Relocating Hattiesburg area (Jackson, Gulfport, Meridian: high schools, university, casinos)

[smidgers32]

My husband has been offered a job in Hattiesburg, MS. We currently live in Indiana. Any advice, tips?

[Tama]

Hi-
Never having been in Indiana I can't offer you comparisons; however, I came to H'burg from the northeast many years ago. I can offer some generic info, but your situation would also depend on where you are working, whether you are active in a church and if you have children and their ages. These factors will contribute to your getting into the community and establishing contacts. It is a family-oriented community and many people have their circle of family and friends from "way back" and are not actively seeking to expand their social contacts. This makes some people feel that the area is clannish and not open. I wouldn't let this dissuade me, but I would prepare for it. There are opportunities to join in and you must search them out. Golf, fitness centers, library book clubs, university classes-- all offer opportunties. You must be proactive and not get discouraged as there are many folks like you who are not locals who are very happy here.
This town is rapidly expanding and there are many areas to choose to settle including downtown which is an artsy-craftsy area. There are most things readily available except for some ethnic type foods. For example, I love Italian food and can't find reasonably priced assortments of vegetables such as fennel bulbs or Belgian endive. It is a university town and as such there are some college level sports available and some cultural offerings. The weather is great except for a few hot months in the mid-summer, but the Alabama beaches are near and they are wonderful. The coast was devastated by Katrina but casinos are up and going and provide some big name entertainment. New Orleans was a draw at one time but no longer for obvious reasons. The medical care is excellent and it is considered to be a medical hub. There is a Rails to Trails, some 40 miles of walking and biking. There is a local airport which takes you to Memphis for connecting flights. Other than that Meridian and Mobile and Gulfport offer service to Atlanta.
Some folks who want a big nightlife, activities for singles, or who enjoy hustle and bustle, major league sports, and four seasons are not happy with Hattiesburg. Although relatively speaking it is a very safe town and the air is clean and the people smile and the skies are blue--all of which are important to me coming from a big eastern city--despite this-there is a political climate that is a little-shall we say-hostile between some elements of the community and there have been some social changes whose final impact have yet to be determined. In my opinion, H'burg is molding into a city that has a more working class center with affluent suburbs as has occurred in many larger cities. You can read the local paper at removed and there is a forum www.myhattiesburgcommunity.com Hope this helps!

[Tama]

Sorry-the url is myhattiesburg.com

[Mssisyphus]

Hattiesburg is a wonderful place to live and has experienced a HUGE growth spurt over the last 20 years. The University Of Southern Mississippi is there and a lot of the town revolves around the college. The BIGGEST problem in Hattiesburg is the traffic. The town has not kept up with the massive migration to the area with their roads and traffic movement, but otherwise, there is just about anything you could possibly need there. The people are friendly for the most part and most of the schools are pretty good as well. I think you would enjoy the Southern charm of the town.

[brickpatio]

Hattiesburg is booming, mainly along highway 98 west. According to schooldigger.com, Oak Grove High School is ranked 7th out of 246 high schools in Mississippi. Oak Grove is in Lamar County right on the outskirts of Hattiesburg. People seem to like Hattiesburg because of its location, convenient to New Orleans, Jackson, and the Gulf Coast, and the fact that its a college town and is large enoug to have good shopping and restaurants but small enough to not be overwhelming in size. The previous post is right that traffic along highway 98 is ridiculous for a town that size. Overall Hattiesburg gets good marks.

[jacksonian]

Why would you bring a 3 year old post back from the dead?