The Good, the Bad, and the Neutrality of Living in Olive Branch, MS

Olive Branch is a moderate sized suburb southeast of Memphis, TN. It still has remnants a small town quaint atmosphere. The last ten years has seen the population almost triple in size. This growth spurt has moved Olive Branch from a small town into suburb. Some of the growth might have to do with the declining safety of Memphis's white haven area. People are moving south to safer areas and thus into the Mississippi towns of Olive Branch, Southaven, and Horn Lake.

I didn't move to Olive Branch until after the growth spurt was well under way. My family moved me here while I was still a teenager. Thus I didn't chose the area, I just kind of ended up in it. Like all places on earth, Olive Branch has good aspects and bad aspects. It also has many aspects that are simply neutral.

The Good

The City Park

One of the best things about Olive Branch is the Olive Branch City Park. It's a fairy big park and very scenic with several lakes. One lake has a dock that extends out over it-it's great for photos. There are several hiking trails, a fairly new playground, picnic tables galore, and a gazebo to be rented out for events. There are tennis courts, a baseball park, and a track. It's the best park I've seen in the southern suburbs and rivals many of the bigger parks in Memphis.

Mayfest

It's nothing compared to Memphis in May, but it's pretty cool in it's own right. Mayfest is the second weekend in May. The Old Town section of Olive Branch closes the roads and vendors can set up. Arts, crafts, and music ensue. Last year there was a really nice performance by a group of belly dancers dressed in eastern costumes. It's a great way for local companies and artists to network and to advertise themselves. There are guitar lessons and watercolor classes regularly given in the Old Town area. The downside to this event is that everyone closes shop by 4pm.

Old Town is, as the name suggests, the older part Olive Branch. It was built in the early part of the 20^th century. It's known mostly for it's antique stores and for El Amigo's which is a really good Mexican restaurant. Old Towne is located west of 305, just before the bridge over 302/Goodman.

Library

The Olive Branch library added an extra wing to itself about two years ago. This means more books and a meeting room. The selection of books is fair for a suburb-it's nothing special but not terrible either. The best thing about the Olive Branch library is that it displays artwork by local artists. Anyone can sign up to display his or her work.

The other good advantage of this library is the new addition of laptops. You can sign them out for two hours. They're not too shabby either, 2GB of ram, Internet connected, vista, and the newest word processor.

The Bad

Thomas Kinkade Gallery

I'm an artistic type, so I thumbed through the phone book one day to see if there were any art related stores or galleries in Olive Branch. I came across Southern Traditions galley, located in Old Town. I thought "sweet, an art gallery". Then I got there and looked around and saw that it in not a gallery. Rather it's lots of beanie babies and cutsie craft items with some Thomas Kinkade paintings hanging over shelves of non-related merchandise.

Kinkade paintings are of a caliber slightly above hotel artwork. They are so completely neutral in their form that they really have no business being in an art gallery. At least not in modern day or as the sole display. The fact that the only art gallery in town is filled with beanie babies and Kinkade shows the culture in the Olive Branch area. What sparse artistic activity that exists leans more towards crafts and towards paintings that would be better as photographs. As the town grows there is the beginnings of more diversity but right now it is in the bud stage.

The Lack of Community Theatre or Performance Center of Any Kind

I used to assume that because Olive Branch was a suburb, that it was natural it had no community theatre. However, Hernando, a near by town which is comparable in population to Olive Branch, built a beautiful performing arts center a few years ago. Kudzu Playhouse does the bulk of its performances in Hernando.

Germantown and Southaven, other suburbs of Memphis, also have community theaters. So, where, may I ask, is Olive Branch's? Hiding under a rock perhaps?

The Neutral

As far as being able to get everyday items without leaving town, Olive Branch has what you need. There's a Wal-Mart, a dollar tree, a Kroger, a radio shack, and various other chains. We have the basic restaurants-Chili's, IHOP, etc.

There's a slew of fast food restaurants, minus an Arby's. Arby's really needs to build a location nearer than Horn Lake. It would make the Olive Branchians very happy. We do have a Zaxby's, which is a chicken and wings fast food chain that has taken root in several southern states. If you've ever been to Cane's, Zaxby's is very similar. I'm not which one is the imitation.

For whatever reason, Olive Branchians really love subs. There are literally three Subway sandwich locations within a three-mile radius. If that weren't enough, there's also two Quizno's within the city limits, and they built a Lenny's about a year ago.

For those who need a bar, there are plenty of restaurants with bars inside. There is also Brady's. Brady's is a small pool hall (I'm talking three tables) complete with bar and dart games. Monday nights at Casa Mexicana there are mariachis. At least there was, I haven't been in several months.

Olive Branch is not a bad town, but it's not a terribly happening town. The future looks bright. There are plans to build two movie theatres in the area. However, Malco cleared land to build its theatre five years ago. As of this date, the area is still a field. The plans have yet to be scrapped however. There's been a statement in the paper that they were waiting for the Olive Branch area to grow more. We look forward to our new large movie theatre, complete with a wireless caf�, sometime within the next three years. Cross your fingers.