Leading Publications list Hattiesburg as a HOT city in many areas of interest

The city of Hattiesburg has garnered a multitude of awards and distinctions over recent years. We're proud to share some of these honors with you. We've categorized a partial list of the more distinguished accolades below.

• Hattiesburg, MS MSA ranked 68th among 313 metropolitan areas in the United States for "economic strength" according to Where the Money is...America's Strongest Local Economies written by economist William H. Fruth and published by POLICOM Corporation of Jupiter, Florida, in 1997.
• Hattiesburg Is Hot! A 1999 issue of Expansion Management Magazine ranked Hattiesburg Mississippi 42nd nationally for business expansion and relocation.

• In the most recent edition of Where to Retire: America's Best and Most Affordable Places, Hattiesburg is listed among the 150 communities in the United States desireable for retirement living. The City of Hattiesburg was one of only 11 cities in Mississippi listed in the publication.
• Hattiesburg's retirement program was featured on the front page of the May 24, 1997, edition of The New York Times. The article touts Hattiesburg's high quality of life, cultural opportunities, and state-of-the art medical facilities.
• Hattiesburg landed two listings in the 1997 Places Rated Almanac by David Savegeau and Richard Boyer.
• Hattiesburg was one of five cities listed as "Best Cities for Retirement" as well as one of five cities listed as "Best Small Metro Areas." As if this wasn't enough good news - an interview highlighting the 1997 edition was featured on NBC's Today Show. Hattiesburg was one of the main cities discussed in the December 1996 interview.
• In the July 1996 issue of Retire with Money, a newsletter published by Money Magazine, Hattiesburg was featured as the "Retirement Community of the Month." This publication enjoys a circulation of 100,000 people.
• Mississippi was the only state to rate two listings in the "20 Top Retirement Towns in North America" chosen by MoneyExtra, a publication of Money Magazine. Hattiesburg and Oxford, two of Mississippi's Certified Retirement Cities, made the prestigious listing in the company of longtime retirement havens such as Palm Springs, CA; Sedona, AZ; Hot Springs, AR; and Myrtle Beach, SC.
• The prestigious "Kiplinger Washington Letter" ran a complimentary piece on Hattiesburg's retirement program in the November 22, 1996, issue. This newsletter has a national circulation of 400,000.
• Hattiesburg's retirement program made its prime time TV debut on NBC's Nightly News, June 18th, 1997.
• Hattiesburg was featured as part of the series, "Starting Over," which was aimed at older Americans who are facing life changes, including relocation. If Hattiesburg had purchased an advertising spot lasting three minutes on the Nightly News, it would cost $300,000. Using the Ogilvy Principle, which states that third-party endorsements are at least five times more credible, more effective and more valuable than a pure advertisement, Hattiesburg's segment on NBC would yield an advertising impact of $1.5 million.

Awards

• City of Hattiesburg named Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.  This is the tenth year that Hattiesburg has received this national recognition.
• Hattiesburg was awarded first runner-up in the Seventh Annual City Cultural Diversity Awards given by the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) at the Celebrate Diversity Breakfast in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2002.  Hattiesburg placed second nationwide for cities of 25,000 to 100,000 populations for its "Neighborhood Revitalization" program, which included the Council of Neighborhoods, which Mayor Johnny DuPree instituted upon taking office.
• The Saenger Theatre has been selected to receive a Heritage Award of Excellence at the 2002 Heritage Awards Luncheon and Ceremony on April 27, 2002, at Key Field in Meridian.