Clinton (a.k.a. the city that hasn't built a
sidewalk since the
stone age) is a
college town located in the
central region of the
state of
Mississippi. With an
estimated
population of right around 25,000,
Clinton is
the second largest city in
Hinds county, eclipsed by the
state capital's 180,000+
inhabitants. Also, as you may have guessed from the
unwieldy nickname I gave it, and as is common in more recent American
urban development, city planners in Clinton appear to have assumed in recent decades that every citizen owns an automobile and has no intention of ever utilizing his or her
lower extremeties for even the shortest trips.
Albeit small,
Clinton boasts of being
elected a Mississippi "
Most Livable City" (as long as you live a good distance from the
train tracks) and of being a "
Certified Retirement Community." If the latter
credential leads you to think that
Clinton is
boring, you'd probably be right; There isn't much in the way of
night life in
Clinton except for a
Coffee Shop in
Olde Towne called
Gravity, where one may
eat,
drink and
witness the work of
local artists (often of
dubious talent). The
Lyon's Club Park also provides
college students with a place to
drink alcohol after it officially closes to
children (and, supposedly,
college students) at
sunset. I'm sure these students would much rather
drink on
campus except that doing so is against the rules at most
colleges affiliated with the
Southern Baptist Convention like
Mississippi College which, in
1831, became the first
coeducational institution of
higher learning in the
United States to grant a
degree to a
woman.
Last, but not least among Clinton's more lively attractions, there's the "
Horseshoe" karaoke bar on
U.S. Highway 80 which is frequented by the
rednecks of the region and, sometimes, by college students with nothing better to do. But this establishment, I believe, is officially within Jackson city limits and not in Clinton
Don't
despair! This relatively
boring atmosphere also means that
Clinton has one of the
lowest
crime rates in the
state (though it's not quite as low as some of Jackson's Northern and Eastern suburbs) and one of the best
fire ratings, not to mention an exceptional
educational system courtesy of the aforementioned
Mississippi College and the, as yet, unmentioned
Clinton High School. Besides, the night life and
high crime rate of the great
metropolis of
Jackson are only 10 miles away!
For those who have graduated from college and moved on to other activities, we have the
Clinton Community Nature Center, which offers
scenic nature trails where members of the
community can stay fit, and the
Baptist Healthplex, which offers a
plethora of
facilities for
excercising and a nice
spa area. For fans of Asian/Japanese cuisine, the
Sweet & Sour Asian grocery on Clinton Boulevard provides lessons on how to make
sushi, as well as the necessary
ingrediants for its preparation.
By the way, don't let all these establishments with the word "
Baptist" in their name fool you, for not everyone in the
city is
affiliated to that particular
denomination. In fact,
Clinton has a
church of almost every
denomination (about 12) within its
limits.
Finally, the city's
Chamber of Commerce claims that
Clinton is among the "
best managed cities in
the state" and, although it offers little proof of this fact, you will certainly begin to believe it after you have
experienced first hand the horrible feeling that your
car is
falling apart upon passing any of the
dreaded "
Jackson City Limit" signs (I, personally, suggest
U.S. Hwy 80 for best results).
In case I have, with this
write-up, gotten you
hoplessly sold on the
prospect of starting a new and
fruitful life in
Clinton, MS, know that you may choose from the following
top 10 employers to provide your
daily bread:
-
Delphi Packard (which, I understand, manufactures
auto parts).
-
Worldcom (formerly
MCI Worldcom) which
moved to
Clinton from its previous
HQ on
Amite Street in
Jackson. It later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 and is rumoured to be moving its Clinton operations to Northern Virginia.
-
Clinton Public Schools.
-
Mississippi State Tax Commission (which has an office on
Springridge Road).
-
Mississippi College.
-
Wal-Mart (that would be the
Super Wal-Mart on
Hwy 80...
where America shops).
-
Riverwood International.
-
City of Clinton.
-
AKZO Nobel Coatings, Inc.
-
Gulf States Canners, Inc. (where our
Coca Cola cans come from).
With an
average family income of
$55,599 and one of the
lowest costs of living in the
state,
why think twice? Just be careful though,
Mississippi will get about as
hot and
humid as a steam room during the
summer.
For more information,
e-mail info@clintonchamber.org