Pine Belt (Mississippi)

The Longleaf Pine belt covers 10 counties in Mississippi; Jefferson Davis, Covington, Jones, Wayne, Marion, Smith, Lamar, Forrest, Perry, Jasper and Greene. It is east of the Mississippi Delta region, north of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and south of the Jackson area.

In the years before Mississippi was discovered by Europeans, Native American tribes populated the state. Specifically in the Pine Belt region of Mississippi, the Natchez tribe resided. The Natchez provided a formidable challenge for French and Spanish settlers, but their population halved less than 15 years after contact with Europeans. Disease and warfare eventually forced them to settle with the Creek people or English colonists.

The Mississippi Territory eventually became a U.S. state in 1817, and the Pine Belt became more populated and Mississippi's main economical attribute next to agriculture. After the American Civil War, railroads were extended into the area.

With its main industry inert, farming became more popular, but due to poor soil, the area struggled.

• Hattiesburg
• Laurel
• Ellisville
• Bay Springs
• Stringer
• Sumrall
• Collins
• McComb
• Columbia
• Brookhaven

Universities

• The University of Southern Mississippi
• William Carey University

Community colleges

• Pearl River Community College
• Jones County Junior College
• Southwest Mississippi Community College
• Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Newspapers, magazines, and journals

• Laurel Leader-Call
• The Hattiesburg American
• The Times
• Enterprise-Journal

Television

• Hattiesburg - WDAM 7
• Hattiesburg - WHLT 22
• Hattiesburg - WHPM 23

Airports

• Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport

Interstates

• Interstate 55
• Interstate 59

Highways

• U.S. Highway 11
• U.S. Highway 49
• U.S. Highway 84
• U.S. Highway 98

• Gerald McRaney
• Sela Ward
• Brandy Norwood
• Leontyne Price
• Bo Diddley
• Ray J
• Taylor Spreitler
• Steve McNair
• Stevon Moore
• Johnny Welch
• Walter Payton

• Belt regions of the United States