Are people seriously arguing about whether Brandon, Flowood, Pearl, Timbuktu are better? Seriously? Can't wait for football season to finally get here!
But to join in on the pointless fun: the idea that Brandon is so far behind. Brandon is the perfection location for traffic going West onto I-20. Flowood is out of the way for those traveling West on I-20. People would drive through Brandon before they drove through Pearl. Plus, those people from Meridian who are headed to and from the Jackson airport will stop in the Brandon commercial area, not Pearl. Pearl's major commercial district is on the exit going towards Jackson from the airport exit.
Brandon will basically serve the bulk of the rest of Rankin County outside of Flowood/Reservoir/Pearl given its centrality (the rest of Rankin County measure about a population of 100,000) along with offering competition for the Flowood and Pearl population. Brandon is closest to the center of gravity for the population of Rankin, it would have the only major commercial area on I-20 between the airport exit and Meridian, and it is the political center for Rankin county means that Brandon is incredibly primed for growth. Flowood's main benefit is it's proximity to the Airport and its connected to Jackson via Lakeland Dr. But Jackson is slowly dying and Madison offers an increased amount of competition out on I-55 for Jackson folk (Flowood was already competing with Ridgeland). And yes, the interstate is very important. Otherwise, why that route to Brandon/Pearl to Flowood that is near El Dorado road be built? It was built for ease of access to Interstate accessible area. But if Brandon (and de facto Brandon in Eastern Pearl) grows, that route loses its commercial effectiveness for Flowood. Pearl benefits from proximity to airport and the fact that it the only other major commercial competion on I-20 that is outside of Jackson (which travelers do avoid) is Clinton. But that changes with Brandon.
The best analogue for Brandon's future is Madison. A little bit of distance from the fading central hub in Jackson and the airport, but its location makes it the prime location for those traveling south in I-55. In other words, both Madison and Brandon are on important interstates and are about as far away (thus reducing crime and preventing some other city being first) as you can get while still benefiting from Jackson and the airport. With good leadership (and the current mayor is taking the bull by the horns), Brandon is primed to be the next Madison, although hopefully without the dictatorial reign of a certain mayor.
