10 Best Places to Retire in Mississippi

The state’s name may be tricky to spell, but this list of the 10 best places to retire in Mississippi will surely leave wanting more about Mississippi!

Named after the Mississippi River, the most extensive waterway in North America, Mississippi was the 20th state of the Union. Because the Mississippi Delta was covered in rich soil from the sediment of the Mississippi River, large waterfront areas were cleared for agriculture and farming. These then became plantations mostly of cotton. In the late 1700’s and throughout the 1800’s, the state benefitted from the increased cotton prices when cotton was still the king of crops. Its plantation owners became rich and powerful citizens. However, most of these landowners were white, leaving the African-American slaves in poverty.

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Until the 1900’s, the majority of the state’s population were African-Americans. This changed during the First and Second Great Migrations. The first migration saw African-Americans migrate to burgeoning industrial cities to the north like Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. The Second Great Migration started just before the Second World War, where residents flocked to the west to bolster the defense industry.

The state has also been a victim of hurricanes, particularly Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Camille in 1969. Outside of the Mississippi Delta, the state has dense forests which provide outdoor enthusiasts a number of activities. However, this has not been a hindrance to some counties and cities to be declared as the best places to retire in Mississippi

Another option when retiring near the Mississippi River is the state of Louisiana. If that’s the case, then you may want to check out the 10 best places to retire in Louisiana.

Mississippi, specifically the Delta area, has been acknowledged as the birthplace of the Blues genre in music. Perhaps the most well-known celebrity from the state is none other the King of Rock N’ Roll, Elvis Presley. A Gallup poll also ranked Mississippi as the most religious state in the country. Large bays along the coastline also provide water activities such as fishing and yachting. History fans will also appreciate the well-preserved battlefield sites in the state.

To come up with the 10 best places to retire in Mississippi, Insider Monkey first determined the factors that are most important for retirees – the cost of living, physicians per capita, crime, and house values. Information from Sperling’s Best Places, Areavibes and Livability were utilized, with every county given a corresponding score on how high or low they ranked on each of the 4 factors. MarketWatch was also helpful for some of the information on their website. Scores were then added and averaged, with the top 10 counties earning a place on our list.

Let’s take a look at the 10 best places to retire in Mississippi, shall we?