Town file
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Hattiesburg, Mississippi (Forrest County, Mississippi) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 286, "A Most Evil Couple" (26 May 2022).
- Town
- Hattiesburg
- County
- Forrest County
- State
- Mississippi
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 286
- Approximate location
- 31.307, -89.317
Episode 286 / 26 May 2022 / 165 min / full
A Most Evil Couple
"This is in Forest County, area code 601, and the motto here is the Hub City." about 0:05:13
The case: Murders of Vernon Hewlett and Linda Heinselman (March 2004). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2022
- Population
- 45,806
- Median age
- 28.7
- Median household income
- $27,827
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $900
- Cost of living
- 83
- Religious
- 69%
- Property crime
- ▲ about double
- Violent crime
- ▼ just below
History, in brief
- Hattiesburg was founded in 1882, after the Civil War, by civil engineer William Hardy. about 0:06:04
- It was named for Hardy's wife, Hattie. about 0:06:07
- It was incorporated about two years later, when it had a population of about 400. about 0:06:15
- Several railroads crossed at Hattiesburg, making it a hub and giving it the motto the Hub City; lumber and railroad work drove its growth. about 0:05:41
- In the 1960s Hattiesburg was a hotbed of civil rights action, and its county registrar was the first in the country tried criminally under the Civil Rights Act for not allowing black people to vote. about 0:07:03
- At one point the county had almost 100% white voter registration and 1% black registration. about 0:07:21
The reviews read out
4 stars
"Much better than most of Mississippi, but not a lot of recreational activities; almost no public transit or sidewalks are the biggest negatives. From niche.com."about 0:07:56
3 stars
"The store was clean, the food was hot and the service was fast and friendly, but the manager needs to be more friendly. From niche.com."about 0:09:22
2 stars
"A pretty bad and run-down neighbourhood, though the cost of living was low and it was a good location. From niche.com."about 0:10:18
1 star
"A nuisance of a city: neighbours smoke weed and cigarettes inside, there is loud reckless driving by Chargers, race cars and bikes, and the police do nothing while dispatchers are rude. From niche.com."about 0:10:43
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Petal, Mississippi5.6 miles
- Wiggins, Mississippi33 miles
- Lucedale, Mississippi50 miles
- Gulfport, Mississippi63 miles
- Citronelle, Alabama65 miles
- Biloxi, Mississippi65 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.