Pat Starnes' Snippets: Mississippi: Jackson

The Historic King Edward Hotel, a landmark to many local Jacksonians, is open once again after a major rehabilitation that began in 2008 and was completed in 2009.

Now known as the Hilton Garden Inn, the hotel has 186 hotel rooms and 64 luxury apartments, in addition to a coffee shop, restaurant, and lounge.

The King Edward Hotel is rich in history. The original structure was built in 1861 but was destroyed two years later during the Civil War. A second structure, built on the same site a few years later, became a popular meeting place for social and political affairs in the late 1880s to early 1920s.

In 1923, the second structure was demolished to make room for the 12-story building that occupies the space today. Although the King Edward Hotel was a meeting place for many political events, the hotel closed in 1967, and sat vacant for over 40 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hilton Garden Inn sits at the corner of Capitol and Mill Streets, across from the Amtrak Station in Downtown Jackson. Why not take a trip downtown and tour this facility or book a weekend stay?

 

Photos by Pat Starnes

OK, folks! It's time for the annual Mal's St. Paddy's Day Parade and Sweet Potato Queens March in downtown Jackson MS! This event is so much fun and draws over 50,000 people (surely a conservative estimate) annually.

Mark your calendar...the date is Saturday, March 20 at 1 p.m. for the parade, but there are activities all weekend long that benefit Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital.

Enjoy some of the photos from last year's festivities, and have a wonderful St. Paddy's Day weekend!

It's Foreclosure Friday time! Over the last several weeks I've written the Foreclosure Friday series to share a little about the process of finding and buying foreclosures in the Metro Jackson area.

HUD's inventory is down this week, but there are still 35 available properties in the metro area for sale.

One home in Florence, MS is priced $10 a square foot less than its nearest competitor in the same neighborhood. 573 Eaglewood Drive is listed for $108,900 with an "as is" value of $121,000.

Another property, 613 Harvest Drive in Ridgeland, has been reduced from $131,000 to $117,900.

There are a number of foreclosures available through VA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If you have a particular price range and area that you are interested in, you can search the Jackson MS MLS or subscribe to my blog to receive weekly updates.

Have you received the "green light" to buy a home? Getting pre-approved is an important first step in buying a home, whether you are looking at foreclosures or any other property.

Many people are interested in buying foreclosures because of the value they represent. While it's true that foreclosures can be purchased below market value, giving the buyer instant equity, remember to factor in the cost of repairs. Most foreclosures are sold "as is".

In case you missed any of the previous Foreclosure Friday posts, you can review them here. See you next week!

 Image compliments of FreeFoto.com

 Premiere Edition of Foreclosure Friday - Tips for Buying a Foreclosure

 The procedure for buying a HUD foreclosure

 Search all MS Foreclosures - Links for HUD, VA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

 Foreclosures for Sale in Rankin County MS

 Overview of Foreclosures throughout MS

Be Prepared! Get pre-approved

 

 

Today I found myself in the historic Fondren district around lunchtime and decided to stop in at Walker's Drive In for lunch.

Walker's Drive In, a popular Jackson eatery, is located between Fondren Place and Duling Drive at 3016 North State Street. Business is brisk with it's lunch clientele and the Blue Plate Special is popular with the locals, as are the fried green tomatoes, fried portabello mushrooms, and burgers and po-boys.

Walker's is mentioned in the Top Ten Jackson Restaurants by 10Best. The decor is intriguing art-deco, complete with glass block windows, black and white checkerboard floors, and white linen tablecloths. You can dine at the counter or sit at one of their booths. Today a number of people were enjoying the open air patio overlooking North State Street.

If you want to experience friendly service and good home-cooking, stop by Walker's Drive In for a tasty treat and enjoy the unique atmosphere offered by this historic landmark.

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Pat Starnes, a Realtor since 1988, specializes in Mississippi Residential Real Estate and can assist you with buying or selling in the Jackson MS Metro area. 

Search homes for sale in Brandon, Pearl, Flowood, Madison, Ridgeland, Florence, Bryam, or Jackson, MS.

Written and Published by Pat Starnes REALTOR

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The third weekend in March is an important time for activities in downtown Jackson, MS and the metro area. It's the date when Sweet Potato Queens from all over the country converge on the capitol city and march in conjunction with the St. Paddy's Day Parade.

The parade has grown to become one of the Top 20 Largest Events in the Southeast.

The parade itself is an all-day event with children's activities, a pet parade, children's parade, the Million Queen March (the Sweet Potato Queens), and finally the Main Event, the floats with all the throws, beads, and doubloons.

These photos were taken at the Million Queen March.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even Jackson Mayor Frank Melton got in on the march...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SPQ's event is a fundraiser benefitting Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital.

In case you missed the Sweet Potato Queens Ball at Mal's, you can view the photos at Pat Starnes Snippets.