LOCKED - Question for the Jacksonites

[Junction John]

^^^This is the most accurate post yet about Jackson's suburban flight.

The local economy hasn't killed Jackson. People are still commuting in to Jackson to work. There are a lot of problems with jackson, but the biggest is that if you have kids and want to live in Jackson, you are paying $14k per year per kid for school or you are doing a reverse commute to take your kids somewhere that still costs probably $6k or $7k. People want to live in cities now. But you want people to pay higher taxes for worse services more crime, and then they're looking at $28k a year in school costs if they have two kids and don't want to drive 30 minutes to take their kid to school somewhere outside of the city. People would put with the other things, but very few people are rolling enough that stroking a $30k check each year for school won't be a deciding factor. There are people that can do it, but not nearly enough people to turn Jackson around.

If there was an affordable option for school, you would probably see a lot of gentrification as people chose to live closer to work, which would at least provide a base from which you could start to address other problems.

exactly why we chose to move out of town a while back. I am a lifelong Jacksonian, but when you get past 1 or 2 kids in private schools, at some point it chokes you out.

 

[Junction John]

Just realized my response to this yesterday didn't post, but here's one.
View attachment 9410

The state owns the land, it's the right size, it would have cleaned up a blighted gateway into the city, and if you wanted to keep the Big House and needed more room, the retail could have gone across the street and cleaned up even more land.

This wasn't the only option. There are at least 5 other options the city had at the time. And all of them are basically still sitting there rotting. Putting Trustmark Park in the Jackson city limits wouldn't be the savior of the town, but the added sales tax and ad valorem taxes wouldn't have hurt.

And for those knocking the deal Pearl made, I agree - they gave away the farm. Those politicians bent over for Yates when they probably didn't have to. Jackson didn't have to do that. The team owners wanted to be in Jackson. Harvey was a career politician who loved the status quo, didn't know **** about economic development, and was terrified of doing anything that may cost him a vote in the next election.

ETA: Oh, and speaking of developing the fairgrounds, it would have helped spur momentum in nearby areas, say the Lake project just across 55, which could have (still may, I guess) included recreational and residential areas. Would have been a boon for the city. It's a damn shame it didn't work out that way.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

It's a vicious cycle, though. If you're a fortune 500 company and you're looking for a place to relocate... The Jackson area just isn't attractive.

You are not wrong. It takes a lot of long term planning and spending to fix all that would need to be fixed. I don't think any politician will have the clout or staying power to make it happen. Just easier to give away the farm for another factory that can pay no taxes, have zero environmental regulations, and get a bunch of infrastructure put in for free in order to create a bunch of lower middle to middle class jobs.

 

[5049]

The local economy hasn't killed Jackson. People are still commuting in to Jackson to work. There are a lot of problems with jackson, but the biggest is that if you have kids and want to live in Jackson, you are paying $14k per year per kid for school or you are doing a reverse commute to take your kids somewhere that still costs probably $6k or $7k. People want to live in cities now. But you want people to pay higher taxes for worse services more crime, and then they're looking at $28k a year in school costs if they have two kids and don't want to drive 30 minutes to take their kid to school somewhere outside of the city. People would put with the other things, but very few people are rolling enough that stroking a $30k check each year for school won't be a deciding factor. There are people that can do it, but not nearly enough people to turn Jackson around.

If there was an affordable option for school, you would probably see a lot of gentrification as people chose to live closer to work, which would at least provide a base from which you could start to address other problems.

I agree with you. That is why I said the rural formula does not work for Jackson, and proceeded to say the same thing you did, about suburbs and school. The previous poster, garddawg, was talking about small towns.

 

[dawgstudent]

Good discussion. Sounds like 5049 will be running for mayor. LOCKED.