Hattiesburg, MS for retirement?
I got roasted in another subreddit for even considering this as an option, but we are looking at properties and planning to move roughly end of year. We currently live in Dallas, but cost of living in recent years has increased exponentially with the surge of population. Yes, TX has no state income tax, but that matters less in full retirement than the very high property taxes.
I grew up in LA and MS, graduating from college in MS. I left MS shortly after college, and I thought I would never have a desire to live there again. The problem is that I am gay, and I repressed that side of me during my childhood and early adulthood.
I met my now-husband in Dallas almost 35 years ago, and we have lived in many different states during our time together (WA, CO, MA, SC, TX). We just happened to live in MA in 2004 when same-sex marriage was legalized (and only recognized in MA at the time). We are approaching our 20th anniversary of our marriage then, which (at least for now) is recognized in every state.
My husband grew up in AR, but we have ruled that out. He has only been in MS for visits with my family who live primarily in smaller towns in Central MS. That said, he loves that area.
I remember Hattiesburg to be more progressive than most of the state. It’s a college town, and it also has easy access to NOLA, Mobile, MS Gulf Coast, etc. We both are very low-key, especially in our later years (I’m 66; he’s 65). We just want to quietly live our lives in a LCOL area, but have access to bigger cities on occasion. We know there will be people who are non-accepting, but that can also be true in many large cities with a progressive culture.
We found a gay realtor in Hattiesburg. He and his partner have been there several years, and they feel very safe and accepted as a couple there. However, they are only in their 30s, so their crowd is going to be generally more open to LGBTQ individuals.
So, people in that area, what are your thoughts about Hattiesburg and the surrounding communities? We’ve also seen some beautiful properties in Sumrall and Petal, which gives us options for more acreage.