Water Valley in the News

Artists find it’s easy living in ‘the Valley’
Priced out of Oxford, some migrating a bit further south

By Joseph Williams
The Oxford Enterprise Senior Writer

Water Valley is “in.”

With what some consider inordinately high Oxford real estate prices, more and more artists and young people are looking for options, and Water Valley, affectionately referred to as “the Valley” by those who split their time between towns, is becoming more and more attractive. Housing prices are still low, and, thanks to the recently established Main Street Association, the downtown area is thriving.

To seal the deal, the town voted in beer a little over a year ago, and locals are still elated.

“A lot of us would like to live in one of those fabulous old Victorian houses in Oxford, but they’re not affordable,” says Ramona Bernard, co-director of the year-old Water Valley Arts Council. “But here you can have a fabulous Victorian house, and it is affordable. Plus, we’re finding one another through our arts council, and that’s providing a sense of community that some of the artists in Oxford enjoy.”

Bernard herself relocated to the Valley five years ago. She, like many Valley émigrés, was drawn to Oxford for its small-town appeal, but didn’t find small-town prices. She found purchase 20 minutes south, not only for her home but also for her artistic appreciation.

“I heard this was the new place for artists to come, that everybody’s coming to Water Valley,” says jewelry maker and Oxford resident Bonnie McLereath at last fall’s Water Valley Studio Crawl. “All the (Oxford) Arts Council people said they were treated well. I heard so many positive comments.”

It doesn’t take much detective work to figure out why Water Valley is becoming a new haven for local artists. Take Erin Austen Abbott, for example. When she moved back to the area after living in several other cities across the country, she chose to open her business, Amelia’s, on the Square, but opted to live in Water Valley.

“I could get a house in Water Valley like three times bigger than what I could get in Oxford, for probably $700,000 dollars less,” Abbott says. “And I’m not even joking. I mean, literally, $700,000 dollars less. That’s insane. For driving 20 minutes, it doesn’t make any sense.”

In Water Valley, Erin says she paid $65,000 for a 120-year-old, 2,000-square-foot house with a 300-square-foot porch, a basement, an attic, wood floors and 15-foot ceilings. When she was first house-shopping, she says she found a house off the Square in Oxford that was similar, although significantly smaller, to the Water Valley house.

The problem was, the much smaller Oxford house was appraised at $900,000.
Annette Trezfer, University of Mississippi associate professor of English and owner of Bozarts Gallery in the Valley, says affordability is a part of the reason she relocated to Water Valley after living in faculty housing for the first three years at the university. Authenticity was also important to her.

“I just didn’t want to live in a subdivision in Oxford,” she says. “We thought (Water Valley) was an original community. There’s a lot of nice turn-of-the-century homes (that are) affordable, and we said, hey, you know, this looks like it’s a walkable town. It’s got a post office. It’s got a Piggly Wiggly. And its 25 minutes from Oxford.”

As the cultural worlds of Oxford and Water Valley run together, Trezfer has become a central figure in both towns’ arts scenes. Her year-old gallery often hosts Oxford artists. She feels there isn’t much of a distinction between Oxford, Taylor and Water Valley art anymore, and there are “some really interesting things” going on in the outlying communities, things that are supported by Oxonians.

“I think it’s a mistake, probably, to think that there is Oxford-centered stuff,” Trezfer says. “I think that’s maybe how it used to be.”

She says Water Valley residents seem to be embracing Bozarts and the general cultural progression of Water Valley. Newspaper photographer Jack Gurner, 59, grew up in Water Valley, and he agrees with Trezfer. He says there are some old-timers that mumble about how the town isn’t what it used to be, but most people are happy for that fact.

“We’re seeing change, and it’s for the better. We’re seeing a whole new bunch of people coming to town that are bringing all kinds of new cultural aspects with them,” he says.

When asked why he thinks so many artists and young people are heading to the Valley, Gurner quickly echoes everyone else. “The price of real estate in Oxford,” he says. “People are looking for a place to live that they can afford. That’s what started it.”

“Before you wouldn’t get a lot of people coming here because what’s Water Valley?” he adds. “But now they’re more open to it because they see the schools are getting some similar ratings, real estate is available, there are great old houses here that you can get for pretty good prices.”

Gurner says he and his wife bought an arts-and-crafts bungalow in Water Valley “for a song” that would cost more than $200,000 in Oxford.

As Water Valley attracts more and more artists and musicians, it also attracts a whole range of people. Numerous New Orleans natives moved there after Katrina. Young couples are floating in on the wake of their creative friends. Now there’s a summertime outdoors film event called Movies on Main and a similar event for live music called Music in the Park. There’s a farmer’s market and a coffee shop next door to Bozarts. And most of the locals, old and new, talk about the little town like they’re selling something.

“We are an affordable place for people to relocate to. We’re a real nice walkable town. And we’re very hospitable to artists,” Bernard says. “Plus, thanks to people in the Yalobusha Progressive Association, we have beer now in Water Valley. We’ve got that over Taylor and the county of Lafayette. I tell you what! So please relocate to Yalobusha County if you’re good-humored and like-minded individuals.”