[05/30/03] Better weather, lower taxes and friendly people are just some of the reasons more than 100 retirees from across the nation are looking at making Mississippi their retirement home.

“We love the South,” said Roberta Slowey, of Cedarburg, Wis., who, with her husband, Robert, arrived in Vicksburg Thursday for the annual Mississippi Hometown Getaway.

Those who sign up for the Mississippi Development Authority’s Hometown Retirement program that began in 1997 take tours and hear factual and promotional talks about life in several Mississippi cities.

Yvette Mangum is director of the Retirement Development for the Vicksburg Warren Chamber of Commerce. The local group bid to host this year’s visitors who will be in Vicksburg through Sunday. Events started with a reception at the state Welcome Center.

Another couple, Phyllis and Charles Hooper, of Marietta, Ga., said they took advantage of an opportunity to see Vicksburg because, since retirement, they are “footloose and fancy free.”

“We thought this would be a nice opportunity to come to Vicksburg together, and, so far, the welcome has been outstanding,” Phyllis Hooper said.

Her husband of 22 months agreed.

“I love the friendliness and the lifestyle,” Charles Hooper said. “It’s like you can’t meet a stranger here.”

After a dinner, the group saw a performance of “Gold in the Hills” by the Vicksburg Theatre Guild.

Activities planned through Saturday include touring Vicksburg, seminars relating to the tax advantages of retiring in Mississippi and hearing from other retirees who choose to live in Mississippi.