West Hattiesburg is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) in Lamar County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, west of the city of

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

and east of the community of Oak Grove. It is part of the

Hattiesburg metropolitan area The Hattiesburg Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in southeastern Mississippi that covers four counties - Covington, Forrest, Lamar, and Perry. The MSA’s principal city is Hattiesburg. The 2010 census plac ...

. It had a decline in population from 6,305 at the 2000 census to 5,909 at the 2010 census.

Geography

West Hattiesburg is in northeastern Lamar County and is bordered to the north, east, and south by the city of

. The area of West Hattiesburg dropped from at the 2000 census to as of 2019, primarily due to annexation of land by the city of Hattiesburg. Of the CDP's area in 2019, , or 0.31%, are water. Lairds Lake is the main water body in the community.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 6,006 people, 2,387 households, and 1,478 families residing in the CDP.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 6,305 people, 4,464 households, and 2,601 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,633 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 74.88%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 22.11%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.06% Native American, 1.63%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.29% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.03% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.38% of the population. There were 2,464 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $44,663, and the median income for a family was $68,287. Males had a median income of $49,552 versus $43,873 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $38,988. None of the families and none of the population were living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Incorporation

A movement for incorporation has been attempted repeatedly over the years, but the courts have never ruled on the substance of it. The issues involve getting articles of incorporation which all would agree to, as well as who wants incorporation (who will profit, who will end up paying more in taxes). Proponents say incorporation will benefit all residents, but the opposition says it will only benefit the persons who hold that property which is yet to be fully developed within the real estate market over the next few years. Another argument against incorporation is that the proposal and its budget outline didn't fully account for the additional expenditures and costs of running the new city. Proponents counter that the overall cost will be lower, because of a more distributed risk amongst homeowners, who would essentially bear about 80% of the additional taxes to support this city. http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com has extensive archives about this issue, including opinion columns authored by the actual people engaged in the debate both pro and con. It is a good case study in local politics.

Origins of "West Hattiesburg"

West Hattiesburg was a rarely used term by residents, and was first popularized by out of towners who saw the area listed on Google Maps with that name, with the original source of the name from the U.S. Census Bureau. Residents of the area are gradually picking up the term. West Hattiesburg should not be confused with Oak Grove, which is directly to the west but considered its own area. This can be complicated because public school students in West Hattiesburg are still enrolled in Oak Grove’s school system.

Roads

Two major highways pass near West Hattiesburg.

Interstate 59 Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia. The ...

forms the eastern border of the community, and

U.S. Highway 98 U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola and Apalachicola, F ...

passes just north of the current CDP, through land annexed by the city of Hattiesburg. Due to recent population growth and migration the area (and Lamar County) the traffic has gotten worse on Highway 98, which has led to Highway 98 being widened from 4 to 6 lanes and recently 4 to 8 lanes (only near

) in the area. Three major roads parallel U.S. Highway 98 (4th Street, Oak Grove Road, and Lincoln Road) have also been victim to large inflows of traffic due to the large amount of motorists trying to avoid major traffic on 98.

Education

The Lamar County School District serves West Hattiesburg via neighboring Oak Grove's school system. There have been calls, however, for the district to build West Hattiesburg its own schools due to overpopulation.

High school

* Oak Grove High School (Grades 9-12)

Middle school

* Oak Grove Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Elementary schools

* Oak Grove Upper Elementary School (Grades 4-5) * Oak Grove Lower Elementary School (Grades 2-3) * Long Leaf Elementary School (Grades K-5) * Oak Grove Primary School (Grades K-1)

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Lamar County, Mississippi Census-designated places in Mississippi Hattiesburg metropolitan area