Abnormal city center: Unlike most cities and towns in Mississippi, Pearl doesn't have a town square. Instead, the old high school has been developed to house the Police Department, the city courts and city hall.
Sitting just to the southeast of Jackson (the state capital), Pearl is the 13th-largest community in Mississippi with about 25,000 residents
Abnormal city center: Unlike most cities and towns in Mississippi, Pearl doesn't have a town square. Instead, the old high school has been developed to house the Police Department, the city courts and city hall.
Sitting just to the southeast of Jackson (the state capital), Pearl is the 13th-largest community in Mississippi with about 25,000 residents. Given its proximity to the largest city in the state, real estate prices in Pearl are some of the highest in the state, although they certainly don't compare with prices for other higher-earning states.
Compared to other states, home-buying and rental prices in Pearl are fairly low. You're certainly not going to be paying New York prices, but then you won't be earning New York bucks either, so it all averages out in the end. That said, a lot of the local community commutes into Jackson and the surrounding area to work, which is well known for giving people a lot of 'bang for their buck' and a good quality of life. There are plenty of detached family homes available -- about 70% of the market, in fact -- with most of them being three-bedroom houses. However, there's also plenty of high-rise apartment buildings on offer, with one-bedroom apartments and furnished apartments all just waiting to be discovered, and all at decent rental prices.
Pearl is pretty well split between several central neighborhoods with more detached single-family homes and a couple of northern neighborhoods around the airport, where the proportion of apartment complexes rises, presenting more opportunities for those looking for rental apts rather than larger and more expensive houses.
Old Brandon Road / Cooper Road: This neighborhood pretty much wraps itself around the airport and has relatively high retail prices for the state. Vacancy rates are over 10% here, which makes finding a suitable place to live a lot easier. Anyone looking for a one- or two-bedroom apartment might want to start here, where travel links into Jackson are excellent.
Airport Road N / W Cross Street: This neighborhood is hardly worth mentioning given that vacancy rates are pretty much nonexistent. The neighborhood contains the airport, which more or less dominates it and leaves little space for much more. Best to start elsewhere if you're looking to move to Pearl.
Route 80 / Spring Lake Drive: The most expensive neighborhood in Pearl for both buying and renting, with a high proportion of three- to four-bedroom family homes available. To the west of the neighborhood, you'll find Spring Lake and a sprinkling of nice homes.
City Center: As you might expect, the population density in City Center is slightly higher than elsewhere, but the heavy majority of properties remain three- to four-bedroom houses. There are some apartments blocks here too, for those looking for small apartments. You'll also find Pearl Municipal Golf Course here and some excellent commuter routes to Jackson.
Colony Park Drive / S Pearson Road: Dotted with small ponds and lakes, this neighborhood stretches along the south of the city and is home to plenty of large homes, several apartment buildings and also Patrick Farms Golf Club to the east.
The city sits on the Pearl River, which gave it its name, and is well served by several parks and recreational facilities that the local people enjoy year round.
The city is also well served by the Jackson-Evers International Airport nearby which services 12 cities throughout the U.S. Pearl has pretty good highway connections as well. Interstate 55 and Interstate 20 connect with Jackson and other larger communities further afield. In general, people tend to commute to work in their cars as Pearl doesn't have a well-developed public transport system.
The city is home to several noteworthy natives, including the drummer Tommy Aldridge and the football players Justin Jenkins and Taylor Smith. The latter, interestingly, was also a rapper.
