Hattiesburg, Mississippi | |
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City | |
Nickname(s): The Hub City | |
Location of Hattiesburg in the State of Mississippi |
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Location in the United States | |
Coordinates: 31°18′57″N 89°18′31″W / 31.31583°N 89.30861°WCoordinates: 31°18′57″N 89°18′31″W / 31.31583°N 89.30861°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Mississippi |
Counties | Forrest, Lamar |
Founded | 1882 |
Incorporated | 1884 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Johnny DuPree (D) |
Area | |
• City | 54.3 sq mi (140.6 km2) |
• Land | 53.4 sq mi (138.3 km2) |
• Water | 0.9 sq mi (2.3 km2) |
Elevation | 171 ft (52 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• City | 45,989 |
• Estimate (2015) | 46,805 |
• Density | 877/sq mi (338.5/km2) |
• Metro | 148,839 |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP code | 39401-39404, 39406, 39407 |
Area code(s) | 601 |
FIPS code | 28-31020 |
GNIS feature ID | 0691565 |
Website | www |
Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 46,805 in 2015. It is the principal city of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties.
Founded in 1882 by civil engineer William H. Hardy, Hattiesburg was named in honor of Hardy's wife Hattie. The town was incorporated two years later with a population of 400. Hattiesburg's population first expanded as a center of the lumber and railroad industries, from which was derived the nickname "The Hub City". It now attracts newcomers to the area because of the diversity of the economy, strong neighborhoods and the central location in South Mississippi.
Hattiesburg is home to The University of Southern Mississippi (originally known as Mississippi Normal College) and William Carey University (formerly William Carey College). South of Hattiesburg is Camp Shelby, the largest National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River.
What is now Hattiesburg was previously inhabited by the Choctaw Native Americans. Between 1763 and 1783 the area that is currently Hattiesburg fell under the jurisdiction of the colony of British West Florida. The area switched to being under the jurisdiction of the newly created United States of America after 1783 and was obtained by the United States from its Native American inhabitants under the terms of the Treaty of Mount Dexter in 1805. After the treaty was ratified, European-American settlers began to move into the area.