2023

January 5

• Petal's first Chick-fil-A opened on Evelyn Gandy Parkway

January 18

• Officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Central Business District in Petal

January 19

• Hattiesburg marked the 100th anniversary of the city hall building

January 23

• USM received a $235,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History toward work on Bennett Auditorium

February 1

• Work officially began on Phase 2 of the Highway 49/midtown road improvement project

February 7

• The city council voted to adopt the Longleaf Village master plan, affecting zoning along North 25th Avenue and North 26th Avenue

February 23

• The Generations Strong wall at the Eureka School was unveiled

March 6

• The Hattiesburg city council voted to approve the demolition of the Cadence Bank building at 124 Hardy Street after the building was found to have irreparable moisture issues

March 17

• The Bethea House at 131 West Eighth Street was completely destroyed by fire

April 13

• The Hattiesburg city council approved a $2.7 million bid to build two new soccer fields at Tatum Park

April 25

• A new mural at the Oseola McCarty Youth Development Center on McSwain Street called "The Family" was unveiled

May 3

• A Sumatran tiger at the Hattiesburg Zoo named Kipling died

May 10

• The City of Hattiesburg began adding a new pickleball overlay and other improvements at the Kamper Park tennis courts

May 18

• The Lamar County Board of Supervisors voted to approve spending $300,000 on construction of a new a tennis and pickleball complex on Old Highway 11 across from Oak Grove High School

May 20

• The Lucky Rabbit opened its expanded store in the former Hattiesburg Grocery Company building

June 8

• Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for Midtown Green, a 4 acre park on Crestmont Avenue in midtown

September 5

• The Hattiesburg city council approved a request for a consultant to develop a "master plan" for development along Broadway Drive

September 7

• A new fire engine named "Purple Rain", painted in Hattiesburg High School's colors, purple and gold, was dedicated during a ceremony at Fire Station 1

September 22

• East Hardy Street was renamed River Avenue, restoring its original name

September 25

• The Honey Clothing Company, Savvy Pair Boutique, and Pop & Company all held a joint ribbon cutting ceremony for their new locations on Mobile Street

October 12

• A new Malayan tiger named Bunga was introduced to the Hattiesburg Zoo

November 9

• Home Goods held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new store in the former Bed Bath & Beyond location in the Turtle Creek Crossing shopping center on Highway 98

November 22

• Dr. Tommy King, former president of William Carey University, died at age 82

December 7

• Aldi opened on Highway 98 between Lowes and Wal-Mart

December 14

• Hattiesburg Police Chief Peggy Sealy announced she would retire at the end of January 2024

Other

These are events that don't have a specific known date

• The Lucky Rabbit bought the former Hattiesburg Grocery Company building next door in late 2022 or early 2023
• A new solar farm called Minkar Solar Farm and located in Lamar County between Oak Grove and Purvis was proposed in January
• Construction of Hattiesburg's first Aldi store near Wal-Mart on Highway 98 began in spring
• A "parklet" was constructed outside Southbound Bagel in downtown Hattiesburg
• Portions of Hegwood Road the Lincoln Road Extension were upgraded from two to three lanes
• Uncle Al Poboys opened at 6152 Highway 98 in early summer
• Construction on upgrading Old Highway 11 to three lanes between Oak Grove Road and Highway 24 began in August
• Oh Snap Selfie Boutique, Main Street Sno, and Buschman Street Café opened in downtown 2023
• Colludium Brewing Company on West 4th Street closed in late 2023
• O'Charley's closed in October