Hattiesburg is a lively, affordable “Hub City” anchored by the University of Southern Mississippi with a compact downtown of restaurants, craft breweries, live music, and nearby parks and trails—comfortable, walkable and well-suited for multi‑week stays that feel interesting rather than isolated.
For quick weekend variety, Gulfport and Biloxi are both about an hour away and offer Gulf Coast beaches, seafood, casinos and larger‑city amenities.