Columbus - To go along with the Starkville Thread

[bulldogcountry1]

My wife and I go to a lot of baseball games. We stay in Columbus a lot because the wife likes to shop there to kill time between games, and the hotels are generally cheaper. Columbus is interesting. There are some nice chain department stores and places to eat, but there are some dumps mixed in with all the new stuff. The main thing I have noticed is that there isn't a strong MSU presence there, even though it's 25 miles from campus. I've seen more Bama supporters than State. What's up with that? It's the nearest "big" city to Starkville, and it just isn't as pro-MSU as you would think.

[Taog Redloh]

It's the nearest "big" city to Starkville, and it just isn't as pro-MSU as you would think.
Starkville has a bigger population than Columbus. There's nothing big about it.

Tupelo is the only thing you might consider big. And even then the city itself isn't big, but there is a lot of population in Lee County.

That said, Starkville and Columbus need to form more of an alliance than they already have.

[Dawgbite]

Several reasons, one is that Bama offers in state tuition to lowndes county Ms so you have quite a few Bama people there. Columbus is basically a military town, most of the people are not native Mississippians. This includes a lot of military retirees who end up there because of the low cost of living and proximity to base benefits. You also have a lot of people who attended The W which is basically a commuter school. It is cheaper and more convenient for locals Without the airbase and its economy, Columbus would be just another small Ms town.

[BrunswickDawg]

I lived in Columbus my last 2 years in school. The place is eat up with Bama fans.
My wife is a W Alum and was on their Alumni board for a few years so we go there as much as Starkville. The town is no better than Starkville. It has a few things going for it - the "Downtown" business district is larger and has made a big turn around over the past 15 years. It makes the city seem nicer and bigger than it is. And, when Columbus had its "boom" era when cotton was king they laid the city out on a grid and built a lot of grand homes. Again, it makes the city seem better than it is. There are a lot of depressed areas in Columbus. I like Columbus, but I'd rather be in Starkville.

[tcdog70]

a lot of Columbus people have moved to New Hope and Caledonia.

[Liverpooldawg]

Columbus has been steadily losing population for years. It's nowhere near the size it once was. If they ever lose the base it will totally dry up. 40 years ago it was bigger and had more retail than Tupelo.

[archdog]

I live in Southside right now and I have been there for 2 years. Love it. I can walk to work, church, and about 6 restaurants from my house. Kids actually play in the neighborhood. Hot chicks jog around almost 24/7. People take care of their property. Housing doesn't sit on the market very long either. My church has a very good core membership my age too.

If you want a best buy, then this isn't your type of town. If you want a town that is unique and a slice of hometown USA, then there you go.

[SailingDawg]

I live in Southside right now and I have been there for 2 years. Love it. I can walk to work, church, and about 6 restaurants from my house. Kids actually play in the neighborhood. Hot chicks jog around almost 24/7. People take care of their property. Housing doesn't sit on the market very long either. My church has a very good core membership my age too.

If you want a best buy, then this isn't your type of town. If you want a town that is unique and a slice of hometown USA, then there you go.

Methodist?

I lived in Columbus the first 45 years of my life. My first house was on Southside and we loved it. I just couldn't take the lack of progress and the downfall of the schools, so I moved to the coast. It's still Mississippi but people are more laid back down here. I don't miss it.

[Barking 13]

a lot of Columbus people have moved to New Hope and Caledonia.
and Alabama :cool:

I grew up in "Colummus", moved to Caledonia for 20 years, then AL, and watched it (Columbus) basically implode the last 5 years. Glad I moved.

[klong-dog]

Crime rate has been terrible this past year.

[Dawgology]

Crime rate has been terrible this past year.

Tell me 'bout it!

[Dawgology]

Have lived and worked in Columbus almost my whole life. I lived a while on the Mississippi coast as well (pre-Katrina) and Columbus reminds me a lot of Biloxi pre-Katrina. There were some nice spots but tended to be surrounded by depressed or trashy places. Columbus has some really nice neighborhoods and retail areas but many of them are near or surrounded by depressed areas or old retail space that (due to the lease rates) attracts questionable or junky businesses. Columbus has all of the potential in the world...it just needs a good hurricane to clean it up a bit and prep it for the future.

[Dawgology]

Also, the downtown district is nice but still not being used to its potential. There is also a warehouse district that is nothing but abandoned warehouses. Those plus "the island" could really be turned into something cool with the proper investment.

[Maroonthirteen]

The reason Columbus has so many Bama fans...

1. Bama has 15 national championships and is 60 miles away. State has zero.

2. Many folks in Lowndes county have relatives in Alabama.

3. Bama fans in Lowndes county, for the most part, didn't go to college. Or they went to the weird place they call a women's university but is actually a Coed college.

Thats the nuts and bolts of it.

If the history of the two schools were reversed, you wouldn't find a Bama fan until you reached Gordo....but that isn't the reality.

[NCDawg]

Columbus has been steadily losing population for years. It's nowhere near the size it once was. If they ever lose the base it will totally dry up. 40 years ago it was bigger and had more retail than Tupelo.

You could probably say the same thing about Meridian. The Naval Air Station keeps it going. When I grew up there, it was a nice place to live-now,it's a dump, brought on about a lot of things.

[drunkernhelldawg]

When we were kids in Starkville in the 1970's, Columbus was the big corner of the Golden Triangle. It's amazing to me that Starkville is now bigger than Columbus.

I love the aestetics of the downtown and surrounding residential area in Columbus. Beautiful old houses.

[TUSK]

When we were kids in Starkville in the 1970's, Columbus was the big corner of the Golden Triangle. It's amazing to me that Starkville is now bigger than Columbus.

I love the aestetics of the downtown and surrounding residential area in Columbus. Beautiful old houses.

Pretty soon, there's gonna need to be razor wire fences around em if the trend continues... Columbus used to be relatively nice...