What does Starkville have to do for more alumni to move back here full time?

[SandlotDawg]

I saw this thread on the Pack, and rather than creating another account, I figured I?d bring this topic over here. I?ve been living here since I graduated summer of 2017. I honestly enjoy it here and really like our food options. I?d like more bar options other than the college bars (was never into that scene as a student). My biggest knock on Starkville specifically the downtown area, is lack of professional living areas that are affordable. For someone not married, most of the places I?ve looked at to live in is just more than I?m willing to pay for even on an engineering salary.

[LC Dawg]

I would love to move to Starkville. My daughter lives there now so my wife and I spend more time there than we used to and we love it. Enough good restaurants and places to get a drink. We love the fact that the city is so dog friendly. I would like to see more options for live music that aren't targeting college kids. Real estate is overpriced but I could live with it if I find the right job. I'm currently searching but I've worked in manufacturing for 25 years and haven't found anything yet.

[SandlotDawg]

Real estate is tough. I’ve toyed with the idea of buying a house and flipping for profit. The problem with that is there are some dumpy houses listing for 200k plus. I obviously don’t have the free capital yet to make that type of purchase and then sink 50k+ to get it into shape. There are new apartments going up near the district and near the new Walmart. On my way into town I thought about the city creating a biking trail out to those apartments and walmart. I think new residential areas should be created north towards 82. The only way I see that happening is more well paying jobs being created.

[Cooterpoot]

Jobs, education, health care, entertainment same as any other place. It’s a pretty good drive to anywhere from Starkville.

[LC Dawg]

The railroad track through town would make a good bike trail but it is still listed as active even though it's not used. That's also the reason nothing can be done about the nightmare intersection at Montgomery and Lampkin.

[ShotgunDawg]

Have places for people to work & have more realistic real estate prices.

[BeastMan]

My family is from Starkville. My grandfather lived on the corner of Greensboro and Reid rd and I visited that house from birth. I wouldn’t want to primarily live to Starkville. A gameday condo, sure. Full-time, no. I wouldn’t live in Oxford either. They just don’t offer enough. I’d have to sacrifuce some conveniences I currently enjoy in the metro. The only college town in MS I think I’d be really content in is Hattiesburg but I’d probably live in Oak Grove. When I lived in Starkville my favorite time was the summer when you “get the town back”. It’s really nice then.

Starkville is heading in the right direction from the standpoint of having more to do, better shopping, etc... but as of now I’d say no. The townspeople of Starkville (not all) fight any positive growth tooth and nail. But like I said my favorite time was summer, it’s a double edged sword. The college drives the growth that benefits everyone.

[nsvltndog]

A few things that would help.

1. Improved public schools for the younger alums. My perception from afar is Starkville schools are much better than in the past, but still room for improvement.
2. Improved healthcare options for retirement age alums. Starkville is on our list of potential places to move in 7-8 years when we hit our mid-50's, but concern about quality local healthcare options is one of the reasons we are considering other locations as well.
3. Real estate pricing probably is what it is as true "large campus" college towns around the country typically have high end of the spectrum real estate prices for the state/region in which they are located. If Starkville were to have a real estate correction, it would probably affect the alumni condo market first as they are pushing the envelope with some of the price points of the higher end units. Watch out if our football program trends in the wrong direction.
4. West bound flight options out of GTR. Delta has good coverage through Atlanta, but no one heading West wants to connect through Atlanta. American through Dallas or United through Houston could solve this by introducing 2 flights per day in each direction. This would make Starkville more attractive to work at home alums that don't have to reside in a particular city, but need access to a good airport due to frequent business travel.
5. Job growth - pay attention to the E-Center in the college of business. There are probably at least 50 student led startup's that are in some phase of their lifecycle. Glo has already opened up a physical location on Lampkin Street across from the Central District Grill and the E-center recently opened a Maker Space downtown which is a place to help facilitate the building of proto-types so the startups can get their products beyond the design on paper stage. Let a handful of these startups hit and you will start to see smart, creative, entrepreneurial students stick around and build companies/jobs in Starkville.

[codeDawg]

#1 is public schools.

[Lord McBuckethead]

Schools and higher than average paying jobs. If both of those were addressed, then the rest would take care of itself. Jobs and school are 1 and 2 in that order. Also, you need more people to move here permanently and paying taces for any of this to matter. Jobs bring people in. Those people pay local taxes. Taxes allow the district to have better teachers and therefore schools. Better school facilities and scores will help to bring serious businesses here because when they compete for the workforce, schools are one of the deciding factors for the workers.

So 1 and 2 have to happen in synergy.

[raymond21]

A few things that would help.

1. Improved public schools for the younger alums. My perception from afar is Starkville schools are much better than in the past, but still room for improvement.
2. Improved healthcare options for retirement age alums. Starkville is on our list of potential places to move in 7-8 years when we hit our mid-50's, but concern about quality local healthcare options is one of the reasons we are considering other locations as well.
3. Real estate pricing probably is what it is as true "large campus" college towns around the country typically have high end of the spectrum real estate prices for the state/region in which they are located. If Starkville were to have a real estate correction, it would probably affect the alumni condo market first as they are pushing the envelope with some of the price points of the higher end units. Watch out if our football program trends in the wrong direction.
4. West bound flight options out of GTR. Delta has good coverage through Atlanta, but no one heading West wants to connect through Atlanta. American through Dallas or United through Houston could solve this by introducing 2 flights per day in each direction. This would make Starkville more attractive to work at home alums that don't have to reside in a particular city, but need access to a good airport due to frequent business travel.
5. Job growth - pay attention to the E-Center in the college of business. There are probably at least 50 student led startup's that are in some phase of their lifecycle. Glo has already opened up a physical location on Lampkin Street across from the Central District Grill and the E-center recently opened a Maker Space downtown which is a place to help facilitate the building of proto-types so the startups can get their products beyond the design on paper stage. Let a handful of these startups hit and you will start to see smart, creative, entrepreneurial students stick around and build companies/jobs in Starkville.

#2 being the biggest obstacle presently

[LC Dawg]

5. Job growth - pay attention to the E-Center in the college of business. There are probably at least 50 student led startup's that are in some phase of their lifecycle. Glo has already opened up a physical location on Lampkin Street across from the Central District Grill and the E-center recently opened a Maker Space downtown which is a place to help facilitate the building of proto-types so the startups can get their products beyond the design on paper stage. Let a handful of these startups hit and you will start to see smart, creative, entrepreneurial students stick around and build companies/jobs in Starkville.

Eric Hill is doing great things with the E-Center. My daughter is part of Glo and I commend those guys for staying in Starkville when they had other options. The Starkville Partnership also has offered space for startups.
Hopefully more of these startups will stick around and help Starkville grow.

[Todd4State]

The healthcare situation needs to improve. Especially cardiology, oncology, and pediatrics. Think about things that the elderly need. And then imagine being 75 and having a heart attack and having to drive at least an hour-two hours for treatment while you are having a heart attack. Or you could retire in Jackson, Memphis, or Birmingham and have all of that minutes away.

[SandlotDawg]

I agree with the whole healthcare situation for retirees, but I guess I am really curious what would have to happen for people like myself to stay here. 25-35 year old professionals. I think it really has to start with industry. Well paying jobs will take care of education and healthcare. The problem is even if you find a decent job, the real estate market is so expensive that people like myself may not want to move here. I could move to Columbus and be closer to my job in Hamilton and pay far less. For now I’d rather stay in Starkville even if it costs more.

[THE Bruce Dickinson]

The railroad track through town would make a good bike trail but it is still listed as active even though it's not used. That's also the reason nothing can be done about the nightmare intersection at Montgomery and Lampkin.

I know the city has talked about this many times, and even tried to implement the idea of a bike trail over the old rail road. I am just about certain that Kansas City Southern (maybe another line) refuses to sell the track to the city.

It is such a shame too because it would make such an awesome addition to town. People would be able to ride Walmart all the way to downtown on the track.

[ckDOG]

Wife's health care speciality is too narrow for Starkville. Not happening for us until retirement. Wouldn't mind rotating between there and the coast during the golden years.

[Pit Bull]

1)Real estate prices need to be lowered dramatically. 2)And traffic flow and roadways need improving drastically. 3)Healthcare expanded. 4) Bring in another 2-5K manufacturing jobs over the next 5 years. I would go out of my way to get a big manufacturer to locate within the city with big long term tax breaks.....like an automotive or medical device manufacturer.

[DogsofAnarchy]

Jobs, education, health care, entertainment same as any other place. It’s a pretty good drive to anywhere from Starkville.

OMG!! Starkville is centrally located and it’s not far from a lot of things. If you had to commute to work in Jackson or Tuscaloosa then yea an hour and a half is to far but the education is fine and the healthcare is fine.

[LC Dawg]

How does a city the size of Starkville improve healthcare? It seems to me that healthcare is steadily centralizing to metro areas. A lot of the rural hospitals in Mississippi are now nothing more than ERs and swing beds and the general practitioners are transitioning to nurse practitioners.
It seems to be a problem in that better healthcare won't come until the population increases and the population won't increase until there is better healthcare.

[Todd4State]

How does a city the size of Starkville improve healthcare? It seems to me that healthcare is steadily centralizing to metro areas. A lot of the rural hospitals in Mississippi are now nothing more than ERs and swing beds and the general practitioners are transitioning to nurse practitioners.
It seems to be a problem in that better healthcare won't come until the population increases and the population won't increase until there is better healthcare.

Like you said- population increases which means law of supply and demand take place. I think having medical supply companies may help a little bit and industry in general as well. I think Oktibbeha General Hospital needs to look at what they need to have in place in terms of what the elderly population would need in terms of healthcare and place an emphasis on getting a good MD in that area- whether it be oncology, cardiology, maybe even orthopedics- whatever their situation is and then make sure that they have good technology and pay to attract the good MD's. The reason a lot of those smaller hospitals outsource their patients is because they don't have things like gamma knives to treat patients so they have to go to Jackson, Birmingham, or probably in a lot of cases just up to Tupelo. If stuff like that is in Starkville there is no reason to outsource patients.

I think everyone in this thread is pretty much right when they are talking about improving education and doing things publicly like having bike trails to improve the area. It's really more about Starkville doing it. And I do think that Starkville is improving in a lot of areas.

[LC Dawg]

Thanks for the answer Todd.
In regards to outdoor activities has anyone been to Plymouth Bluff outside Columbus? They have a couple of hiking trails that are well maintained.

[RougeDawg]

Starkville got behind the 8 ball due to old school bible beaters, preventing modern progress over the last 30 years. Hell the city didn?t allow cold beer until 8-10 years ago. The rest of the nation is decades ahead of that. Add on no alcoholic sales on Sunday?s until recently, and you prevent companies from investing in your community.

Much to the dismay of most people, businesses are in business to make money. They will choose to invest in the cities that they feel they can maximize profit. When you limit the opportunity to maximize profit, the investors will go elsewhere.

[SapperDawg]

I think the college has to be involved as it is the revenue generator in the area, and is one of the best research institutions (read: good at bringing in money) around. Create synergies and let them go.

The Montgomery Veterans Center is amazing, one of a kind, and best in class. Expand it. Think big. Synergies with Bioengineering, Kinesiology, and food science combine to create a center focused on veterans (and still serving members) long term health. Focus on the hard topics like CTE, Alzheimer’s and advanced prosthetics. Draw the best and brightest...pretty soon, you have a first class research and teaching hospital......set up for post-medical school fellows.

Bascially - bring in the money, start with a kernel, get some notariety, and grow that joker out from there. Set the downtown for growing vertically, and be able to integrate the highest of tech (Amazon walk-in, walk out stores, self driving cars, etc).

The City must look at how to draw established company headquarters to town - those are the highly paid folks that are stable for the long term, and can generate increased tax revenue. It is part of the growth curve we are looking at in Huntsville right now.

[Lord McBuckethead]

The healthcare situation needs to improve. Especially cardiology, oncology, and pediatrics. Think about things that the elderly need. And then imagine being 75 and having a heart attack and having to drive at least an hour-two hours for treatment while you are having a heart attack. Or you could retire in Jackson, Memphis, or Birmingham and have all of that minutes away.

We had an option on the 2016 ballot to sell the county ran hospital to Baptist. The locals decided to continue to allow our county to spend tons of money on building upkeep and lower than average healthcare. We do not have a cardiologist. Our hospital is just an avenue to other proper hospitals. If anything serious happens to you, you are either dead or have to be sent to Tupelo or Jackson for a proper trained specialist to deal with you.

[Liverpooldawg]

Till the powers that be in Starkville fully accept the fact that without MSU Starkville is Aberdeen or Macon things will never change very much or very fast. There HAS been a lot of movement on that front in the last 10 years or so. Some of you younger guys should have been there back in the early 80s. It's still not where it needs to be though. The "get the town back" comment above illustrates that. The best thing Starkville could ever do for growth is to more fully embrace the college town role. Do that and the rest will eventually come.

[MetEdDawg]

My wife and I have talked about this and can't ever rationalize it. We would love to be close to campus but it's a lot of same things folks have said.

The overriding factor for me is that the schools are not good. I'm a teacher and work in public school in Alabama. My kids have a pretty good setup right now where we live. They are 4 and almost 2. So I would have to be damn well sure they are going to get a comparable education compared to where we are now before I ever come to Starkville and right now that isn't anywhere close to happening.


My wife and I could find jobs no problem. I'm a teacher and she's a veterinarian and we both have MSU undergraduate degrees. But unless the schools get better it's not going to happen for a lot of 25-40 year olds and that's the demographic that need to move in to give Starkville a shot to make some real change and growth.

I will also say that driving down BlackJack and seeing the "Certified Retirement Community" sign never made me feel like Starkville was interested in changing to something other than that.

[StarkVegasSteve]

As stated above, the main problem is that outside of the university, there's just not many jobs to be had for young professionals. Being someone in their mid 20's I don't really have anything tying me down to a specific area. If I could rationalize moving to Starkville without taking a sizable paycut I'd do it in a heartbeat.

[Mimi's Babies]

#1 is public schools.

Public Schools in Starkville are sad.....
Taxes paid for public schools are at an all time HIGH.....
Look at the taxes before ever purchasing property in Oktibbeha County.... just saying
you are NOT getting what you pay for for sure....
Your options are Starkville Academy and Starkville Christian....
So either, Live in the county for sure...
Or your other choice is Webster County and West Point/Clay county have better schools.

[BeardoMSU]

Your options are Starkville Academy and Starkville Christian....


Those aren't your only options...

[bostondawg]

Are public schools in Starkville really that bad? I have a hard time believing they're really much worse than the rest of Mississippi.

[BeardoMSU]

Are public schools in Starkville really that bad? I have a hard time believing they're really much worse than the rest of Mississippi.

No, they're not that bad....could they be better? Sure, but you can say that for a lot of places. And by comparison, the private options aren't great either....especially Starkville Christian...

You know how you can help make the public schools better? Don't give up on them. People complaining about poor public schools while bailing for the private option is funny. It's not like Starkville is Greenville or Jackson.

[Mimi's Babies]

Are public schools in Starkville really that bad? I have a hard time believing they're really much worse than the rest of Mississippi.

Yes they are that bad. 2,3,4 grades are/where failing and the District did not want Starkville to know. That's just the start. They are forcing a SCHOOL for 6/7th graders being built on MSU campus, but being paid for by Oktibbeha county tax payers. I have been told that the building process is way over budget.... they have intention of raising taxes to pay for the overage also.
Half of the building will be housing MSU college of Education , whose enrollment has plummeted. So where are the teachers going to come from?

[Homedawg]

Public Schools in Starkville are sad.....
Taxes paid for public schools are at an all time HIGH.....
Look at the taxes before ever purchasing property in Oktibbeha County.... just saying
you are NOT getting what you pay for for sure....
Your options are Starkville Academy and Starkville Christian....
So either, Live in the county for sure...
Or your other choice is Webster County and West Point/Clay county have better schools.

This is crazy. West Point and clay county don't. They don't have near the curriculum that shs has. Not close. This is just nuts. How many national merit senifinalist do they have. How many ap courses do they offer. It's not equal. Not even east Webster.

[Homedawg]

Are public schools in Starkville really that bad? I have a hard time believing they're really much worse than the rest of Mississippi.


No. And the high school is pretty good actually.

[Mimi's Babies]

Homedawg, do you have CHILDREN in the local high school?

AP classes have nothing to do with quality of education at a school. Dual enrollment is much better and is offered at every high school.

[BeardoMSU]

Homedawg, do you have CHILDREN in the local high school?

AP classes have nothing to do with quality of education at a school. Dual enrollment is much better and is offered at every high school.

Huh?

[Mimi's Babies]

AP classes, also known as Advanced Placement classes, are only for the selected few students in certain schools. AP classes are taught and you must take a final exam, which you have to pay to take and pass to get college credit. You can be dual enrolled at a community college and a high school this you take classes online which you get college credit also, no exit exam. A student can also apply to the high school at EMCC also....

[Lord McBuckethead]

Yes they are that bad. 2,3,4 grades are/where failing and the District did not want Starkville to know. That's just the start. They are forcing a SCHOOL for 6/7th graders being built on MSU campus, but being paid for by Oktibbeha county tax payers. I have been told that the building process is way over budget.... they have intention of raising taxes to pay for the overage also.
Half of the building will be housing MSU college of Education , whose enrollment has plummeted. So where are the teachers going to come from?

I live here and I do not agree with your assessment. Since the school district consolidation, the school district is performing at a higher level. Also the new new campus is very expensive, but they are building a great co-op partnership that will give Starkville and MSU a great amenity. It is over budget, but that is what happens when you hire out of town architects for a 1 off project. High a local 17n architect people. They live in the district. Their kids go to the school. Their money stays in the community.

The number 1 thing about public school is parents buy in. 2nd is the quality of teachers. My kid is flourishing in Starkville public schools because of me and her teacher. Simple as that. Got to get the other parents in the district to give a damn when the child is at the house. Or else,......lower grades are easy to achieve.

Also, home schooling kids by parents that barely finished high school algebra 1, not a good idea.

[BeardoMSU]

I live here and I do not agree with your assessment. Since the school district consolidation, the school district is performing at a higher level. Also the new new campus is very expensive, but they are building a great co-op partnership that will give Starkville and MSU a great amenity. It is over budget, but that is what happens when you hire out of town architects for a 1 off project. High a local 17n architect people. They live in the district. Their kids go to the school. Their money stays in the community.

The number 1 thing about public school is parents buy in. 2nd is the quality of teachers. My kid is flourishing in Starkville public schools because of me and her teacher. Simple as that. Got to get the other parents in the district to give a damn when the child is at the house. Or else,......lower grades are easy to achieve.

Also, home schooling kids by parents that barely finished high school algebra 1, not a good idea.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Lord McBuckethead again.

[BeardoMSU]

Also, home schooling kids by parents that barely finished high school algebra 1, not a good idea.

Or any subject, for that matter...except for maybe arts and crafts.**

[Homedawg]

Homedawg, do you have CHILDREN in the local high school?

AP classes have nothing to do with quality of education at a school. Dual enrollment is much better and is offered at every high school.

Yep. And I have friends that have kids at the other schools-(sa and STARKVILLE Christian) and they are behind mine at every level as far as what is being taught.

[Homedawg]

I live here and I do not agree with your assessment. Since the school district consolidation, the school district is performing at a higher level. Also the new new campus is very expensive, but they are building a great co-op partnership that will give Starkville and MSU a great amenity. It is over budget, but that is what happens when you hire out of town architects for a 1 off project. High a local 17n architect people. They live in the district. Their kids go to the school. Their money stays in the community.

The number 1 thing about public school is parents buy in. 2nd is the quality of teachers. My kid is flourishing in Starkville public schools because of me and her teacher. Simple as that. Got to get the other parents in the district to give a damn when the child is at the house. Or else,......lower grades are easy to achieve.

Also, home schooling kids by parents that barely finished high school algebra 1, not a good idea.

Pretty spot on

[Mimi's Babies]

Yep. And I have friends that have kids at the other schools-(sa and STARKVILLE Christian) and they are behind mine at every level as far as what is being taught.

INTERESTING... You must not be a teacher then. My grand left this District and was behind when they arrived in a different school district. Starkville has much opportunity to Excell should they decide too. They don't even teach phonics to k-5's. Not sure what they are teaching the new k-4 program.

[RocketDawg]

INTERESTING... You must not be a teacher then. My grand left this District and was behind when they arrived in a different school district. Starkville has much opportunity to Excell should they decide too. They don't even teach phonics to k-5's. Not sure what they are teaching the new k-4 program.

Wasn't there an on-campus school for Starkville Schools metioned at one time? Did that ever come to fruition?

[dawgoneyall]

Need a concrete medium on Hwy 12.

Nothing else.

[BeardoMSU]

Need a concrete medium on Hwy 12.

Nothing else.

Lol....and machine gun turrets mounted at all the intersections for people who linger in the fast lane.**