Hattiesburg is the educational, retail and medical center for South Mississippi. Hattiesburg is centrally located less than 100 miles from the state capital of Jackson as well as the Mississippi Gulf Coast, New Orleans and historic Mobile, Alabama. This is a growing metropolitan area that includes Hattiesburg, Forrest, Lamar and Perry Counties and is designated a Metropolitan Statistical Area with a combined population of more than 150,000 residents.  Hattiesburg is a certified retirement community and offers affordable living, many cultural events, outdoor recreation, division 1-A college sports, fine dining, biking trails, golfing, and many other recreational activities.