Mississippi Real Estate & Relocation Guide

Southaven, Mississippi

Population: 28,977

Located in DeSoto County

Southaven, Mississippi is a young city with a rich tradition already in place. Southaven's geographical location is strategically beneficial for commercial and residential growth. Many young families choose to live in Southaven because of the safe environment, excellent school system, close proximity to Memphis, local shops and overall family-friendly atmosphere. Each year, more senior citizens also wish to live in Southaven due to the benefits the city offers through its Certified Hometown Mississippi Retirement City designation.

Southaven has a low tax mileage and many affordable, quality housing opportunities despite the current economic recession. Unlike other regions, foreclosures are at an all-time minimum here with a stable and thriving real estate market. Furthermore, Southaven offers a Main Street Business Tax freeze, which locks in property tax rates for seven years. In fact, Southaven recently became the only city in DeSoto County to cut its property tax rate instead of raising it. The commerce here is just as prosperous in Southaven with record-breaking sales tax revenues and an expanding job market. Southaven's municipal bond rating is AA according to S&P and maintains a healthy balanced budget annually.

Southaven has many facilities that add to the quality of life enjoyed by its citizens. The city boasts over 35 places of worship, a state-of-the-art medical facility with the area's finest medical specialist and a recreational program that produces championship baseball, basketball, soccer, football and ice hockey. Southaven is also home to Springfest, an annual music barbeque festival that brings in more than 100,000 visitors during the four-day venue. The Dizzy Dean World Series also makes Southaven its home, along with several other competitive youth baseball tournaments.

Educational opportunities abound at Northwest Mississippi Community College, which offers a wide variety of credit and noncredit courses, theater performances, concerts and exhibits. Southaven is among only a handful of cities in Mississippi where one can go from pre-school all the way through to earning their Master's degree without ever leaving the city limits. Southaven is also home to a first class public school system and a branch of the University of Mississippi. Furthermore, the Southaven library system offers public meeting rooms as well as thousands of books, periodicals, films, videos and research opportunities.

Home to 100 certified patrol officers and more than 70 firefighters, Southaven boasts a very low crime rate. Both the fire and police departments are well above the national average for officers per resident. Southaven maintains a very low violent crime rate and has been rated as a Class 4 fire rated city. The lower the ranking, the better the class. Southaven is also home to Baptist DeSoto Regional Hospital.

As for the environment, the community members of Southaven do their fair share of recycling and have led the effort in local environmental awareness. Southaven maintains an anti-idling policy, whereby municipal vehicles may not stay in idle when not in use. Southaven was also the first city in DeSoto County to go to paperless meetings. The meetings of the mayor and board of alderman are Web cast and all documentation is prepared in digital format.

Southaven is home to the award-winning Snowden Grove Park, one of America's largest youth baseball complexes. Southaven is also home to the Greenbrook Softball facility, the Cherry Valley Youth Football facility and a state-of-the-art youth soccer complex. Southaven also features a municipal-operated nine-hole golf course and driving range as well as the Bancorp SouthSports Center, which features indoor batting cages as well as a miniature golf course. Southaven has many miles of walking trails and passive parks, such as Central Park, which highlights Southaven's natural beauty.

History is being made daily in Southaven, where you are invited to come "home" and become part of "history in the making."

Note: Some information courtesy of Southaven.org