OT: Meridian

Shmuley

Heisman
Mar 6, 2008
23,793
10,572
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One should target another option that avoids Meridian as one's destination.
 
Sep 2, 2012
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Agree with BMT

North Hills is your best bet. Clarkdale and Enterprise are not far from Meridian if you wanted to be outside of town but within driving distance. Certain parts of town are getting like Jackson or Memphis. There are a bunch of big, nice houses for sale close to Meridian High School. But there's a reason they are all up for sale.
 

punterjoe

Redshirt
Nov 12, 2009
235
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I lived in Meridian for 5 years. 3 in North hills area and 2 out toward Clarkdale. I'd recommend those two.
 

GhostOfJackie

Senior
Apr 20, 2009
3,742
635
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One would want to live in north hills or just E or NE of the high school. WIth that said, Meridian sucks cock and has a major crime problem lately.
 

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
18,948
2,066
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Why is that?

I grew up there eons ago, but it was fine then. Went back for a high school reunion about 3 years ago and went downtown just to see how it looked. There was nobody there.
 

MSUFORLIFE

Redshirt
Sep 12, 2012
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I have lived in Collinsville which is just outside of Meridian my whole life. Collinsville is a good place to live and just commute into Meridian every day. If you live directly in Meridian, your taxes along with chance of being mugged increase greatly. Live on the outskirts of it and you'll be just fine.
 

TheDuke.sixpack

Redshirt
Aug 21, 2012
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Agreed with several others; Meridian is no longer a decent place to live. Grew up there, but it's gone downhill steadily for years. Been trying to convince my family to move for the last couple years. Crime is getting out of control.

As others have said, North Hills area/etc. are decent places, or some outskirt areas like Clarkdale can be decent if you don't mind the short drive.
 

HammerOfTheDogs

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2001
10,762
1,547
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Agree with the others

If one were to ever relocate to the Meridian area, where should one target to live?

I grew up in the North Hills area, but I have no idea what it's like now....haven't lived there in 30 years. Lived out at Rainbow Lakes near Russell for a while. In the Northeast School district and a very nice.

Also, Collinsville and other places outside of Meridian are good. As a matter of fact, it would behoove you to look out in Lauderdale county outside the City Limits.
 

BigMotherTucker

Sophomore
Aug 20, 2006
6,777
153
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There are still plenty of nice places to live... Just not in the heart of town. Windmill estates, the Commons, Eagle point, a few spots out by Briarwood Cc. The Clarkdale community seems to the fastest growing... West Lauderdale is a bit over priced, but nice. There are even some nice (and over priced) condos downtown in the Rosenbaum building. The crime has picked up which is concerning, but I'm pretty sure that it's not isolated to Meridian MS.
 

TheDuke.sixpack

Redshirt
Aug 21, 2012
22
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Lived out at Rainbow Lakes near Russell for a while. In the Northeast School district and a very nice.

In-Laws live in that community now; definitely a nice place to live, but mostly due to isolation. Some neighboring areas outside of the (somewhat large) community aren't the greatest.
 

HammerOfTheDogs

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2001
10,762
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In-Laws live in that community now; definitely a nice place to live, but mostly due to isolation. Some neighboring areas outside of the (somewhat large) community aren't the greatest.

We moved out there when I was in college. My parents pretty much had the 45 acre lake at the top of the spillway to themselves. We used to have some monster blowout weekends. We'd fish, drink, ski, drink, ride paddle boats, drink. My dad was at Burnside Ott when they had the Navy Simulator contract, and we befriended several flight students. The day they got their wings, they got good and drunk and decided swim across the lake. Mom had me follow them in the paddle boat in case one of them sank.

Now, both lakes are pretty much surrounded with houses.
 

TheDuke.sixpack

Redshirt
Aug 21, 2012
22
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Not only are they surrounded, but the major lake has a leak in the dam, yet the HOA is shuffling their feet about what to do. It's making my father-in-law pissed since fishing is his passion...
 

HammerOfTheDogs

All-Conference
Jun 20, 2001
10,762
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The Rainbow Lakes developer had developed Dalewood in the 1960's-70's (not sure which). Dalewood was nice, but it didn't have any specific covenants, and you'd have trailers right next to fine 4 BR homes. He decided to make RBL covenants much more restrictive, which is why the houses, while packed in, are much nicer.

BTW, my dad despised the HOA when they lived there. Too much dithering.
 

Chickamauga

Senior
Mar 3, 2008
1,482
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I have relatively extensive experience in both places.

If I had to choose, I would choose Meridian.

DS, HD6 and some other natives may feel differently, but Vicksburg appears to have suffered a precipitous decline over the last decade. The public schools, aside from the local magnet elementary, are the most obvious problem. When I graduated from Vicksburg High School in the mid-1990s, it was a decently well-integrated school that offered academic and athletic opportunities on par with most other public high schools in Mississippi. It has much, much less community support than it used to, and I read in the local paper a few months ago that it hasn't produced a National Merit Finalist in more than five years.

Meridian has its problems but seems to do a better job of retaining natives and attracting young people with families, perhaps because of the local health care industry. The Riley Center usually attracts a few decent musical acts per year, and I think MCC and the local MSU branch do a good job of offering continuing-education opportunities. Also, despite the prominence of the aforesaid health-care industry, Meridian seems to present more diverse job opportunities than Vicksburg--where you can either work for the federal government or inherit your father's business.

Vicksburg still has much more historical character and better restaurants, but those things don't figure prominently into most calculations of livable-ness.
 

was21

Senior
May 29, 2007
9,928
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I'm a native of Vicksburg but moved away quite a while ago. I can relate to some of your comments...particularly either working for the federal government or inheriting your father's business. For some reason, lawyers seem to do ok in Vicksburg...maybe folks trying to get their hands on some old money...thx for reply
 
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DISTRICT DOG

Redshirt
Nov 28, 2008
393
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I have lived in Collinsville which is just outside of Meridian my whole life. Collinsville is a good place to live and just commute into Meridian every day. If you live directly in Meridian, your taxes along with chance of being mugged increase greatly. Live on the outskirts of it and you'll be just fine.

My entire family is from Collinsville/Meridian, and if I were to ever move to Meridian, Collinsville is exactly where I would live. Like MSUFORLIFE said, it is a short commute to Meridian every day, and the community is pretty close knit. My grandparents, aunt & uncle, and cousins know almost everyone. I have been going there since I was a kid, and when I got to high school I would come up on the weekends to party with my cousin, I always felt safe and never had a feeling that I was in any danger as far as crime goes (growing up in Jackson, you learn how that feels quickly). My entire family went to West Lauderdale, and live in that area....very nice place and you can get a house with a lot of land.
 
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Railin Jemmye

Redshirt
Oct 29, 2012
1,937
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What a terrible mistake it was to not locate MSU in Meridian......

Didn't they say they didn't want the cadets to have access to the bars in Meridian or something?

Think of how that town and the university could have flourished with MSU there. Interstate access, closer to Jackson, the Coast and Mobile. Far outweighs any advantage of being closer to Birmingham or Huntsville. Both areas have military bases nearby. Meridian doesn't have the refuge, but it does have Okattibbee Lake. Bigger population would have helped with sports attendance too. Southern Miss probably wouldn't even exist.