Louisiana vs. Mississippi

[upstate29650]

Two different states in the limelight, thanks to Katrina. Two states that appear to have handled reconstruction in different manners. Two unique cultures. Make your choice & tell us why.

[krazeeboi]

I'd have to go with Louisiana on this one, largely because of New Orleans. Shreveport and Baton Rouge are doing their thing as well.

But I think Jackson, MS is a city that's on the verge of some good things.

[orlandonative]

Neither. These polls are stupid. Better? What does that mean?

[johnnydr87]

Agreed ^.

[krazeeboi]

I just took it to mean which state do you prefer. Nothing serious.

[I-275westcoastflorida]

Louisiana has more to offer.

[mcheiss]

Neither. These polls are stupid. Better? What does that mean?

I agree 100%.

[NCB]

If by "best" you mean which state you prefer, I would have to go with Louisiana.

It's partial bias, but there is so much history and culture here. Cajun Country, extreme Southeast Louisiana near Houma, and New Orleans are some of the most interesting places in the country IMO, and thats just 1/4 of the state.

[Aporkalypse]

But I think Jackson, MS is a city that's on the verge of some good things.

I prefer New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport to Jackson. Since this is an urban forum, I vote Louisiana. Jackson is way behind the curve compared to Little Rock, OKC, Shreveport, Birmingham, Memphis, and other cities in the region. Downtown is dead and too much is moving to Madison and Canton.

[krazeeboi]

Well there goes my effort to give Mississippi some good press...

[jcestes4]

I have lived in Mississippi for the last 34 years but most of my roots are in Louisiana. I can honestly say that both states certainly have their redeeming values. Both are rich in culture and both have a rich heritage of contributing to the arts.

It seems that the starter of this thread was interested in a discussion of how the states handled their respective responses to Katrina differently. While both have their unique issues with respect to redevelopment and rebuilding following Katrina I believe that Mississippi, at least up to this point, has done a more effective job of responding to the crisis.

[tombarnes]

In reference to hurricane response, I think Mississippi might have a slight edge, but the general question here really does not make sense. The cultures of the two places are really quite different. Of course, it could be said that the Gulf Coast of Mississippi shares many similarities with southern Louisiana. I think there is little question that Mississippi does not have a cultural treasure like New Orleans. Given what does exist there, i.e. Jackson, the Coast, Natchez, Vicksburg and so on, I think there is enormous potential in the state.

[NCB]

Of course, it could be said that the Gulf Coast of Mississippi shares many similarities with southern Louisiana. I think there is little question that Mississippi does not have a cultural treasure like New Orleans. Given what does exist there, i.e. Jackson, the Coast, Natchez, Vicksburg and so on, I think there is enormous potential in the state.

Southern Mississippi is very similar to southeastern Louisiana.

Jackson is a great mid-size city, the MS coast is beautiful, and Vicksburg and Natchez are two of my favorite cities in the south, they are both very historic and culture is everywhere, much like New Orleans.

There are of course many difference's with south MS and SE Louisiana, but they work together on many things, and many people living in south MS work in New Orleans, and vis versa. As the little saying around here goes, New Orleanians go to south Mississippi to see the beach, and enjoy a few days in a resort hotel, and south Mississippians go to New Orleans to party and eat. This of course is not entirely true, but it shows the relashionship between the southern parts of both states.

The northern parts of both states are very different from the southern parts. Differnt food, different religions, differnt cultures, etc...

I love both of these states, but I had to go with Louisiana. The amazing history and culture of the cajuns and creoles in coastal SE Louisiana is just amazing to me, and I have a bit of a bias.

[jcestes4]

I almost have to chose not to chose on this particular topic in terms of which has more going for it. I love both states but for different reasons. I was raised in Mississippi but spent a lot of time in Louisiana during my youth. Most of my family hails from south Louisiana and my ancestry is deeply steeped in its culture.

My heart aches for both right now as they face significant recovery and rebuilding challenges. Just as their cultures are vastly different, their approaches to rebuilding will be different. Not one necessarily better than the other, just different.

As far as the question of which is more "cultured". I am not sure that I can answer that objectively. Mississippi does not have a large city such as New Orleans but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is lacking in culture. And New Orleans is not the only place in Louisiana that is steeped in the cajun culture or lifestyle. I can think of many small towns that barely make the map that are so full of cajun and creole culture that New Orleans would seem like the midwest in comparison. I simply think that both cultures have much to offer.

[DruidCity]

I'm happy to be within a reasonable drive from both (50 miles from east-central MS), and last visited New Orleans in March and Biloxi in May.

In terms of an "urban" context, then yes, Louisiana does win. It simply has more people and sizable cities.

That said, I like MS a lot - beautiful forests & a lot of nice, down-to-earth people. A whole lot of people who live in my part of AL (including me) have some Mississippi roots, and a decent number (such as my next-door neighbor and my neighbors across the street) have Louisiana roots.

It's also worth mentioning that, while south Louisiana is extremely well-known for its unique culture, Mississippi has the distinction of having the largest % of black residents of any state, which is also distinctive.

" New Orleanians go to south Mississippi to see the beach, and enjoy a few days in a resort hotel, and south Mississippians go to New Orleans to party and eat."

We can throw Mobile-Baldwin into that relationship, too. A good number of Louisianans and Mississippians go on over to Gulf Shores and Pensacola for the beaches, while coastal Alabamians and Mississippians go to New Orleans to party and eat, and coastal Alabamians and New Orleanians go to the MS coast for the casinos. That whole central Gulf region is tied together in interesting ways.

[codyg1985]

Neither. These polls are stupid. Better? What does that mean?

It means which state/region/city is represented best on this forum.

[ironchapman]

As much as I love New Orlaens and the Cajun culture of many places in Louisiana, I and my family have too much history in Mississippi to vote against it.

[EvanK]

I prefer New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport to Jackson. Since this is an urban forum, I vote Louisiana. Jackson is way behind the curve compared to Little Rock, OKC, Shreveport, Birmingham, Memphis, and other cities in the region. Downtown is dead and too much is moving to Madison and Canton.

Actually, I thought the same thing but I went to Jackson about 2 months ago, and it's not as bad as I had thought and heard. I expected it to be some backwater burg, but I actually found it much more interesting than I expected.

I do agree though, their downtown activity needs a shot in the arm. Seems like after business hours, you don't see much of anyone downtown. Overall though, it's not as bad as I expected. Would I wanna live there? crap naw. Would I visit it again? Yeah.

[tombarnes]

Once Jackson gets its downtown back on track, it will be a better place to live. This will take time, but the elements are in place for a strong revitalization. Jackson's biggest problem has been the flight of the rich to the northern suburban towns of Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood and so on. Once this tide is stemmed, Jackson should be able to revive its downtown.

[simms3]

Come on, LA screwed up everything as a result of some poor decisions by the governor, or shall we say governess, and the mayor of New Orleans Nagin. New Orleans is also like a big whiny baby compared to the whole coastal section of MS that saw devastation just as bad or worse. MS is a state that definitely shows the backbone of this country with hard workers in every service sector. I'm definitely pro MS for a good long while now, and I don't care if they don't have some "great urban city", I look at the state for what it is and what it offers. Besides the abundance of rural farmland and just little towns, in MS you have Jackson and the whole gulf coast region with Biloxi.