Hattiesburg dates to 1882, and 16 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #45 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
Most of Hattiesburg was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. 16 places in town are on the National Register, among them seven historic districts with 975 buildings between them. Below: 16 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1883.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Hattiesburg’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hattiesburg is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #45 of 100 in Mississippi. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hattiesburg’s overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Hattiesburg’s 203 sits above most of its state (76% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 985 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1882.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Hattiesburg’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
ArnoldlocaleBeverly Drive-InlocaleFifth Avenue Baptist ChurchchurchHattiesburg Army Air FieldmilitaryMonroe StationlocaleMount Vernon ChurchchurchSouth Mississippi Infirmaryhospital
15cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hattiesburg
During European colonization, this area was first claimed by the French. Between 1763 and 1783 the area that is currently Hattiesburg fell under the jurisdiction of the colony of British West Florida. After the United States gained its independence, Great Britain ceded this and other areas after 1783. The United States gained a cession of lands from the Choctaw and Chickasaw under the terms of the Treaty of Mount Dexter in 1805. After the treaty was ratified, European-American settlers began to move into the area.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Hattiesburg. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1964Hattiesburg sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Hattiesburg.
Every building
Hattiesburg, building by building, 1890–1925
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
1890Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone
Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
In 1882, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Hattiesburg’s post office opened in 1883, and the census of 1890 counted 1,172 people here.
How does Hattiesburg rank for history?
Hattiesburg is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #45 of 100 in Mississippi. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Hattiesburg?
16 listings: 9 buildings, among them the U.S. District Courthouse (listed 1973, the first), and 7 historic districts with 975 contributing buildings. 985 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Hattiesburg?
7% of Hattiesburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1981.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), the Library of Congress (11), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (16), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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