HATTIESBURG

city, seat (1908) of Forrest county, southeastern Mississippi, U.S., on the Leaf and Bowie rivers, 70 miles (113 km) north of Gulfport. The site, in a longleaf-pine forest area, was settled in 1881 by Captain William Harris Hardy, Confederate soldier, statesman, and engineer, who named it for his wife (it was previously known as Twin Forks and Gordonville). The arrival of railroads in 1884 and 1897 stimulated the lumber industry. By the mid-20th century, with the depletion of timber sources, Hattiesburg had broadened its economic base to embrace a variety of manufactured items including textiles, chemicals, and metal products. Hattiesburg is also a transportation centre for the surrounding agricultural area and is the seat of the University of Southern Mississippi (1910) and William Carey College (1906). Paul B. Johnson State Park and a section of the De Soto National Forest lie a few miles to the south. Inc. 1884. Pop. (1990) city, 45,294; Hattiesburg MSA, 98,738; (1994 est.) city, 47,692; (1995 est.) Hattiesburg MSA, 106,195.