Sliding down east Mississippi through the pine-thick woods, I-59 connects Meridian, MS, with New Orleans, LA, and in so doing passes through Hattiesburg, MS, situated at the fork of the Leaf and Bouie rivers. In 1994, with a population of about 50,000, Hattiesburg, together with Forrest and Lamar counties--the city straddles both counties--was designated a Metropolitan Statistical Area. The MSA's combined population exceeds 100,000 residents.


Hattiesburg is home to the University of Southern Mississippi, a public institution, and William Carey College, affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention. The "Hub City," as it likes to call itself, is the center of culture, medicine, education, manufacturing and retail for southeast Mississippi. Nexus of an important crossroads, Hattiesburg is just 100 miles from Jackson, the state's capital, and from the Gulf Coast.


One of many Southern cities founded after the Civil War, Hattiesburg is a product of transportation and post-war revitalization. A lumberman and civil engineer, Captain William H. Hardy founded Hattiesburg in 1882, and named it for his wife, Hattie. Settlers of Scottish, Irish and English descent came from Georgia and the Carolinas to take advantage of the extensive lands being opened for development at low cost, from 50 cents to $1.50 an acre.


Incorporated in 1884, Hattiesburg took advantage of the Southern Railway System, completed that same year, which ran from Meridian to New Orleans through Hattiesburg, just as I-59 does today. Three years later, the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad Line from Gulfport to Jackson was completed, also running through Hattiesburg, and following the route of U.S. 49. Timber and its collateral naval stores industries were, as a result, important to the economy, but the rails secured Hattiesburg's destiny as a transportation center.


That geographical advantage also brought devastating storms to Hattiesburg when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, but the city is recovering nicely. With cleared streets, restored infrastructure, and re-opened schools, Hattiesburg has even been able to host families from more devastated New Orleans, LA, just 100 miles south. Evacuated children have been welcomed in its schools.


Hattiesburg hosts 13 elementary schools, five public junior high and five public high schools in addition to three private/parochial schools. Pearl River Community College, located in Poplarville southeast of Hattiesburg, has a center in Forrest County. Here students may work on their first two years of academic study or pursue technical fields. Other institutions in Hattiesburg offer specialized curricula, including one that prepares students to be private pilots.


Business and industry thrive in Hattiesburg, especially attracted by the climate and the transportation access. The "Pine Belt" as this region is known provides jobs for some 50,000 in the Hattiesburg MSA, and another 30,000 in neighboring Jones County. Top employers include the University of Southern Mississippi. Poultry ;production, a large Coca-Cola bottling plant, Georgia-Pacific and Hood Industries are among the largest private sector employers. The 600-acare Hattiesburg Industrial Park features such top tenants as Sunbeam, Kohler, and Western Container.


While Hattiesburg is home to many families and university students, it's also a popular retirement city. In fact, it's been proclaimed a "Certified Retirement City." Mississippi actually sets criteria for these designations. With a cost of living well below the national average, Mississippi has 20 such designated cities, including Hattiesburg, and 11 in Where to Retire: America's Best and Most Affordable Places, including Hattiesburg. Besides cost-of-living factors, the city offers good medical services and cultural resources, as well as a low tax burden. Its religious community represents almost 30 different denominations.


Hattiesburg presents a pulling-together municipal attitude and demeanor, sparked by its commitment to the values of community and its response to the hurricane of 2005. "We're doing well," said one city official, even as he acknowledged there was more to accomplish. One gets the clear sense whatever is needs to be done will be done, expeditiously into the bargain.


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