There’s a place in the heart of Jackson where the pace of life slows down, walkers wave, students ride their bike to school, and neighbors discuss Daylilies and Camellias from their front porch.  This is Greater Belhaven—two neighborhoods, Belhaven and Belhaven Heights, whose story is stitched into the fabric of Mississippi itself. Once the Moody Estate, it became home to Col. James S. Hamilton, who named it for the Scottish land of his kin, “Belhaven” translating in Scots-Gaelic to “Beautiful Bay”. From there, mansions rose beside cottages inhabited with doctors, artists, professors, musicians, tradesmen, attorneys and students sharing the same shade trees with architecture styles running from Georgian, Tudor and Federalist to vine-covered bungalows. Anchored  by the quiet green of its parks—Laurel Street, Belhaven, and Belhaven Heights—linked by miles of biking, walking and jogging trails, protected by the state’s two largest hospital systems and decorated with preserved historical homes, this neighborhood is a living story. Twice listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the largest historic district in Mississippi. There are families that were born in the homes they live in now and some who enjoy living the same house built by their great grand parents. Often when neighbors travel beyond Jackson, when asked where they are from, they’ll say they’re from Belhaven—because the name alone carries its own weight, its own sense of place. Like anywhere in the South, new acquaintances circle a conversation until they discover their connection, but in Belhaven, that dance is done with houses. Two people meeting for the first time, won’t carry on until they’ve placed each other by address, more often than not identified by the names of past families“Oh, you’re in the Greens’ old place?” We invite you to join the magic here in Greater Belhaven. Visit for a stay at the Fairview Inn, a jewel of a Colonial Revival mansion turned four-diamond hotel, show at New Stage, our professional regional theatre, dinner and a drink at the vibrant Belhaven Town Center or even better, find a home to make your own, and stay forever.