Mississippi From Waterfalls to Football

Inarguably, the most celebrated college football tailgate celebration in the country is held on crisp, fall Saturdays in Oxford, MS, at the top of the state and at a hallowed ground called The Grove. The tailgate event is as Southern as a pecan, spirited, draped in oaks and elegance, and brimming with Southern hospitality, recreation, and exciting football.

But just a quarter-mile east from the 50-yard line of the Ole Miss football stadium, there are 29 acres of pristine southern forest watched over by a modified Greek Revival house called Rowan Oak (Rowan for the Scottish tree, a symbol of peace, and oak for strength), all purchased in 1930 by one of this country’s singular authors, William Faulkner. Rowan Oak is where his words flowed, earning Faulkner the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949 and the Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for A Fable.

Oxford, The Grove, and Rowan Oak are kind of a metaphor for the entire state, where treasured hospitality, tradition, recreation, and natural beauty blend with a bastion of culture in a welcoming place that you can affordably call home. Indeed, Oxford is one of 13 Welcome Home Mississippi Certified Communities, a designation only achieved through a rigorous assessment process that reassures a retiree that the community meets their highest quality-of-life expectations.

According to Ellen Bourdeaux, Program Manager for the Mississippi Development Authority, “The certification process focuses on the availability of good health care, cultural and arts aspects, shopping and dining, opportunities to volunteer in the community, and availability for continuing education. We also look at recreational opportunities, a low crime rate, easy transportation access through the interstate system, and nearby airports. We even determine whether the people who live there have a happiness factor, too.”

Start living the lifestyle you’ve been dreaming about with Encore by David Weekley Homes. Our lifestyle-driven approach to home design offers the ideal balance of livability with thoughtfully designed floor plans featuring indoor and outdoor entertaining spaces and a high level of customization to make your new home everything you’ve imagined.

Plus, you’ll delight in more freedom and fun in one of our friendly 55+ lifestyle communities offering a variety of amenities, clubs and activities – all planned by a lifestyle director – to enhance your active life. These intimate communities make it easy to develop friendships with your neighbors, too.

Mississippi is the most affordable state for retirement, with a cost of living 14% lower than the national average. Plus, the state does not tax Social Security benefits, income from a 401(k), IRA, or any pension income. There is also no estate or inheritance tax, and property taxes are among the lowest in the country.

The 13 Welcome Home Mississippi communities are dotted around the state, as are all kinds of fun, festivals, recreation, and historical and cultural sites. Let’s start with ‘The King’ and the 25th Annual Tupelo Elvis Festival to be held in his hometown June 7-11, 2023.

Down at the beach, there’s a celebration of 9,000 antique, classic, and hot rod vehicles called Cruisin’ The Coast, held this fall October 2-9. The event spans 30 miles of beachside highway and draws people from around the world.

Jump in your car and discover the wonders of the Natchez Trace Parkway, a stunningly beautiful and historically significant road that runs from Nashville to Natchez and is part of the National Park Service. It’s also a haven for cyclists who enjoy the moderated auto speed limits.

Be sure not to miss the 37th Natchez Balloon Festival, October 14-16, as well.

For more information on the Welcome Home Mississippi Certified Communities, please visit www.mississippi.org/retirement.

Here’s a quick look at the affordability of a 3 bedroom/2 bath home in a Welcome Home Mississippi community:

Hattiesburg is just over an hour from the Gulf Coast and a smidge farther to New Orleans. Home to the University of Southern Mississippi.

Median home cost: $225,000

Starkville is also a charming university town (Mississippi State University) and bursts with recreation, dining, and historic sites.

Median home cost: $299,000

Tupelo is tucked in the northeast corner of the state and boasts theater, ballet, a symphony orchestra, and myriad art galleries and museums.

Median home cost: $219,900

Natchez is home to 1,000 buildings on the National Register of historic places, some open for home tours. The town’s beauty has spawned a burgeoning film industry. Median home cost: $175,000