Looks nice. Mid-size cities across the South are turning things around. Jackson needs to get the memo. Greenville, Little Rock, Montgomery and Mobile have passed Jackson by a mile. Only Shreveport might be worse than Jackson.
OT: Mobile opening new arena: Regions Arena
- Thread starter 615dawg
- Start date
It’ll have to be a Regional Arena…
The Trustmark Park area might be the best location, but other spots could be across I-20 from Pearl HS and Hinds’ Rankin campus or near 18 or 475 also on the south side of I-20…
I really like Mobile but I’d question a $300 million arena. If I’m Jackson, I’m trying to make Thalia Mara as nice as possible. It’s a venue with solid bones.
Thalia Mara is a nice auditorium. I like the renovations that have been done…
What 615 is talking about is the next level above it, which currently is the undersized Mississippi Coliseum…
It can’t be over the top… otherwise it wouldn’t be filled but maybe 9,000 seats kind of like the Landers Center? That’s doable, right?
Obviously Jackson has to do more with ICE (infrastructure, crime and education) before we start talking about a new arena, but I just found it interesting. Mobile is a city that a decade ago I would have put in the same category as Jackson and Shreveport, and they have been able to improve greatly.
Right and I just don’t see how a $300 mill arena has a great ROI. I know there will be hyperbolic quotes as usual pulling economic impact numbers from thin air
The ROI is the first thing I’d wonder about too.
The Mississippi Coliseum is still being used for a reason…
This is mostly why I was thinking regional.
Agreed
I’d rather see Jackson put $10 mill in TM which includes bathrooms and a permanent concession stand on the mezzanine level. The trek to the bathroom
At a concert is a bit ridiculous.
This is replacing the Mobile Civic Center which was built in 1964. The Mississippi Coliseum was built in 1962.
Hirsch in Shreveport was built in 1952 and a suburban arena replaced it in 2000.
Just more data points. Jackson needs to get its crap together.
Hirsch in Shreveport was built in 1952 and a suburban arena replaced it in 2000.
Just more data points. Jackson needs to get its crap together.
They will rent the whole arena, usually, the floor will be used for bands and call outs and banquet rooms and suites will be used by individual groups within the crew or association. It’s a hell of a time. And from the looks of the interior there are plenty of suites/rooms that could/would be used for Mardi Gras
Mann, the wharf at Orange Beach is tearing their *** up. We got hardy coming in. We got Willie coming in and more
Don't know about Montgomery, but entirely different demographics between those and Jackson.Looks nice. Mid-size cities across the South are turning things around. Jackson needs to get the memo. Greenville, Little Rock, Montgomery and Mobile have passed Jackson by a mile.
Although, I last lived in Shreveport in 1991, I believe it is sill well ahead of Jxn.
Jxn, is coming off a long run of terrrible leadership. The city just needs to stabilize. Horne came in with promise, but made a terrible pick for police chief.
I’ve long said Jackson needs an arena rather than repeated failed attempts at a baseball stadium. Central MS has MSU baseball, doesn’t need pro.
Unfortunately the only area that can pull it off is Flohood, which doesn’t anchor shlt. Needs to be downtown.
Need to focus on building JSU stadium and expanding hospital. Baby steps.
Get that right, then we start start talking about an arena.
And folks talking about demo-ing Coliseum - not happening. It’s needed for the rodeo.
Unfortunately the only area that can pull it off is Flohood, which doesn’t anchor shlt. Needs to be downtown.
Need to focus on building JSU stadium and expanding hospital. Baby steps.
Get that right, then we start start talking about an arena.
And folks talking about demo-ing Coliseum - not happening. It’s needed for the rodeo.
If I remember correctly Mobile is replacing theirs since the last one had its roof collapsed (snow). I would be interested to know if there was plans to demo before the roof collapse.
it’s got nothing on this bad boy
It was already being torn down when the roof collapsed from the snow so it kinda helped them in demolishing it
Mobile is going to pull concerts from the Coast Coliseum to this new arena and the folks in Biloxi have been talking about it for a year or so. There have been discussions about replacing the aging Coast Coliseum which was built in 1977. It is showing it's age and needs either major renovations but probably just a rebuild.
I was on South Alabama's campus a few weeks ago and man, that place has changed. They are building a brand new medical school, they are building an engineering facility dedicated to serving Airbus, who will be building planes in Mobile. Their basketball arena would be middle of the pack in the SEC, and their football stadium is one of the top five in the G5. Auburn has a Pharmacy school on USA's campus as well.
Its all about leadership. USA hired Jo Bonner to be their President and he has completely changed the place. They waive out of state tuition to Mississippi and Florida residents and they have billboards up throughout the Jackson area recruiting students.
All that to say, Mobile is thriving. Made me look up who their mayor was.
Sandy Stimpson was the mayor that helped turn Mobile around the most.I was on South Alabama's campus a few weeks ago and man, that place has changed. They are building a brand new medical school, they are building an engineering facility dedicated to serving Airbus, who will be building planes in Mobile. Their basketball arena would be middle of the pack in the SEC, and their football stadium is one of the top five in the G5. Auburn has a Pharmacy school on USA's campus as well.
Its all about leadership. USA hired Jo Bonner to be their President and he has completely changed the place. They waive out of state tuition to Mississippi and Florida residents and they have billboards up throughout the Jackson area recruiting students.
All that to say, Mobile is thriving. Made me look up who their mayor was.
But more than anything it was Airbus, which was built and opened fully in 2015, which put it on the map. Then it was easy for Stimpson to get rolling. He also annexed a bunch of area out west to ensure that the 'result' of the elections had a chance to stay that way.
Mobile has a core group of rich guys that love it and will do almost anything to keep it relevant. Jackson........doesn't.
That's very interesting. Thanks for the insight.
I just remember in the 2000s, Mobile was as big of a ******** as Jackson, and it has turned around.
Reminds me of seeing the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Baily Circus circa 1973, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, KISS, Joan Jett, David Lee Roth, Poison, Aerosmith, Winger, Slaughter, and high school basketball playoffs. They have redone the outside since this haven't they?
It's really hard to me to understand why Jackson is as bad as it is. It really should not be worse than Montgomery, Little Rock, Macon, Shreveport, etc. I guess there just wasn't enough money to offset the race issues that all these cities faced. When I ride around Jackson vs. those other places, you really can just feel the despair.
Seems to me like the only way a MS capital city was going to survive, was to also have a major university near it to pump in money. And probably needed to be in a better location than where Jackson sits. I'm often said Vicksburg, but just no real way to know what was going to happen. Then we maybe, MAYBE, could have pulled off a Columbia, SC sort of deal. And it probably should have just been one (major) university from the beginning.
But oh well, what's happened has happened. I think the idea of an arena is one that can possibly support NCAA tournament basketball games. That's what I'd be going for. But again, I cannot see Jackson ever nearing the point of being able to do that, just lack of hotels, everything. It's just so far gone. Flohood is probably the only choice.
It’s also got an enormous geographical advantage
Building an arena in Jackson or anywhere in the metro makes nos sense. You would usually be competing with Brandon and Thalia Mara for concerts and would be unlikely to get anything bigger than what would go to Brandon
Lot of fond flashbacks in that simple picture. Three Dog Night, ZZ Top and KISS among others for me between 72 and 77.
Gone are the days of the circus tent.
To think this way is essentially giving up, though.
But I go back to what I said in my first post. Step 1 is building JSU's on campus stadium. Step 2 is expanding the hospital and cleaning up Fondren/Belhaven. We worry about Step 3 later.
So for the foreseeable future, Jack-hole is out of the entertainment industry. Except for the Ag shlt at the coliseum. I mean even the MSU basketball games we have at the coliseum are just pitiful.
Deciding not to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on an arena is not giving up. Arenas aren’t mandatory to improving city life. It’s about spending money where it gets the best return and impact. An arena doesn’t do much of anything for the cost. We wasted money on a convention center and got nothing from it either
There was a Dave Matthews concert a few years back at the Brandon Amphitheater. The band stayed at the Westin in Jackson.
He told a story mid-concert that he wanted a cup of coffee and just started strolling the streets and couldn't believe how dead everything was. Called Jackson straight out of "The Walking Dead." I can't shake that description. If the legislature is not in session, downtown Jackson is a ghost town even during the week.
And I probably wasn't clear when I posted - I don't think Jackson necessarily needs a new arena - I just found it interesting that Mobile is building one. While Goat and I disagree on some MSU-centric items, we are 100 percent in agreement on Jackson.
1. Just build JSU a stadium
2. Tear down Veterans Memorial and expand that area around UMC/Fondren/Belhaven to a destination spot like many downtowns have. Something on a smaller scale of the AT&T Discovery District in Dallas
He told a story mid-concert that he wanted a cup of coffee and just started strolling the streets and couldn't believe how dead everything was. Called Jackson straight out of "The Walking Dead." I can't shake that description. If the legislature is not in session, downtown Jackson is a ghost town even during the week.
And I probably wasn't clear when I posted - I don't think Jackson necessarily needs a new arena - I just found it interesting that Mobile is building one. While Goat and I disagree on some MSU-centric items, we are 100 percent in agreement on Jackson.
1. Just build JSU a stadium
2. Tear down Veterans Memorial and expand that area around UMC/Fondren/Belhaven to a destination spot like many downtowns have. Something on a smaller scale of the AT&T Discovery District in Dallas
I hope Regions Arena is better than their damn ATMs
Yeah I mean I think we all are just frustrated with what seems like wasted potential.
I wanted to come back to this, as it's more valid than we're giving it credit.
Mobile has the best of all worlds. It's a port city with a major river. It has the benefit of the water, yet it's tucked back off the actual coast, which gives it protection from hurricanes. And, it has access to true vacation beaches in Baldwin County.
Then take Gulfport/Biloxi, arguably MS' best place to live and work in a semi-urban built up area. It's RIGHT on the water, thus susceptible to hurricanes. Then you take into account that most Coast people go East or West to do their shopping and entertainment. And two major coast employers, Stennis and Ingall's, likely have a workforce also coming from East and West. Then of course, you have no natural tourist beaches. It's like a no-win situation. So while our Coast has its cool factor and its casinos, it's always going to be limited by all those factors, especially compared to the NOLA and Mobile Metros. Just like anywhere in MS, you'll have to attract people who want the laid back lifestyle, and are alright without the city amenities. That's fine, but for a hundred years in the US growth has been concentrated in urban areas and cities.
Mobile's not perfect, though. They are messing up their airport situation for sure. But it's got a strong core. That's why I always come back to the Jackson Metro being the real 'chance' we have at that urban area, because it's got the state government and, at minimum, is the business center for central MS. But without that urban core it's always just going to be a suburban mess with no identity, and people will only live there because they have to, i.e. a job, being close to family, etc. Geography will always be a killer, though. People love to talk about access but it's still 3 friggin' hours to Memphis and NOLA and a haul to DFW, Houston, Atlanta and Nashville. Dang near 2 hours just to even get to Starkville.
I have worked in DT Jxn since 1995. It was a happening place back then, with festivals and people walking all throughout the work day. There were several restaurants scattered around, although almost most had a short life span.
Decades of terrible leadership and professional firms relocating to Highland Colony have resulted in DT being a shell of itself. This all happened before covid. Then covid hit and TW become much more prevalent.
At times, leaders have tried to turn DT into a residential center, but that hasn’t taken off and likely never will.
Frank Melton (who had his own demons) is the last mayor who cared about the city and didn’t see it as a way to enrich himself and friends.
Turning DT in an entertain center (mini Beale St) and building a Beau Rivage type casino are the best hopes, but not likely to happen.
In Case you missed it, Theo Von roasted Jackson with Mike Rowe after his show at Thalia Mara last year as well.