Rural roots and seasonal events shape Tylertown’s identity
Tylertown offers a slow-paced, small-town lifestyle in southern Mississippi’s longleaf pine belt. As the seat of Walthall County, the community of about 1,500 is known for its agricultural history and draws visitors for its walkable downtown shopping district and seasonal events. “Walthall County used to be the Dairy Capital of Mississippi, and they have a Dairy Festival in June to celebrate that every year,” says Epique Realtor Lisa Dillon, who has about a decade of experience. “It used to be that literally everyone here had a dairy. Today there’s not a whole lot going on – it’s just a sleepy Southern town.”
Single-family homes in Tylertown typically sell for under $400,000
Cottages, Craftsmans, New Traditionals and ranch-style homes are common on the winding, pine and oak-shaded streets close to the center of town, giving way to hobby farms and homesteads on the outskirts. Prices range from under $100,000 to about $380,000.
Magee’s Creek is prone to flooding; the risk of high water and wind damage is elevated during hurricane season. Summers here are hot and humid, with average high temperatures reaching 90 degrees. Winters are usually mild, with lows rarely dropping below freezing.
Walthall County School District offers controlled open enrollment
The Walthall County School District earns a B-minus from Niche. The system comprises six schools and allows controlled open enrollment. Tylertown Primary School earns a C-plus and serves preschoolers through third graders. Tylertown Elementary, which also earns a C-plus, serves fourth through sixth graders. Tylertown High is a B-minus-rated seventh-through-12th-grade school. Dexter Attendance Center serves kindergarten through eighth-grade students. Salem Attendance Center serves kindergartners through 12th graders. Both attendance centers get B grades. Students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades at Tylertown High and Salem Attendance Center may take dual enrollment classes at the Walthall County Career & Technology Center, which offers automotive service technician, health sciences, welding and other program pathways.
Boating/fishing on Magee’s Creek and events at Holmes Water Park
Magee’s Creek, which meanders through the east side of town, is a popular spot for tubing, kayaking, canoeing and fishing. A paved walking path called The Trail of Seven Bridges follows part of the creek; the trailhead is accessible from Holmes Water Park, which also has a farm-themed playground, ballfields, a small stage and a pavilion. The park hosts annual seasonal events, such as an Easter egg hunt and the Christmas in the Park light display, which is open for driving, walking or wagon tours. The annual Walthall County Dairy Festival is held here, too, with live music, turtle races, a talent show, a vintage tractor show and the Cow Bag Nationals Antique Car Show. Festivities also include fireworks, lawn games, pageants and contests, from ice cream eating and butter churning to bubble gum blowing and mooing. “The Christmas lights and the Dairy Festival are the two big hoo-rahs around here,” Dillon says. Livestock shows, concerts and more are held in the Southwest Events Center, next to the park. Tylertown Country Club, which has a 9-hole public golf course, is a few miles south of the center of town.
Shopping and dining in downtown Tylertown
The low-slung buildings in the historic central business district house small businesses and shops, like Tylertown Hardware and Mainstreet Embroidery. Blackwell’s Family Medicine and Brunfield’s Drugs are around the corner from jewelers and boutiques, such as Monarch Mercantile, close to the Walthall County Courthouse and other municipal buildings. The Agri-Heritage Building, off Railroad Avenue, hosts a twice-monthly farmers market. Restaurants in the area include Lagniappe Coffee House, a French-inspired Southern diner, and May’s Restaurant, a popular homestyle Southern buffet. “One thing that’s big down here is gas station food,” Dillon says. “I know it sounds weird to the rest of the country, but chicken, onion and potato fried on a stick, like a kebab, from the gas station – it’s great.” Tylertown’s Chevron and Shell stations have convenience stores that sell the iconic Mississippi chicken-on-a-stick. For groceries, there’s a Piggly Wiggly on the north side of town.
Getting around Walthall County via State Road 27, U.S. Route 98
Walthall General Hospital, a top regional employer, is on the west side of town within about 3 miles of most homes. U.S. Route 98 runs east to Hattiesburg, just under 60 miles away. The Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport is on the north side of Hattiesburg, just over 60 miles from Tylertown. State Road 27 connects south toward Louisiana and north toward Jackson, about 100 miles away. Mount Zion Economic Community Center, Inc. provides demand-response public transit service to Walthall, Amite and Pike counties.
