I go back quite a bit to games, but this weekend was the first that I actually took the time to look around town, go down the main drags, etc. etc. etc. You're completely focusing on the negative. For all intents and purposes right now, Starkville is KICKING ***. All the buildings have businesses in them, campus is as pretty as ever, the new dorms, all the renovations on campus, the new little cotton district bar district, enrollment upwards of 20,000, awesome access from all directions into Starkville, etc etc etc the list goes on and on.
Starkville, in my mind, is now longer a boring small college town. We will be able to attract people from all over the country if you get them to visit and get past the prior stereotype.
Honest assessment: Starkville is right there with Oxford, maybe even surpassed it.