Anybody who listened to an economic developer from Hattiesburg talk about his area had to be thinking, just how does Pike County compare to that?
It’s a good and fair question. It’s probably why Todd Jackson, executive vice president of the Area Development Partnership, got invited in the first place to speak to the McComb Rotary Club.
First Bank CEO Charlie Lewis, who spends time at the bank’s operations in Hattiesburg, invited Jackson over to McComb. And Jackson’s presentation had some ideas worth considering.
But first, it’s worth noting that McComb and Pike County are significantly different from Hattiesburg, Forrest County and Lamar County. Any comparison of the two locations needs to keep that in mind.
Both areas have an interstate and two major U.S. highways. They both also have an institution of higher education, though Hattiesburg’s is a major research university while Pike County’s is the smallest community college in Mississippi. Hattiesburg also is home to another top-flight school, William Carey University.
That’s a gigantic difference. It’s not meant to knock Dr. Steve Bishop and his team, because they do an excellent job. But Southwest is not a four-year school with postgraduate studies, like USM is.
Jackson, in fact, said his area’s economy is based on education, medical care (big hospitals) and the military (Camp Shelby). Pike County has all of that as well, but in smaller doses.
The greatest difference between the Hattiesburg area and the McComb area is people.
Forrest County’s population in the 2020 census was 78,000. Its population has increased in every census since the county was created in 1908. This includes 48,000 Hattiesburg residents.
Lamar County, created in 1904 next door to Forrest, started making huge gains in population in the 1970s. Today it has 66,000 residents and in two or three decades it could have the same population as Forrest County.
Pike County’s population growth has been slow since the 1930s. It hit 35,000 in the 1940 census, but didn’t get to 40,000 until 2010. That’s about where we are today. McComb's population is about 13,000, maybe a bit less.
No one here should be ashamed that Pike County and McComb don’t match up to Hattiesburg and its two counties. There aren’t too many places in Mississippi that match up with them, either.
And besides, while we certainly have our problems (I’m sure the Hattiesburg area does too), we also have several things going for us.
We have a good medical care system and a good higher education system. It just so happens that they’re not as big as Hattiesburg’s, which is because we have 40,000 residents and they have 144,000.
Jackson said it took a lot of time and hard work for elected officials in and around Hattiesburg to build trusting relationships, where everyone is paddling in the same direction.
I would say some of our local officials could do better in this department, but on most of the big things they usually get along. You may disagree, but things could be worse.
Something else that’s been good for Pike County is our own economic development work. The Gateway Industrial Park along Interstate 55 has two nice new residents, and more are coming if we will be patient. We’re also getting that biocarbon plant that will use wood to make coal-substitute products.
Then there are the local businesses that have done well. Very well. I’m thinking of places like Dixie Packaging along the railroad tracks, and Gator Signs east of McComb, which keeps branching out into new businesses.
There are success stories here for anyone willing to look, and to have a bit of faith in Pike County’s future.
Let’s be honest. McComb is not Hattiesburg and probably never will be. But that’s OK. We can succeed in our own way.
We need to work on our problems, continue doing what’s been successful and keep swinging our development bats. Sooner or later we’ll get a few more hits.
