Hattiesburg: The Hot and the Cool
Hattiesburg's weather is typically marked by sweltering summers and mild winters. For the best weather, plan your trip in spring or fall, when temperatures are pleasant and rainfall decreases—highs are in the 70s to low 80s and overnight lows hit the mid-50s to low 60s. July and August are hot and humid, with average highs in the low 90s, so plan outdoor activities for mornings or evenings. Pack a jacket for winter evenings, when lows hover in the upper 30s, but even from December to February, daytime temperatures often reach the 60s. Rainfall is quite consistent, ranging from 4 to 6 inches most months.
Downtown Delights and a Rail Trail
Spend a relaxing day in Hattiesburg's charming downtown, home to the Hattiesburg Zoo, the circa-1929 Saenger Theater, the Hattiesburg Area Historical Society Museum and the African American Military History Museum. Stroll the pathways of the pedestrian-friendly University of Southern Mississippi campus and visit the All-American Rose Garden, which features 750 bushes bursting into brilliant blooms from late spring to summer. Other Hattiesburg attractions include the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum, Paul Johnson State Park and Longleaf Trace, a multi-use trail that stretches about 40 miles from Hattiesburg to Prentiss along a historic former railway.
Healers, Teachers and Industry
Soon after Hattiesburg's founding by lumberman William Hardy, the arrival of railroads in 1884 and 1897 spurred the logging industry. Timber is still important, but today the medical, educational, military and manufacturing fields headline the list of Hattiesburg's leading industries, as the city's three largest employers are Forrest General Hospital, the University of Southern Mississippi and the Hattiesburg Clinic, respectively, followed closely by Camp Shelby, a U.S. Army Reserve training base. Leading regional manufacturers include Mar-Jac Poultry, Channel Control Merchants, Kohler and Georgia Pacific.
Getting to the Hub City
Hattiesburg has long been called the Hub City, and it's easy to see why: Road and rail networks connect it to several nearby regional cities and deep-water ports. If you’re driving in, the city conveniently lies just off Interstate 59, less than 70 miles from Mississippi's Gulf Coast and within a 90-minute drive of the state capital of Jackson, New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, all of which have major airports. Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport offers daily commercial flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth through American Eagle. If you're traveling by train, Amtrak services Hattiesburg, making daily stops at the Hattiesburg Historic Train Depot downtown. Public transportation is provided through Hub City Transit.
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