What is it like to live in Tunica?

[DA ONELOVE]

I dont think the subdivision described by Good Livin was completed. I saw maybe 10 houses when I was there this week.
. The school system is 99% black. There doesn't seem to be strong interest in developing county infrastructure to address the needs of the people that live there, only to support the casinos or to attract higher income (white?) families. Seems to me you have to address alll of these interests and goals in a more balanced way to make any progress. I have only visited for short periods. People seem very friendly.

[DA ONELOVE]

Wanted to agree with posts that mention the huge difference between Tuncia
county and Memphis. Though they are close geographically, they are totally different places.

[DA ONELOVE]

Originally Posted by TimtheGuy

Yea, there is some money there now, but how would you rate the public school system? Better yet, how do outside impartial sources rate the public school system?

You say it yourself...real estate taxes are 'nil as are other utililties, yet here is what city-data has on population:

Population (year 2000): 1,132. Estimated population in July 2006: 1,081 (-4.5% change)

It is the cheapest place to live in the state, with plentiful good jobs nearby at the casinos, YET Tunica is losing population.

An outsider stepping into that public school system would be in for the shock of their life.

My opinion is that Its losing population because thousands of acres of land are owned and controlled by a few powerful land owners. Very difficult to jumpstart development activity around anything thats not casino oriented.

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by DA ONELOVE

My opinion is that Its losing population because thousands of acres of land are owned and controlled by a few powerful land owners. Very difficult to jumpstart development activity around anything thats not casino oriented.

Clearly you are not from the area. You are correct that there are major chunks of land owned by the few. But, not having big new developments should not translate to losing population. Even if these big land owners deceided they wanted to develop large plots NO ONE WOULD MOVE THERE. Even with no RE taxes and free water people will continue to skip Tunica and move to neighboring Desoto and Tate Counties.

As far as a place to live and raise a family, Tunica is stigmatized and will remain so for a long time.

[Chris Balducci]

A lot of money has poured into Tunica County over the last 20 years since gambling was legalized, but there are problems that can't be solved no matter how much money you throw at them. For example, you won't get students more willing to learn. Plus, there are social costs that come with gambling (more bankruptcies, family breakdowns, alcoholism, suicide, etc.) Though the latter may not be visible locally, you will certainly find a lot more of it around Memphis, where most of the gamblers come from.
Gambling does not create wealth. It just moves money around and causes social problems. God bless.

[Huckleberry3911948]

i like tunica have been there many many times. i think its sort of like laughlin a small gambling town. laughlin would have been just like bullhead (across river) if not for the gambling. i think the extreme poor vs rich disparity in ms makes living in most places difficult. its a shaky truce which could erupt anytime. undercurrent of strong tension non stop, johannesburg type environment. probably why i have not moved to ms and only visit.

[Chzanne]

Where is the OP from? Since your name is BullDogTech, should I assume the Georgia area? The reason I ask, is if you have visited the MS Delta at all? I have moved around a little bit throughout my life, and moved to the Delta 3 years ago, and there is no other place like it. I mean that in a lot of good ways, but I also mean it in a few bad ways. You really should come visit first if you haven't already.

I cannot speak for the North Delta, but there are a lot of Teach For America's in the south Delta. I have spoken to some of them about their feelings towards the Delta. They say there is no way to prepare a person for the Delta until they actually see it for themselves.

I think it would be a wonder opportunity for you and your husband to move to Tunica. It would create life/work challenges unlike no other. But if you come to embrace the challenges and learn from them, and help the area, I believe it will be very rewarding. But you have to come with an open mind and the willingness to take baby steps :-)

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by Chris Balducci

A lot of money has poured into Tunica County over the last 20 years since gambling was legalized, but there are problems that can't be solved no matter how much money you throw at them. For example, you won't get students more willing to learn. Plus, there are social costs that come with gambling (more bankruptcies, family breakdowns, alcoholism, suicide, etc.) Though the latter may not be visible locally, you will certainly find a lot more of it around Memphis, where most of the gamblers come from.
Gambling does not create wealth. It just moves money around and causes social problems. God bless.

Hasn't created any wealth?? How about the 10,000+ good paying jobs with full big corporate benefits that were created out of nothing in a county that has a total population of 10,000?

[Chris Balducci]

Most of the people who work in the Tunica County casinos live outside of the county.
According to this:

Unemployment in the U.S. - Google Public Data Explorer (http://tinyurl.com/6rdzluv - broken link)

the unemployment rate in the county was 17.7 percent in December 2011.
Poverty and joblessness are hard to get rid of once they have been in place for decades. God bless.