Forrest County, Mississippi

Forrest County
County
Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi
Mississippi's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°11′N 89°16′W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
Founded	1906
Seat	Hattiesburg
Largest city	Hattiesburg
Area
• Total	470 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	467 sq mi (1,210 km2)
• Water	4 sq mi (10 km2)  0.76%
Population  (2000)
• Total	72,604
• Density	200/sq mi (60/km2)
Website	www.co.forrest.ms.us

Forrest County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 72,604. Forrest County was carved out of the western portion of Perry County in 1908. It is named in honor of Nathan B. Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Its county seat and largest city is HattiesburgTemplate:GR.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 470 square miles (1,218 km²), of which, 467 square miles (1,208 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (9 km²) of it (0.76%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 59
• U.S. Highway 11
• U.S. Highway 49
• U.S. Highway 98
• Mississippi Highway 13
• Mississippi Highway 42
• Mississippi Highway 44

Adjacent counties

• Jones County (northeast)
• Perry County (east)
• Stone County (south)
• Pearl River County (southwest)
• Lamar County (west)
• Covington County (northwest)

National protected area

• De Soto National Forest (part)

File:Ms1907.jpg

An early map of Mississippi (c. 1907, showing Forrest County

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 72,604 people, 27,183 households, and 17,315 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile (60/km²). There were 29,913 housing units at an average density of 64 per square mile (25/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 64.34% White, 33.55% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 27,183 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.60% were married couples living together, 17.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.30% were non-families. 28.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 18.20% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 18.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 89.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.30 males.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	20,722		—
1920	21,238		2.5%
1930	30,115		41.8%
1940	34,901		15.9%
1950	45,055		29.1%
1960	52,722		17.0%
1970	57,849		9.7%
1980	66,018		14.1%
1990	68,314		3.5%
2000	72,604		6.3%
2009 (est.)	81,078
MS Counties 1900-1990

The median income for a household in the county was $27,420, and the median income for a family was $35,791. Males had a median income of $28,742 versus $20,500 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,160. About 17.10% of families and 22.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.60% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Cities
  • Hattiesburg (small portion in Lamar County)
  • Petal

• Unincorporated places
  • Brooklyn
  • Carnes
  • Fruitland Park
  • McLaurin
  • Palmer

External links

• Forrest County Courthouse Pictures