OT: In y?all?s opinion, where is the best area to retire on the MS Gulf Coast?

[IMissJack]

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[FISHDAWG]

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I lived in Biloxi in Ocean Club condos for 4 years and loved Biloxi - Plan on retiring back there in a couple of years. Ocean Springs is nice but a little more expensive and a short drive from anywhere - difficult to find prime property available there .... Long Beach and Pass Christian are ok ... Bay Saint Louis is my pick other than Biloxi.... Avoid Gulfport or East of Ocean Springs

[parabrave]

Long Beach is good and close enough to the Gulfport shopping and medical facilities. If you are a Veteran the Biloxi VA is outstanding, Every city has great eating and you are 30 mins down 90 to and from biloxi.

[Turfdawg67]

Orange Beach***

[TigerMomofaDawg]

It depends what you are looking for. If you want a good downtown scene with great entertainment, Ocean Springs or Bay St. Louis (those towns are pricey, though). If you want affordable waterfront and love to fish, Gautier. I would stay away from Pascagoula (drainage problems and terrible municipal finances) and Moss Point (crime). Biloxi and Gulfport are hit or miss. There are both great areas and terrible areas in those cities.

My advice would be to move down and rent for a year before buying so you can get a feel for the Coastal towns. This is not the sort of decision in to make from afar.

[BeardoMSU]

Gautier**

[parabrave]

Of course We forgot about Diamondhead. And in 2 years from now we will have a Buccees on I10 north of Pass Christian.

[Lord McBuckethead]

Tell you the truth, I wouldn't retire to the MS Gulf coast. Its kind of ratty. Lived there for 8 years.

[Dawgbite]

Orange Beach***

Are you crazy, if they build many more condos the whole island is going to sink in the ocean from all the weight. The roads and infrastructure can’t handle any more people. Until they build a road across the middle of the State Park, the traffic will strangle any more growth

[Johnson85]

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What do you like to do? Are you planning on fishing? Golfing? Do you want walkability or are you fine driving in and out of areas with stuff to do? Is a condo appealing? Do you want water access? If water is a big deal, do you want to go out front? Or are you going to be content to be on the rivers and bayous?

Would need to know some of that to give you a good info, but I will tell you most of the coast has the same challenge (and probably most places in general). The best locations are typically older housing stock, or really, really expensive new construction. The "affordable" houses are new tract homes going up typically a good 20-30 minutes from anywhere you'd want to be (and I question the affordability because while they are cheaper now, they're still pretty expensive for the quality and I'm not sure how those neighborhoods are going to hold up over time).

Another thing is the coast is changing. I am down there a lot. Five years ago, there are several areas that I would have told you are basically just as good as a lot of places "in town" (the places I'm talking about are still in the city limits, just north of where people mostly would prefer to be if price were equal). Once you're getting in you're car, how much does it matter if it's a 10 minute drive versus a 20 minute drive. But the north south thoroughfares seem to be getting way more crowded and are taking longer to get up and down, so I'm not sure in another 5 or 10 years those drives that used to be 20 minutes that are now closer to 30 if you are doing it at the wrong times won't be even worse.

That said, I generally like all of the coast anywhere from Ocean Springs to Waveland. All have their pluses and minuses. Most of the cities have finances that are a mess as far as I can tell. Just a natural result of typical political incentives to push costs into the future combined with Katrina loading everybody up with debt. But I still think most are going to do well and continue to improve and appreciate over the next decade.

[Liverpooldawg]

Tishomingo County.

[Johnson85]

Tell you the truth, I wouldn't retire to the MS Gulf coast. Its kind of ratty. Lived there for 8 years.

Name a place in Mississippi that is not ratty that you'd want to live? The only options are being in suburbs/bedroom communities like south Memphis or Madison, where all things being equal, people would prefer to live in the nearby city if it weren't a shithole, or I guess maybe Tupelo, which is ok for a small town but doesn't have water access, isn't close to anywhere you'd particularly want to be except for MSU, and doesn't have easy access to a good airport. Obviously those places are appealing in some ways and some people love them, but they're certainly not for everybody.

[Saltydog]

Of course We forgot about Diamondhead. And in 2 years from now we will have a Buccees on I10 north of Pass Christian.

Yeah and Buccees is wonderful too......Best roastbeef and beef jerky you'll find.....

[Dawg_Lover]

[QUOTE=Johnson85;1349219]Name a place in Mississippi that is not ratty that you'd want to live?


If you have children, the Lewisburg school district between Hernando & Olive Branch. Lewisburg is one of the top schools in the state. I know teachers there, as well as those with children attending school there. They couldn?t recommend it more highly.
Also, Hernando is a nice town.
Both offer easy access to great shopping in Southaven, Olive Branch, & even Collierville now that the I-269 bypass has opened up around the east side of Memphis.

[Johnson85]

Name a place in Mississippi that is not ratty that you'd want to live?


If you have children, the Lewisburg school district between Hernando & Olive Branch. Lewisburg is one of the top schools in the state. I know teachers there, as well as those with children attending school there. They couldn?t recommend it more highly.
Also, Hernando is a nice town.
Both offer easy access to great shopping in Southaven, Olive Branch, & even Collierville now that the I-269 bypass has opened up around the east side of Memphis.

I'm sure all nice and good fits for some people, but most people don't want to live in a town of less than 20,000 people (or really can't because they can't find a job and don't want a 30+ minute or hour commute). And if you want to consider the nearby population centers as making up for being in a small town, then you are just talking about living in a cloistered area within a bigger population center with ratty areas. Which is no different than living in Madison. Which is no different than living in high dollar parts on the gulf coast. You get the tradeoff of having to drive much further to get anywhere, which means negative aspects of the area have to go further to get to you, but that's not a tradeoff a lot of people want to make. At least not on the order of living in a 15,000 person bedroom community. Living in a 100,000+ suburb, sure.

[BogeyGolfer]

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Bought property in Ocean Springs during the height of Covid shut down. I got lucky and got a good price on an acre lot that only needed to be bush-hogged and has three nice oaks on it....Same size property next to me just sold for about 20-30% more than what I paid. However, I live in NMS but plan on retiring in about 5-8 years. I like the coast because I can be back "home" in NMS in under 5 hours plus the location...But land is going so quick that you really have to be sitting "on go" to make an offer on anything you find...You'll find what you're looking for just give it time....

[SailingDawg]

Tell you the truth, I wouldn't retire to the MS Gulf coast. Its kind of ratty. Lived there for 8 years.

Better schools than anything north of I10

[bobtail bob]

I bought 25 acres in the rolling hills off the Wolf river in Lizana a while back. 15 minutes to Hwy 90 in Long Beach. I like the area. I eventually plan to build there

[SilentSteel16]

Better schools than anything north of I10

Rankin and Madison county schools say differently.

[SilentSteel16]

I grew up in Orange Grove when it was just a road and New Hope Baptist Church. I wouldn’t go back there now for anything

[Johnson85]

Rankin and Madison county schools say differently.

Rankin and Madison schools are fine/good. But you're talking about one town and one county. I think the only part of the state that compares to the coast as far as having a big area with good school options everywhere is probably the south memphis area. From Ocean Springs to Pass, you have a good public school option in every city. While Bay-Waveland schools aren't the best, Hancock County's would be considered good across most of the State. You've also got good schools in the Harrison County school district.

[RC3]

If we are talking about retiring, schools wouldn?t be much of a factor. All depends on what you want out of life in retirement. From my personal perspective:
Pass christian is probably the slowest of the towns actually on the coast with beach front. Waveland and Long Beach are still working towns with a solid middle class and are more affordable too. Bay St Louis and Ocean Springs have become rather touristy and expensive to live in-But they also have some of the best dining and amenities.
Gulfport and Biloxi are actually more than just small resort towns. They have everything a big city offers. Pros and cons come along with that obviously. Diamondhead, while not down on the beach is nearby, still has access to the water and has excellent golfing. Would be a great choice if you want to play golf everyday until you die.
There are many other little towns that arent technically on the beach, but could meet your needs and desires.

I chose Pass Christian because it is quiet/slower/less touristy and a little bit more affordable than say BSL or OS. I can be in the bay in less than ten mins and Gulfport in less than ten mins.

[parabrave]

And if you like living on Water we have plenty of Bays and Rivers to live on.

[Johnson85]

If we are talking about retiring, schools wouldn?t be much of a factor. All depends on what you want out of life in retirement. From my personal perspective:
Pass christian is probably the slowest of the towns actually on the coast with beach front. Waveland and Long Beach are still working towns with a solid middle class and are more affordable too. Bay St Louis and Ocean Springs have become rather touristy and expensive to live in-But they also have some of the best dining and amenities.
Gulfport and Biloxi are actually more than just small resort towns. They have everything a big city offers. Pros and cons come along with that obviously. Diamondhead, while not down on the beach is nearby, still has access to the water and has excellent golfing. Would be a great choice if you want to play golf everyday until you die.
There are many other little towns that arent technically on the beach, but could meet your needs and desires.

I chose Pass Christian because it is quiet/slower/less touristy and a little bit more affordable than say BSL or OS. I can be in the bay in less than ten mins and Gulfport in less than ten mins.

If you are reasonably close to second and/or sazarac square, I think you are going to do really well. I think all the New orleans people piling into Bay St. Louis are going to spill over into Pass Christian next.

[RC3]

If you are reasonably close to second and/or sazarac square, I think you are going to do really well. I think all the New orleans people piling into Bay St. Louis are going to spill over into Pass Christian next.

i think it is already happening. I am not trying to do "well" so to speak. Just to find some peacefulness. I do not like what has happened to BSL. I know it is a financial windfall for that town, but I avoid going over there on the weekends now. If I wanted to go to new Orleans, I would go to New Orleans lol

[Johnson85]

i think it is already happening. I am not trying to do "well" so to speak. Just to find some peacefulness. I do not like what has happened to BSL. I know it is a financial windfall for that town, but I avoid going over there on the weekends now. If I wanted to go to new Orleans, I would go to New Orleans lol

Yea, I think a lot of people in BSL are not thrilled with it. Been great for the people that have made money off of it, but for a lot of them I think it's just changed the nature of the town without much benefit to them.

[parabrave]

If you are reasonably close to second and/or sazarac square, I think you are going to do really well. I think all the New orleans people piling into Bay St. Louis are going to spill over into Pass Christian next.

They are already driving up prices in Gulfport esp around 2nd street.

[Lord McBuckethead]

Better schools than anything north of I10

You are put of your mind. They are good, but there are better ones.

[parabrave]

You are put of your mind. They are good, but there are better ones.

Since you are retiring Schools are probably the last thing you care about. I guess Condos are what you are looking for. There are numerous Condos/communities on the coast that are for active "retired" people. Some are really nice. You might try these. Just remember one thing about coast living we do have hurricanes. Make sure your spouse is OK with being without power, AC and water for a few weeks,

[MafiaDawg]

Of course We forgot about Diamondhead. And in 2 years from now we will have a Buccees on I10 north of Pass Christian.

Definitely forgot to consider the gas station brands when it comes to choosing where to live. Always next time.

[SilentSteel16]

Rankin and Madison schools are fine/good. But you're talking about one town and one county. I think the only part of the state that compares to the coast as far as having a big area with good school options everywhere is probably the south memphis area. From Ocean Springs to Pass, you have a good public school option in every city. While Bay-Waveland schools aren't the best, Hancock County's would be considered good across most of the State. You've also got good schools in the Harrison County school district.
Rankin is one county and Madison is another county…. Just FYI….

[SilentSteel16]

Just for arguments sake, Yes, Hancock and Harrison county schools are rated highly. So are, Rankin county and Madison county schools. Sounds like a wash there. Then you figure in Petal, New Albany, Clinton, Southaven, Wesson, Puckett (wait that is Rankin county, NWR (again Rankin county,) Brandon (oops Rankin County,) Oak Grove, East Webster, the list goes on and on. You can go look at all the A and A+ rated schools in the state.

Your argument is moot, that the best schools are on the coast. Yes there are great schools there, but overall Nationally ranked schools shows that Madison and Rankin are ranked higher. With East Central which you did not even mention as 3rd in the state.

[Lord McBuckethead]

St. George Island

[Lord McBuckethead]

If you are dead set on living on the MS gulf coast, I would live in Diamondhead, Long Beach, or Ocean Springs.
If you some serious kind of money, I would find a place on St. George Island.
I lived on the MS Gulf Coast long enough to understand it is cooler to visit than actually live there. The upper echelon of people there are really cool, but the other 95% are pretty "Coasty" and not in a good way. Its like driving through the city of Cancun. There is a reason why resorts in Cancun pick you up at the airport and drive a specific way to the resort.

Fishing is pretty good though. Still easier to just live somewhere better and drive down for the weekend to do some fishing.

[trojandawg]

Diamondhead has quite the retirement community especially if you like golf. Lots of affordable homes. Right on 10 to get to Biloxi, Gulfport or New Orleans. It does have some trashy areas as do a lot of the areas off the main drags in the other towns. It?s close to Bay St. Louis for that scene if you like that. Bay St. Louis has a lot going in old town. Golf cart riding and walkable area with stores and restaurants. Pass is nice and little more quiet. Long Beach is also nice in areas. I would avoid Biloxi and Gulfport for living. If you like casinos you can drive to those easy. Parts of ocean springs are decent but I would stay in the Long Beach to Bay St Louis area or up around diamondhead if you want something cheaper and golf. In laws live in there. Just depends on what you are looking for in retirement. If you like fishing any of of those areas are easy access.

[parabrave]

If you are dead set on living on the MS gulf coast, I would live in Diamondhead, Long Beach, or Ocean Springs.
If you some serious kind of money, I would find a place on St. George Island.
I lived on the MS Gulf Coast long enough to understand it is cooler to visit than actually live there. The upper echelon of people there are really cool, but the other 95% are pretty "Coasty" and not in a good way. Its like driving through the city of Cancun. There is a reason why resorts in Cancun pick you up at the airport and drive a specific way to the resort.

Fishing is pretty good though. Still easier to just live somewhere better and drive down for the weekend to do some fishing.

And WTF do you mean Coasty????? My family has been in Biloxi for over 170 years. We aren't French, or Bohemian. I could say alot about other parts of the State also as I have lived and worked around the State also and I find the Coast as the best place to live. Don't have Jackson traffic or Snobs.

[Ezsoil]

I was able to find a lot on 90 that was only 3ft below BFE...I'm in Gulfport almost to Long Beach... that end is quieter than the lot I was looking at in Biloxi...I'm hoping to be in and settled before the LaTech game....

I was able to have a MSU grad as a realtor on the Lot, MSU grad closing attorney, MSU grad as my builder and a MSU grad is doing my pool and landscaping...

Im coming from the Houston area so I know there will be some adjustments as far as shopping and availability of products but the slower pace and being closer to family will be worth it.

[viverlibre]

I've always been partial to OS, but there many great areas. Don't be scared Gulfport or Biloxi anyone who claims these cities have bad areas has never lived in Jxn, B'ham, Memphis, LR, NOLA (essentially any decent sized city in the south). If I wasn't so country that I need to live somewhere I can't see a neighbor, I'd certainly live there.

[FISHDAWG]

If you are dead set on living on the MS gulf coast, I would live in Diamondhead, Long Beach, or Ocean Springs.
If you some serious kind of money, I would find a place on St. George Island.
I lived on the MS Gulf Coast long enough to understand it is cooler to visit than actually live there. The upper echelon of people there are really cool, but the other 95% are pretty "Coasty" and not in a good way. Its like driving through the city of Cancun. There is a reason why resorts in Cancun pick you up at the airport and drive a specific way to the resort.

Fishing is pretty good though. Still easier to just live somewhere better and drive down for the weekend to do some fishing.

I lived in Biloxi long enough to have a totally different opinion.... if you're looking for a Navarre type of feel then look for property there but for a lot of us it isn't considered costly, ratty, and the schools aren't bad. I know the area pretty good and I have a totally different opinion and plan on retiring back to the area

[Johnson85]

Rankin is one county and Madison is another county…. Just FYI….

Madison is a county and a town. Pretty sure you are not lumping canton schools and ridgeland schools in with Madison schools, although looking into it, it looks like maybe there is no municipal school district in Madison and they are just served by the county school district?

[Johnson85]

And WTF do you mean Coasty????? My family has been in Biloxi for over 170 years. We aren't French, or Bohemian. I could say alot about other parts of the State also as I have lived and worked around the State also and I find the Coast as the best place to live. Don't have Jackson traffic or Snobs.

It's amazing the snobbery people have about shitty places to live. There are nice small towns to live in in Mississippi. Those aren't for everybody (or most people), but they are great for people that like that scene. And some of those are basically Memphis suburbs, which make them somewhat appealing to more people, as they can at least drive into a small/medium city pretty easily. Outside of people looking for small town life, the Coast is the only place in Mississippi that anything competitive as far as quality of life. It's still small, but not as small and you have amenities that the rest of the state can't compete with.

And unless they are from a small town not attached to a larger town (like maybe New Albany?) there is not going to be any place in Mississippi that can really call the coast trashy. The only difference in the coast and the rest of the state is that it's neighborhoods/areas are not divided as strongly along socioeconomic lines.