Pine Belt (Mississippi)

The Pine Belt, also known as the "Piney Woods", is a region in Southeast Mississippi. The region gets its name from the longleaf pine trees that are abundant in the region.

Geography

The Longleaf Pine belt covers 36 counties in Mississippi. It is east of the Mississippi Delta region, north of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and south of the Jackson, Mississippi area.

History

In the years before Mississippi was discovered by Europeons, 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 Europeons. 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, the area was introduced to railroads. With the railroads came a man named Fenwick Peck. Peck became the founder of J.J. Newman Lumber Co., which eventually became one of the state's largest lumber mill.

Due to heavy logging and poor forestation, the region began to become scarce of trees. The J.J. Newman Lumbering Co. closed in 1931, due to being hit hard by the Great Depression and the lack of trees. It is said that the lumber companies using skidders, or cranes equipped with winches mounted on railroad cars, contributed to the alarming depletion of trees.

With its main industry inert, farming became more popular, but due to poor soil, the area struggled. As the region recovers from the logging fever, it has become harvested once again for its lumber.

Principal Towns

* Hattiesburg
* Laurel
* McComb
* Columbia
* Brookhaven

Education

Universities

*The University of Southern Mississippi ( [http://www.usm.edu/index.php] )
*William Carey University ( [http://www.wmcarey.edu/] )Community Colleges

*Pearl River Community College ( [http://www.prcc.edu/] )
*Jones County Junior College ( [http://www.jcjc.cc.ms.us/] )
*Southwest Mississippi Community College ( [http://www.smcc.cc.ms.us/] )

Media

Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals

*The Hattiesburg American ( [http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/] )
*The Times
*Enterprise-Journal
*Daily Leader

Television

*Hattiesburg - WDAM 7 ( [http://www.wdam.com/] )
*Hattiesburg - WHLT 22 ( [http://www.whlt.com/] )
*Hattiesburg - WHPM-LP 30
*Hattiesburg - W47BP 47 ( [http://www.mpbonline.org/] )

Transportation

Airports

*Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport ( [http://www.airportcity.com/] )Interstates

*Interstate 55
*Interstate 59Highways

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

Famous Longleaf Pine Belt Natives

*Gerald McRaney
*Sela Ward
*Brandy Norwood
*Leontyne Price
*Bo Diddley