Jackson

Pros: Surprisingly active cultural life, a new administration may breathe new life into the city
Cons: Doesn't yet have a great hotel, restaurants are limited, but improving, crime needs to drop

The capital of Mississippi, Jackson, was founded in 1821 on a site said to have been operated as a trading post by French Canadian Louis Le Fleur. The city was to be called Le Fleur's Bluff, but was renamed Jackson in honor of President Andrew ...

Pros: Great culture and dining. Friendly, helpful, and courteous people.
Cons: Nothing at all, if you only plan to visit.

(NOTE: This post is based on an email to a chat room friend of mine from the Gulf Coast. The excerpts from my e-mail are in 'triple-double' quotes. Parts of this same e-mail are also used in my Mississippi Review.)


From June 2001 to July...

Pros: Warm, down-to-earth people. A GREAT family town.
Cons: Natives often don't realize how wonderful a place this is.

I moved to the Jackson area in 1999. Let me say I've lived in many of the areas of the country that are the "in" places to be .... (Austin and Dallas for example). And I'm fortunate to have travelled to nearly every major city in the U.S. If you are ...

Pros: Bright future, bright people, great place to live and raise a family
Cons: Overly negative suburbanites

I'm piggybacking off of tombarnes's original epinion about my hometown. I think he gave a lot of great information about Jackson, but I would like to chime in with the viewpoint of someone that currently lives here. You've Come a Long Way, ...

Pros: historical, very pretty
Cons: public transportation, no night life to speak of

Before I made my fateful first trip from California to Jackson, MS, I had many of the common misconceptions that a lot of people have about the South. You know, the usual..."You guys (this was before y'all started to invade my conversations) do...

Pros: Friendly, Old Southern Mansions, Civil War Past
Cons: Greasy Fattening Food

If you're looking for that great American road trip into the past, you might want to start in Jackson. You'll see hopping juke joints, cotton fields, atmospheric antebellum homes, and monuments to the Civil War heroes.

If you're a Civil War...

Pros: City Limits ~ Going Out; Cultural Clout (if you can get to them without being mugged)
Cons: City Limits ~ Going In

Ahhhhh......Jackson, Mississippi. The place in which I took my first breath of air.

This used to be a city that respectable people could move to and raise their children in. If you want to do this today ~ you certainly move out into...

Pros: good people, arts community, sports
Cons: needs more night life

I don't know that Jackson is a great vacation destination, but there are several activities that come to mind that would make a visit to Jackson enjoyable. This is no big city, mark my words. Jackson gives you the feeling of a mid-sized town, with...

Pros: n/a
Cons: n/a

Review Topic:  Restaurants

My mother is from Jackson, Mississippi, and I have gone there two or three times a year since I was a child. Much of their food is to die for! I just thought that I'd pass on some restaurant tips...

Pros: Excellent food and dining atmosphere.
Cons: A tad pricy at points, but nothing too expensive.

Now, before I go any further, I should tell you that this isn't a Review on Jackson as a whole, but rather the first in a series of reviews of the local dining establishments. Now, having lived in Mississippi all my life I can tell you--It...