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A primary selling point for living in George County is, apparently, its relatively low levels of crime.
“Lucedale is a good place to live when it comes to living without undue fear of crime,” Lucedale Police Chief Barry Lambert said. “I hate to be jinxing myself, but things have been pretty quiet for a long time. We have our share and it seems to come in spurts, but in terms of living without fear of being a crime victim, Lucedale is a good place to live.”
Lambert said he feels people moving into the county consider the crime rate of the community.
“We are a rural county. There is not a lot of entertainment or other amenities like that to attract people. They must be coming here because of our lifestyle, which includes a lower crime rate that is found in many other areas.”
Lambert said the main crimes dealt with by his department are property theft, some drug activity and assaults. He said the department answers an average of 10 calls a week for these three kinds of crime.
For one couple it is the peace, quiet and slower pace that drew them to George County.
“Not long after we moved up here we were out on the front porch and I asked my wife if she heard what I was hearing,” Bert Blades said. “She asked, ‘what?’ I said, ‘Listen, you can hear children playing down the street.’ You don’t hear that much anymore down there. It was nice to hear.”
Blades and his wife, Frances, relocated to the county two years ago. The Blades moved to a new subdivision out in the county to be near their son and daughter-in-law. A couple of families in the subdivision have small children.
“It is very quiet and peaceful here,” Blades said. “In the evenings we sit in our yard and watch the birds and deer come to feed.”
Blades said that a reduced crime rate was not one of the factors considered in making the move to George County, but that it certainly adds to the quality of their lives since moving up here.
“There is crime everywhere, I guess,” Blades said. “We see the crimes listed in the paper, but it seems to be a lot less than in other places.”
“Compared to a lot of places we do not have a lot of crime,” Sheriff Garry Welford said. “It is increasing, but for somebody moving here from Mobile or a larger metropolitan area, this is going to seem like a piece of heaven.”
Welford said he feels most people who have recently moved into the county are looking for two things; higher ground away from the Coast and a sense of security that comes from living in a rural area.
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