Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAT : Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. The population was 44,779 at the 2000 census. It is Mississippi's fourth-largest city and is known as "The Hub City" or "College City". It has an incorporated suburb, Petal, and a presently unincorporated suburb, Oak Grove (which in 2006 initiated its own incorporation effort). It is the county seat of Forrest County[Geographic references#6GR6]. Hattiesburg is also the home of Camp Shelby, The University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey College.
History
Positioned at the fork of the Leaf and Bouie Rivers, Hattiesburg was founded in 1882 by Captain William H. Hardy, pioneer lumberman and civil engineer. Early settlers to the area were of Scottish, Irish, and English descent who came from Georgia and the Carolinas, attracted by the vast area of virgin pine timberlands.The city of Hattiesburg was incorporated in 1884 with a population of approximately 400. Originally called Twin Forks and later Gordonville, Hardy gave the city its final name of Hattiesburg, in honor of his wife Hattie. The city's major thoroughfare remains Hardy Street, and three cross-town streets, Mamie, Adeline, and Corinne, bear the names of his daughters.
Also in 1884, the railroad, known as the Southern Railway System, was built from Meridian, Mississippi through Hattiesburg to New Orleans. The completion of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad from Gulfport, Mississippi to Jackson, Mississippi, now part of the Illinois Central System, ran through Hattiesburg and ushered in the real lumber boom in 1897. Though it was 20 years in the building, the railroad more than fulfilled its promise. It gave the state a deep water harbor, more than doubled the population of towns along its route, built the City of Gulfport and made Hattiesburg a railroad center.
First due to the crossing rail lines, Hattiesburg became known as the "Hub City" as it also became the intersection of Interstate 59 and U.S. Highway 49, U.S. Highway 98 and U.S. Highway 11. Hattiesburg is centrally located less than 100 miles from the state capital of Jackson as well as the Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.
Throughout the 20th Century, Hattiesburg benefited from the founding of Camp Shelby (now a military mobilization center), two major hospitals, and most notably, The University of Southern Mississippi. This growing metropolitan area that includes Hattiesburg, Forrest and Lamar Counties, was designated a Metropolitan Statistical Area in 1994 with a combined population of more than 100,000 residents.
Despite being about 75 miles (120 km) inland, in 2005, Hattiesburg was hit very hard by Hurricane Katrina. Around 10,000 structures in the area received major damage of some type. Approximately 80 percent of the city's roads were blocked by trees and power was out in the area for up to 14 days. The storm killed 24 people in Hattiesburg and the surrounding areas. The city is strained by a large influx of temporary evacuees and new permanent residents from coastal Louisiana and Mississippi towns to the south, where damage from Katrina was catastrophic.
Birthplace of Rock and Roll
It is a little-known fact that a number of music scholars consider Hattiesburg to be the historic birthplace of rock and roll. As noted in the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, Hattiesburg was a recording location of Blind Roosevelt Graves and his brother, Uaroy Graves, who, along with piano player Cooney Vaughn, recorded two songs in 1936 that "...featured fully formed rock & roll guitar riffs and a stomping rock & roll beat." The Graves Brothers and Vaughn--performing as the Mississippi Jook Band--recorded the songs 'Barbecue Bust' and 'Dangerous Woman' for the American Record Company, reportedly at the Hattiesburg Train Station.Geography
Hattiesburg is located at (31.315974, -89.308658)[Geographic references#1GR1]. Most of Hattiesburg is in Forest County. A small portion on the west side is in Lamar County. This consists of first, a narrow stretch of of land lying east of I-59 and second of an irregularly shaped extension into West HattiesburgAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 128.6 km² (49.7 mi²). 127.6 km² (49.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (0.83%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 44,779 people, 17,295 households, and 9,391 families residing in the city. The population density was 351.0/km² (909.0/mi²). There were 19,258 housing units at an average density of 150.9/km² (391.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.95% White, 47.34% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.41% of the population.There were 17,295 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.1% were married couples living together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were approximately 81.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,409, and the median income for a family was $32,380. Males had a median income of $26,680 versus $19,333 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,102. About 21.5% of families and 28.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.3% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.
Educational institutions
Colleges and universities
- The University of Southern Mississippi
- William Carey College
- Antonelli College
- Pearl River Community College
Transportation
Amtrak's Crescent train connects Hattiesburg with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham and New Orleans. The Amtrak station is situated at 308 Newman Street.The Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport, located northeast of Hattiesburg, offers daily flights between Hattiesburg and Memphis, TN.
The city of Hattiesburg maintains the Hattiesburg - Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport (HBG) in the Forrest County Industrial Park. Located four miles south, the municipal airport provides business and general aviation services for much of South Mississippi.
Hattiesburg is served by Interstate Highway 59, US Highway 49, U.S. Highway 98, and U.S. Highway 11.
External links
- [Official City of Hattiesburg Website]
- [The University of Southern Mississippi McCain Library and Archives--Blind Roosevelt Graves and His Brother]
- [Hattiesburg-Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport (HBG)]
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