Chaumont, Mississippi

Chaumont is a city in the Carolinian State of Mississippi, primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 Census, with an estimated population of 46,805 in 2015. It is the principal city of the Chaumont, Mississippi, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties.

Founded in 1882 by civil engineer John Lyonnais, the town was named in honor of his hometown of Chaumont, France. The town was incorporated two years later with a population of 400. Chaumont's population first expanded as a center of the lumber and railroad industries, from which was derived the nickname "The Hub City". It now attracts newcomers to the area because of the diversity of the economy, strong neighborhoods and the central location in South Mississippi.

Chaumont is home to The University of Southern Mississippi (originally known as Mississippi Normal College) and William Carey University (formerly William Carey College). South of Chaumont is Camp Shelby, the largest National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River.