Hattiesburg Wedding

Hattiesburg is a city in Forrest County in Mississippi, a state of the United States of America. It is the principal city of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties. The MSA population exceeded 130,000 as a result of a 10% increase following Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. It is Mississippi's third largest city and is known as "The Hub City". It has an incorporated suburb, Petal, and a presently unincorporated area, Oak Grove. It is the county seat of Forrest CountyGR6, but the city has grown in recent years to include a portion of eastern Lamar County. Hattiesburg is home to the University of Southern Mississippi (originally known as Mississippi Southern College) and William Carey College. Just south of Hattiesburg is Camp Shelby, the largest National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River.

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.