The small city of Magnolia offers a slow-paced lifestyle
Wealthy New Orleanians seeking respite from fast-paced city life vacationed in Magnolia in the late 1800s. Today, the small city and seat of Pike County still offers a sleepy, rural atmosphere. It’s also sought-after for its proximity to the bigger city of McComb, to the north. “It’s a quaint, small town with many older homes,” says Epique Realtor Lisa Dillon, who has a decade of local real estate experience. “A lot of people move up here from New Orleans to get away from the hurricanes. Beyond Friday night football games at South Pike High School, there’s nothing much to do.”
Most single-family homes sell for under $250,000
Cottages, Craftsmans and ranch-style homes with grassy front lawns and short driveways line the gridded streets near the center of town. Live oak and magnolia tree roots crack the concrete sidewalks in some places; ivy and Saint Augustine runners reach over the narrow walks in others. New Traditionals with broad lawns and spindly slash pines are common by the Fernwood Country Club to the north. Prices range from under $100,000 to about $220,000. Custom-built homes with Fernwood Country Club golf course views or private lakes can sell for between $600,000 and $800,000.
The Little Tangipahoa River and the Minnehaha River are prone to flooding, and the risk of high water and wind damage is elevated during hurricane season. Summers are hot and humid, with average high temperatures reaching 90 degrees. Winters are mild; lows rarely dip below freezing.
South Pike School District serves Magnolia students
South Pike School District earns a C-plus from Niche and allows controlled inter-district open enrollment. Students may attend C-rated Eva Gordon Lower Elementary between preschool and third grade, then Eva Gordon Upper Elementary for fourth through sixth. The upper elementary is not rated. Older students go to South Pike Junior High for seventh and eighth grades (C-plus), then South Pike High between ninth and 12th (B-minus). The high school partners with the South Pike Career & Technical Center for agriculture, business, construction and other programs. South Pike High School’s powerlifting teams have won multiple state championships.
Outdoor recreation at Magnolia Central Park and more
Magnolia Central Park, across Lee Street from the school district’s football field, has a basketball court, a playground and tennis courts. The Fernwood Country Club has two golf courses, tennis and pickleball courts and a clubhouse with a dining room, a fitness center and swimming pools. Percy Quin State Park, which surrounds Lake Tangipahoa several miles west, features campsites, an 18-hole golf course, a nature trail and a playground. The lake, which has a covered marina and a boat launch, is a popular spot to fish for crappies and catfish. There’s a fish cleaning station near the marina. Information on park entrance fees and rental rates for the boat launch and marina is available at the park office and online.
A small selection of shopping/dining in downtown Magnolia
The decorative brick-clad buildings in Magnolia’s central business district house shops and small businesses, like Singleton Furniture, Tru Fadez Kutz & Design and Corner Drug Store. East of the train tracks, across from the Pizza Hut, there’s Handy Hardware, an old-fashioned, locally owned hardware store. “The weirdest, most specialty kind of thing you need, they probably have,” Dillon says. “And you’ll get the same kind of service whether you spend $1 or $1,000.” Creole Cottage Café is a popular New Orleans-style eatery nearby. For groceries, there’s a Corner Market on State Road 48. McComb has big box retailers, including Walmart Supercenter.
Quick access to highways and healthcare facilities in Pike County
Interstate 55 connects south toward New Orleans, just over 100 miles away, and north toward Jackson, about 85 miles away. Rail service to New Orleans is available at the Amtrak station in McComb. The Baton Rouge Metropolitan and Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International airports are less than 100 miles from Magnolia. Gulfport-Biloxi International is nearly 140 miles away. Healthcare facilities are much closer – Beacham Memorial Hospital is within about 4 miles of most homes, and the Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center is less than 10 miles away. Mount Zion Community Center, Inc. provides demand-response public transit service in Pike, Amite and Walthall counties.
