MISSISSIPPI

When cotton was king – and slavery was as yet unchallenged – MISSISSIPPI was the nation's fifth wealthiest state. Since the Civil War, however, it has been the poorest, its dependence on cotton now a handicap that makes it victim to the vagaries of the commodities market. Widespread poverty has long endured alongside pockets of enormous riches, and white Mississippi was notorious for violent resistance to black political participation.

Not until the early Seventies did the church bombings and murders come to an end, and no one could claim that racial tension has ceased to exist. To some extent, the economy has regenerated since Mississippi's first Republican governor in a century, Kirk Fordice, decided to legalize gambling; the giant casinos may be lumbering eyesores that seem pitifully out of place on the sweeping Delta flatlands, but they're sucking considerable revenues across the state line from Memphis, Tennessee.

Even today, you only have to take a detour down some rural side road to encounter pockets of truly scandalous black poverty, but with the profits from gaming being ploughed into education in Mississippi's poorest counties, the state may finally manage to shake off its appalling reputation for inequality.

While the major city is the capital, Jackson, historic river towns like Vicksburg and Natchez provide good reasons to stay off the interstates, and blues fans will need no encouragement to go exploring sleepy Delta settlements such as Alligator or Yazoo City.

Mississippi's Gulf Coast
Mississippi's hundred-mile strip of coast is utterly unlike the rest of the state, culturally as well as physically – a strong Mediterranean (Catholic) heritage is conspicuous amid the subtropical beauty. Some of the towns are scarred by hurricanes, but the beaches are often superb. Along the Gulf Islands National Seashore, four beautiful barrier islands boast brilliant white sand and clear blue waters, while the 26-mile artificial Harrison County Beach runs parallel with the busy coast road between Biloxi, the major resort, and laid-back Pass Christian, with its fine live oaks.

Northeastern Mississippi
Cutting its way south through Mississippi, I-55 acts as an approximate boundary between the Delta and the luscious green forests of the northeast. Of the area's small market towns, the most appealing are the old-style shopping center of Columbus, and Holly Springs, whose oak-lined streets hide one of the most extraordinary attractions in the state. The only other places of major interest in the region are genteel Oxford and tidy blue-collar Tupelo, birthplace of Elvis Presley and John Lee Hooker.

South central Mississippi
South of the Delta, the rich woodlands and meadows of central Mississippi are heralded by steep loess bluffs, holding engaging historic towns such as Vicksburg and Natchez. Driving is a real pleasure, especially along the unspoiled Natchez Trace Parkway – devoid of trucks, buildings and neon signs – which runs through Jackson and on up to Tupelo.

To view Vacation Rental Homes in MISSISSIPPI click here.

Return to Vacation Guides