need people to stop bad mouthing the place. Y’all can check out Manship St on a Friday or Saturday night if you want a glimpse into what Jackson could be.

Chattanooga in 1990 was 65% white. In 2020 Jackson was 16.5% white (I'm confident that number has dropped). Hinds County had a Supervisor who publicly stated his goal was to have all whites voted out of any county wide office. He got his wish. The wife of Kenneth Stokes was in a runoff against another black woman and successfully won the runoff by claiming her opponent (somewhat mixed race) wasn't black enough. But blaming the whites as race baiters makes 6:54 feel better.

As if you couldn't order an 'Egg & Olive Sandwich', without a Fondren sticker on your car! (or maybe they check the tax rolls or something) Thanks for that little vignette, 9:44!

I know something who still says prayers of thanks, that he didn't follow a realtor's advice, and buy in "The Next Belhaven!!!" (that area behind Banner Hall). He passed-up a house with a dirt-floored garage (among other distinctly un-Belhavenly features, like the chickenproofing sheets of tin between the concrete blocks upon which the house was sitting).

It is coming.....when it does, OVER.

" i was hoping for a mayflower recipe"

That was funny 12:03 PM.

...hmmm... I think I'll throw in my own little theories. The much-demonized homeless, are burning many of the houses at the bottom of the market, thus shrinking supply. Bidenflation has devalued the Dollar, so it takes more Dollars to build or repair - thereby raising, theoretically, the value of existing housing. Bidenflation lagged-behind, where housing was concerned, until the boundless optimism created by the rapid succession of MAGA wins since 2025, bouyed housing values (even in depressed places).

Speculators - many of them institutional - are driving up prices - much of which makes little sense, except the principals will make off like bandits, eventually, while the little investors they supposedly serve, will be left bereft. It's not like there's never been a housing bubble, before.

The fact that the tenantry in the newly-"converted" "units", are the sort who destroy everything they touch (like all the uninhabitable apartment buildings in Jackson), means that more "units" will be abandoned - further shrinking the market - a market shored-up by guaranteed government handouts. Whether or not these handouts continue, depends upon the return of Democrats to power. But without guaranteed government monies, the leasing companies will need to drop their prices, will not be able to maintain the properties, and more will become uninhabitable/abandoned/burned. What remains, will rent for very little.

8:45PM, Around 2003, I had another realtor tell me that the Broadmoor neighborhood would be the next Fondren. He was really convinced of this, lol!
“They” believed Fondren was so Funky and desirable that eventually the spillover would revitalize Broadmoor. Nobody bought into the lies. It’s a very tight group of realtors over there who control everything.

Same old song with Jackson’s drawback continuing to be the DEMOCRAT CRIME TACTIC (used to take over cities forever) implemented when then Jackson Mayor Kane Ditto (White Liberal, Malcom X warned us) hired Jimmy Wilson as the Police Chief over 3 decades ago in 1992.

The DEMOCRAT CRIME TACTIC accomplished the goal of nothing but African American DEMOCRAT Mayors since 1997, but it’s been overplayed big time, giving Jackson, MS the Murder Capital title. It’s the Crime Stupid.

The hate for Jackson is bizarre. Once again every State needs a viable metro area to attract and keep young people. Most young graduates don’t want to live in a sterile suburb hanging out at Dicks, Chik fil A and the youth baseball fields. Jackson certainly isn’t perfect but everybody in Mississippi should be rooting for it instead of hating on it all the time.

Speaking as a leftist, I can see and feel the raging hate in the hearts of you who disagree with me.

Nobody has a problem if and when Jackson heals itself. What the rest of the state is against is spending more than a per capita share of state tax dollars to help. When municipalities and counties all over Mississippi have their own pressing local needs to fund, they sure as hell ain't interested in squandering more money for a dysfunctional Jackson to piss away chasing pipe dreams. The idea that Mississippi isn't attracting young people because of Jackson is total bunk.

@8:10 AM "Rooting" for Jackson is like rooting for the Titanic as it disappears below the surface.

No hate, just disgust.

South and West Jackson were already in decline 50 years ago. Some of you should talk to real estate and insurance appraisers about the increase in property and home values in northeast Jackson. Many of those homeowners this year were shocked or will be to find their appraisal values have doubled since the last renewal period.

We don’t “hate” Jackson. We hate the Crime DEMOCRATS use to keep control of Jackson.

Hell, many if not most White Liberal DEMOCRAT hypocrites choose to live in the burbs. And the one’s that at least live in their DEMOCRAT Party controlled City of Jackson…..won’t send their children to their own DEMOCRAT controlled public schools.

This level of hypocrisy is shocking but idiot Republicans almost never ever point this out.

Leftist: Please keep the noise, garbage and drama in Jackson. Don’t bring it to Madison.
And stop converging on the Madison Walmart and Kroger in mobs and parking in handicapped spaces meant for people who are truly handicapped.
My heart is in the right place. I’m just tired of dealing with a certain culture that breeds systemic laziness while constantly complaining.

The disconnect between assessment value and market value in Jackson is stark. Many NEJacksonians can only dream of realizing their assessed value in an actual sale. What they can't come to grips with is they lose either way. Pay exorbitant property taxes (that are going up next fiscal year) based on a never-to-be achieved assessment value. Or swallow the difference in a market sale. At least the sale will stop the bleeding.

9:10, Oh I see, you only support a tiny fraction of Jackson. The section where the rich white liberals live. To hell with the rest of it.

Agreed! The location is right in the middle of a bullseye. 6 hours West to Dallas/Fort Worth. 6 hours East to Atlanta. 3 hrs North to Memphis. 3 hours South to New Orleans.

Mobile, Little Rock, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Birmingham, Pensacola, all well within 4.5 hours!

Ditto @ 3:13. I couldn't afford decades of private schools and my kids received an excellent education in the public school system we moved to. Now they are out of state and doing VERY well...we are following soon. While I wish Jackson well and hope it can recover, my head just wasn't up to banging against that brick wall...those who can, vote(d) with our feet and make the choices that make sense for our family. I'm very grateful for our decision.

Yep, correct. Them seem to be touting how shiny and nice the front 1/4th of the Titanic is while the back 3/4 is under water.

Jackson deserves each negative comment it gets because it has actively degraded itself from merely OK in 1980 down to the toilet it is today. I am afraid for our own adult children to visit us here.

Sky high gas prices will reign in suburbia home values faster than a HUD loan in Annandale. When Bubba can’t get from Florence to his job without truck pooling with Earl 3 times a week….and when their jobs reduce hours due to this absolute crap economy….Jackson will look much more attractive from a value / livability measure. And yes Fondren and Belhaven and NE Jackson are getting the lions share of attention due to jobs and security from CCID and police. More restaurants and business and things to do with young people to do them with….not 60 year olds bitching about cart on path only after a rain at the club.

Jackson haters are not only wrong, they're irrelevant. They are just shouting into the void. No one cares what they think. Jackson's challenges are being addressed effectively now and their bullshit will not hinder the comeback in any way.

1980 it was OK to you….so you are at least 75 years old. Back to the bench and the squirrels Sr.

What comeback 😳? There's a crape myrtle in the median across from Hope CU on Terry Road that's been down for a year after being struck during a car crash with Pearl PD. The tree is in great shape just needs to be uprighted. But I guess public works missed it due to focusing on the comeback or that overgrown trash filled creek.

A relative handful of folks buying owner-occupied homes (at any price) or even a few folks willing to use OPM (public or private) won't "save" Jackson. Until some real and purely private outside money is willing to risk capital and invest in Jackson - capital in the capitol, if you will - and do it expecting a real ROI, nothing else will matter. I wish any individual willing to risk money on their dreams and ideals sincere good wishes, but until real and private capital is willing to join you for ROI, it will be tough.

8:10, I disagree. People don’t hate Jackson, they hate what it has become. Democrats have destroyed the city like everything else they destroy. Now, Jackson leadership is more interested in being Black than it is bringing everyone back in to improve the city. Why not include more non-Black people to help the city? Everyone wants diversity until it requires them to practice it.