One of the latest spotlight’s put on Mississippi is a new national television program that focuses on renovating historic homes in Mississippi.

Not too far from Pearl River County, Laurel residents noticed a surge of families moving to the area in search of a safe community to raise their children, retire and rest their feet.

The concept of the popular show is simple; bring some charm back to a community that has seen hard times.

Last week the hosts of the show, and owners of a downtown general store, said the show helps shine a positive light on Mississippi.

But the biggest impact the show is having might not be on the perception of our state, but the economy.

By making Mississippi seem like a more

attractive state to the rest of the nation, moving here might be more appealing.

Like Laurel, Pearl River County has its own history to preserve and promote to newcomers to the area.

Driving through our two historic municipalities, there’s no shortage of houses that have stood for decades. 

Lately, there has been a lot of new

development in our area as more people chose to live in our cozy community.

However, we too should strive to preserve our older homes. They may need a bit of work, but if they’ve made it this far, who’s to say that with a little bit of tender care and love they couldn’t make it another 100 years.

Both municipalities have taken efforts to beautify the downtown areas. But the cities alone can’t handle the burden of making it appealing for visitors.

Taking pride in where we live and where we come from by sprucing up our yards, keeping litter off the streets and supporting local businesses will help preserve our thriving downtowns.

We know how special our county is, and now it’s time to show that to the rest of the nation.