Mississippi Roads comes to you this week from the “Hub City of the South.”  We are in the Forrest County seat of Hattiesburg.

Attracted by vast acreage of virgin pine timberlands, Captain William H. Hardy founded the area in 1882 and named it for his wife Hattie.

Railroads helped spur the growth of Hattiesburg by connecting the town to Meridian and New Orleans on one line and to Jackson and the deep water port of Gulfport on the other. This turned Hattiesburg into a true railroad center which catapulted it into the largest city in south Mississippi.

Hattiesburg became known as the “Hub City” because of being within one hundred miles of Mobile, New Orleans, Jackson, Meridian and the Gulf Coast.

Today, Hattiesburg is known for being a great place to spend your golden years.  It is one of Mississippi’s certified retirement communities but it is also a great place to raise a family. And there is no better place to bring the kids than to the Hattiesburg Zoo. Here you will spot some fifty species of animals housed in the African, Australian, Asian and Mississippi exhibits. The Hattiesburg Zoo is quickly becoming one of America’s finest small zoos.

In our first story, we skate on over to another hot spot for kids in the Hattiesburg area and discover what all the RAGE is about. With the growing popularity of skating, Rage Skate Park has gathered a niche in the Hattiesburg community among kids. Skateboarding has had strong ties with the punk movement with ideals such as anti-establishment and being against the system incorporated within the sport. This is shown through the dress and flair of this in-your-face sport. When skateboarding grew in popularity, the whole punk, "I don’t care what you think" attitude was and still is totally appealing to skateboarders who didn’t make the big sports teams. Skateboarding is all about you, alone, with your board, making tricks in front of your friends, and feeling the sense of DANGER!

Opened in 1929, this one thousand seat movie palace was just one of seven Saenger Theaters built and operated throughout the south by the brothers, Abe and Julian Saenger. Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historical Places and has recently undergone major renovations. Still today, the building continues to offer entertainment options to the citizens of Hattiesburg.

In our next story, we go south of town to Camp Shelby and visit another building that houses a little history of its own. When called to military service, Mississippians have done the duty. To honor that service, Camp Shelby has opened the Armed Forces Museum. The 16,000 square foot facility features historic weapons, vehicles, and a variety of artifacts from the War of 1812, to the current War on Terror. Ninety percent of the items were donated by the soldiers who actually trained at Camp Shelby. Each item reminds us of the service, sacrifice, and honor each Mississippi soldier made to protect the freedoms that we fellow Mississippians enjoy today.

Hattiesburg has four districts listed with the National Register of Historic Places. These districts include: The Hub City, The North Main, The Oaks and The Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood District. You will find Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, Victorian, Craftsman Bungalow and many many more styles of architecture in these areas.

If you get a chance get out and explore these wonderful neighborhoods that Hattiesburg has to offer and enjoy the sights.

In our next story we hit the trail running and go exploring the Longleaf Trace which has an origination point here in Hattiesburg.

Riding bikes through the Longleaf Trace reminds you of two driving forces of the Piney Woods: incredibly tall pine trees and long stretches of railway lines. When one railway line was abandoned, an active group of South Mississippi outdoor enthusiasts created a rails-to-trails organization that raised money and public awareness to create a 41- mile long paved path for bicyclists, rollerbladers, and horses.

One end of the trail is at the University of Southern Mississippi. The narrow path –– the width of train tracks - - meanders through charming small towns: Sumrall, Bassfield, Carson, and Prentiss. Fellow travelers on the trail are polite and friendly, giving the impression that the trail is a league of like-minded thinkers and doers.

Well, we couldn’t come to Hattiesburg without stopping in at the University of Southern Mississippi. The University has played a major role in why the town of Hattiesburg has continued to prosper over the years. In fact, today USM is the second largest school in the state of Mississippi. We thought the All-American Rose Garden here on campus would be a great place to end our program. Late spring and summer are the best times to catch these beautiful bushes in bloom.