Vicksburg was the largest city in the state of Mississippi until the late 1940s. It is an old river town that still has the same population that it had in 1880. It’s not the type of town that you would expect to see new things happening. Or, at least that is what I thought until I visited there and met Vicksburg’s dynamic Mayor Laurence Leyens.
Mayor Leyens grew up in Vicksburg where his father ran the family department store which started in 1881, closing it when the future mayor was a junior in college. Leyens spent 15 years in California but always dreamt of moving back home. He sold his 1200 sf house there, buying an 8,000 sf two story mansion back home.
Leyens decided to run for mayor 3 ½ years ago, vowing to run the city in a more professional manner than the “good old boys.” He’s brought openness to city government, showing all public meetings on the town’s only local TV station. He told me, “It has helped to get people to have a higher expectation of their government.”
What really impressed me during my tour was the downtown historical area. The federal government’s urban renewal programs of the 1970s had “torn down our old vacant buildings with no rational for the outcome,” said Leyens. Today he has developed a special program to buy the old vacant buildings, redoing the facades and then selling them to retailers for $1. That’s right $1! And the occupancy has soared from less than 50% when he started the program to over 80% today. Not only have specialty retailers flocked to the downtown, but it has also acted as a magnet for restaurants and professional offices.
His next goal is to get more people living in the downtown area. Already a dozen high end apartments are completed above the shops, another half dozen are about ready and ground is being broken for 22 brand new upscale houses. Vicksburg is creating a unique sense of place in their downtown.
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Jack this of Vicksburg hasn't really grown at all. Several factors have come into play. One high real estate costs and rents which the community has a hard time attacting commuters to stay. Second Vicksburg is now known for the high cost of gas. Like it has never went below 2.00 at all. At the sametime the Pemberton Mall is gradually closing. The Pemberton 4 Cinema has been the latest casulity--this has been due to high rental cost and the mall doesn't satisfy locals at all. Most the of retail market is weak. Both Pemberton and the Outlet mall have had business closed within the retail sector.
Mayor Laurence Leyens hasn't done anything to attract new jobs to this state. At the sametime he has run into racial issues with blacks over the fact that he wants construct million dollor homes in thier area; now u can't sell million dollar homes in retail bubble. I can tell you that known us locals don't like this port at all. U should press Leyens on the issues. People here are tired of this little clique that has been running things.
To me this port has no sense of place. It gives one the impression it doesn;t want to move forward.
Here's some more that might interest you. According the 2004 census over %1 percent of the population has left Vicksburg Warren County area. Unemployment went up as well. Now this port is part of an Economic Zone which was set up after Hurrican Katrina. Jackson Ms the closest to this port has been reaping the benefits but not Vicksburg. Why? Well some of the blame could be place on the local poloticians.
Now a few years ago there was a court battle that involved the casinos. It was over a racetrack which Horseshoe Gaming wanted to put in but the local casinos like Ameristar along with the local good ole boys blocked progress which got the locals upset. At the sametime here there are very few restaunts here. Several industries have closed here as well and that has created more unemployment. Pemberton Mall which is a small mall has been having stores closing due crimes in the mall. Still the job issues are high on the locals mind and Mayor Laurence Leyens seems to be more interested in bautifying the city rather than bring in high quality jobs. If u should revisit u should just drive around the subdivisions and see the large number of houses for sale. And the Mayor has been buying up real estate for his own interests not the interests of the locals. For that has always been the local think. Not to mention a city/county rivalery which the city snobbishly looked down on those who lived in the county for years. Stupid and inept in my opinion.
Viksburg is known as the "red carpe city of the south." This is applied to the selfish famililes who enriched themselves off the backs of the working people and gov't workers. Now Vicksburg is known as "the city that doesn't have anything." No, high quallity stores just cheap businesses that are going out of busineess it seems. On Yahoo travel reveiew the travelers give this port a mix reviews becouse to some its own dowtown doesn't have nothing to offer anymore. Now this port was suppose to get a Quintos Restraunt and Starbucks in its new Halls Ferry Station but that hasn't come to frution becouse of the poor concrete workmanship on the project. When Home Depot wanted to come in there were those who rallied against it. Why? Home Depot offered better prices and quality over what the local sellers would offer. Since this port population hasn't growned but decreased this port is a hole in the wall. U can't put the blame of the local self centered familites who still live in the civil war.
By the way there are those of us who have move ahead of them. And urban renewal doesn't seem to benefit those living here. Only those they want to attract here. I can tell u no one doesn't want to live here becouse Vicksburg doesn't want to have anementies like all other modern communities in the south.
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