Gavin de Gruiter
October 9, 2022
Figure 1. Percent of Occupied Housing Units which are Hispanic or Latino. U.S. Census Bureau. S2502: Percent occupied... in 2020 - Census Bureau Map. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Figure 2. La Fuente Mexican Restaurant in Purvis. Instant Street View. 5799 US-11, Purvis, Mississippi | Instant Street View.
Figure 3. Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Purvis. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipMRVxNgwimXQ15wGtAR2eiuWC_4ltveBXyPC2iu=w408-h306-k-no. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Figure 4. Los Compadres on Oak Grove Rd. Instant Street View. 2094 Oak Grove Rd, Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Instant Street View. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Figure 5. Compadres Mexican Grill. Instant Street View. 5271 Old Hwy 11, Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Instant Street View. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Figure 6. Fajitas Mexican Restaurant. Instant Street View. 4907 Main St, Sumrall, Mississippi | Instant Street View. Accessed October 9, 2022.
The percent of Hispanic or Latino occupied housing units in Lamar County is very clear. The majority is located around the Oak Grove/Hattiesburg area and the town of Purvis to the South. The rest of the county, the rural areas, have little to no Hispanic or Latino occupied housing units.
Lamar County has a population of about sixty-four thousand. About sixty-nine percent of that, forty-four- thousand, is white. In the data for percent of occupied houses for whites alone, there are five tracts that are above ninety percent and one that is ninety-nine percent of the housing units. The lowest tract for white occupied housing is at forty percent. While the Hispanic or Latino numbers are far lower. The tract with the highest percent is eleven and a half percent. There are six tracts in Lamar County that have zero percent for the Hispanic or Latino numbers. The tract with the highest percent is located in the Purvis area. All the other tracts with any percentage are located in the northeast corner of the county. This is the part of the county closest to, and tied closest to, the city of Hattiesburg. This shows that except for the single large concentration in Purvis, most of the occupied housing units that are Hispanic or Latino are in the metropolitan area of Hattiesburg.
Figures two and three are both Mexican restaurants located in the town of Purvis. Figure one shows that Purvis has the highest percentage of occupied housing units for Hispanics or Latinos, so it makes sense that this town would have more influence from this ethnic group and more than one Mexican Restaurant. Figure four is Los Compadres Meat Market. Los Compadres is a small Mexican store. It is located on Oak Grove Road, and it is not far from the county line. It is in the northeast corner of the county, which is the part next to Hattiesburg. This location is in the center of the concentrated area of Hispanic and Latino percentages. They sell food, meat, Mexican fruits and vegetables, Hispanic food brands, candy, and even things like pinatas. Figure five is of Compadres Mexican Grill in Oak Grove. It is one of the many Mexican/Hispanic restaurants in the Oak Grove/Hattiesburg area. Figure six is Fajitas Mexican Restaurant. This restaurant is in Sumrall. Sumrall is at the north of the county, and according to figure one, this is one of the areas in the county that has zero to 0.6 percent Hispanic or Latino occupied housing units. This shows the influence of Mexican culture in the area. Many small towns, including ones with little or no percentage of Hispanic or Latino occupied housing units, have Mexican or Hispanic restaurants.
The map and images show where the majority of the Hispanic or Latino occupied housing units are, and they show the majority in the more urban areas rather than rural. The images also show how other than restaurants, the influence and the number of cultural landscapes for the Hispanic/Latino is very small in Lamar County, there are really only restaurants and a few stores.
Instant Street View. 5799 US-11, Purvis, Mississippi | Instant Street View. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Instant Street View. 5271 Old Hwy 11, Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Instant Street View. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Instant Street View. 4907 Main St, Sumrall, Mississippi | Instant Street View. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Instant Street View. 2094 Oak Grove Rd, Hattiesburg, Mississippi | Instant Street View. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Percent of Occupied Housing Units which are Hispanic or Latino. U.S. Census Bureau. S2502: Percent occupied... in 2020 - Census Bureau Map. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in Purvis. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipMRVxNgwimXQ15wGtAR2eiuWC_4ltveBXyPC2iu=w408-h306-k-no. Accessed October 9, 2022.
Comments