re: Can we all agree Mississippi sucks besides the I-10 corridor

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Mississippi Population isnt climbing fast, there's a reason why.

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Let's explore that, shall we?

Mississippi had little to no growth in the 50s and 60s due to blacks migrating out for obvious reasons. In the 70s, the population grew by 13.7%. Dipped to 2.1% in the 80s and rose to 10.5% in the 90s. Slowed again in the 2000s to 4.3% and has slowed down to 0.6% this decade.
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If you look at Alabama's demographics, you'll see similar trends (from 1970 onwards).
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Louisiana doesn't look a lot different if you remember that Louisiana boomed during the 70s (thanks to oil) and then collapsed in the 80s when oil went bust.
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Arkansas has some healthy growth in the 90s and 2000s (no doubt because of the boom in NW Arkansas) but also has fallen flat this decade:
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Point being, I don't think Mississippi is some great outlier relative to neighboring states. I know we love to bash Mississippi. They don't have some of the advantages that Alabama and Louisiana have in terms of natural resources. They would definitely benefit from a more educated workforce. But so would their neighbors. Mississippi isn't vastly inferior to its neighbors. Inferior, sure. That much I can agree with.