The 2nd question we are asked, after “Where ya’all from” is why did you move to Tupelo?
Patti and I did a tour of most of the state of Mississippi and part of Alabama. When we got to Tupelo it just seemed like a good fit. People were friendly, town size was good (population around 38 thousand) , crime rate low, affordable housing. It just ticked off a lot of boxes that we were considering. And of course, it is the birthplace of ELVIS, need I say more? His birthplace is a museum/tourist attraction that we haven’t gotten to yet, but we will! The downtown features a bunch of guitar decorations and music note light ups, murals of the town and Elvis. Very cool area to explore. Also it is the First TVA city. I had to google what that meant (first city to receive power from the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1933). Also has a Buffalo park, Confederate Battle Field, assorted monuments and other places to explore when we find the time.
Shopping is good and plentiful, from little shops and restaurants in the downtown area, to the local mall shopping area where you can find everything from Lowes, Home Depot , Kohls, Wallyworld, Penneys, and it has a Hobby Lobby and Joanne Fabrics! Tons of eating places, some chains and lots of locals too. Our favorite local place is called Chicken Salad Chick, every kind of chicken salad that you can imagine and so good! And we have a big antique mall, monthly flea market that is huge and several resale thrift stores ( translate that to projects!)
We chuckle almost daily over the Police Report in the local rag. Some examples would be “so and so lent their car to some guy they only knew by first name and now 2 weeks later they still hadn’t brought it back, so they were reporting it may be stolen. Or the 2 sisters that lived next door to each other and fighting over property line and the tree that one sister had taken out that the other sister said belonged to her….well you get the idea, mostly non violent (unless you were the tree) and a very nice change of pace from the police reports I was used to reading in St Louis newspaper.
Unemployment is low with lots of businesses in Tupelo and a big Toyota plant not far outside of town. Not that we are looking for jobs! But it is a good thing. Also, Tupelo is located just 2 to 3 hours from many other larger cities, like Memphis, Columbus and Nashville, so easy to get to a larger airport to fly off somewhere. There is an airport in Tupelo, but only a couple of flights a day to Nashville I think.
All in all, a nice sized city with everything that we are looking for! So Why not Tupelo Indeed!
Huge Magnolia tree by courthouse 
Elvis!! 