Jump to content

Biloxi, Mississippi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Goeverywhere (talk | contribs) at 21:03, 11 November 2007 (→‎Casinos). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Biloxi" redirects here. For other uses, see Biloxi (disambiguation).
Biloxi, Mississippi
City
Nickname: 
Seafood Capital of the World
Location of Biloxi in the State of Mississippi
Location of Biloxi in the State of Mississippi
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyHarrison
Incorporatedin 1838 as a township.
Government
 • MayorA.J. Holloway
Area
 • City114 sq mi (195 km2)
 • Land38.0 sq mi (98.5 km2)
 • Water8.5 sq mi (22.0 km2)
Elevation
20 ft (6 m)
Population
 (2005)
 • City48,972 (2,005 estimation)
 • Density4,330/sq mi (1,672/km2)
 • Metro
255,383
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code228
FIPS code28-06220
GNIS feature ID0667173
Websitehttp://www.biloxi.ms.us/

Biloxi ([bəˈlʌksi]) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the U.S.. The 2000 census recorded the population as 50,644. Biloxi is co–county seat with the larger city Gulfport, in the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area.

The beachfront of Biloxi lies directly on the Mississippi Sound, with barrier islands scattered off the coast and into the Gulf of Mexico.

Keesler Air Force Base lies within the city and is home to the 81st Training Wing of the U.S. Air Force.

Geography

Biloxi is located at 30°24′43″N 88°55′40″W / 30.41194°N 88.92778°W / 30.41194; -88.92778Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (30.412029, -88.927829)Template:GR and has an elevation of Template:Ft to mTemplate:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 46.5 mi²(120.5 km² ). 38.0 mi² (98.5 km²) of it is land and 8.5 mi² (22.0 km²) of it is water. The total area is 18.27% water.

Location of Biloxi, Mississippi, east of Gulfport (center), on Gulf of Mexico.

Colonial era

File:Biloxi-Lighthouse-NPS.jpg
Biloxi Lighthouse (of 1848)

The history of Biloxi, Mississippi, spans more than 300 years.

The first permanent settlement in French Louisiana was founded at Biloxi in 1699, under the direction of Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, with Louisiana separated from Spanish Florida at the Perdido River near Pensacola (founded 1559 & again 1698). In 1720, the capital of French Louisiana was moved back to Biloxi from Mobile.

1999 saw the celebration of Biloxi's Tricentennial, with numerous events taking place throughout the year as organized by the Biloxi Tricentennial Commission, including a live broadcast of the nationally-syndicated Travel World Radio Show, during which program co-host Willem Bagchus interviewed numerous local luminaries.

Due to fears of tides and hurricanes, the capital of French Louisiana was later moved by colonial governor Bienville, in 1723, from Biloxi to a new inland harbor town named Nouvelle-Orléans (New Orleans), built for the purpose in 1718-1720.

In 1763, France had to cede French Louisiana east of the Mississippi River, except for New Orleans, to Great Britain. At that same time, the king Louis XV of France sold Louisiana west of the Mississippi, including New Orleans, to Spain.

Recent History and Hurricane Katrina

Main articles: Hurricane Katrina and Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi
Biloxi beach near casinos, before cleanup
File:MS Beauvoir Home.jpg
Beauvoir, home of Jefferson Davis, being restored after Hurricane Katrina
St. Michael's Church in Biloxi (before clean-up)
File:Hurricane-Katrina-Biloxi-Sharkheads-souvenirs-NOAAx.jpg
Sharkheads shop: Katrina example for over 1 year

With the introduction of gambling in Mississippi in the 1990s, Biloxi became an important center for casinos; the hotels and complexes brought millions of dollars in tourism revenue to the city. The more famous casino complexes were the Beau Rivage casino resort, the Hard Rock Casino Biloxi ,Casino Magic, Grand Casino, Isle of Capri Casino, Boomtown Casino, President Broadwater Casino Resort, and Imperial Palace. Like Tunica County in the northern part of the state, Biloxi and the surrounding Gulf Coast region was considered a leading gambling center in the Southern United States until many casinos were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Of the casinos that were located in Biloxi, six have reopened since Katrina. They are the Isle of Capri Casino and Resort, the Palace Casino resort, the Imperial Palace, Treasure Bay Casino, Boomtown Casino, and the Beau Rivage, which re-opened on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.[1]

On August 29 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast with high winds, heavy rains and a 30-foot storm surge, causing massive damage to the area. Katrina came ashore during the high tide of 6:56AM, +2.3 feet more.[2] Commenting on the power of the storm and the damage, Mayor A.J. Holloway said, "This is our tsunami" [1]. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour was quoted as saying the destruction of the Mississippi coastline by Hurricane Katrina looked like an American Hiroshima.

On the morning of August 31 2005, in an interview on MSNBC, Governor Barbour stated that 90% of the buildings along the coast in Biloxi and neighboring Gulfport had been destroyed by the hurricane. Several of the "floating" casinos were torn off their supports and thrown inland, contributing to the damage. All coastal churches were destroyed or severely damaged.

Many churches were damaged, including St. Michael's Catholic Church (see photo at right), which was gutted by the storm surge, breaking the entry doors and stained-glass windows along the first floor; however, the interior was later removed, and the structure was still solid enough to allow repairing the church.

Hurricane Katrina damaged over 40 Mississippi libraries, flooding several feet in the Biloxi Public Library and breaking windows, beyond repair, requiring a total rebuild.[3]

Hurricane-force winds persisted for 17 hours and tore the branches off many coastal oak trees, but the tree trunks survived the 30-foot flood and many have since regrown smaller branches. Some reconstructed homes still have the antebellum appearance, and miles inland, with less flooding, shopping centers have re-opened.

Harrison County Coroner Gary T. Hargrove told the mayor and City Council that Hurricane Katrina had claimed 53 victims in Biloxi, as of January 30, 2006. Of the 53 confirmed fatalities in Biloxi, a figure that includes one unidentified male, Hargrove said the average age was 58, with youngest being 22 and oldest, 90; and 14 were females and 39 were males.

Biloxi is also the site of a well-known memorial to the Katrina victims, built by the crew and volunteers of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. [2]

Multiple plans have been laid out to rebuild the waterfront areas of Biloxi, and the federal government has recently announced that it is considering giving up to 17,000 Mississippi coast homeowners the option to sell their properties so that a vast hurricane-protection zone can be implemented.[4] Meanwhile, the city of Biloxi is rapidly implementing plans to allow the redevelopment of commercial properties south of highway 90.[5]

Hurricane Katrina pushed houses inland on Mississippi coast, including at Biloxi.
U.S. Air Force cargo planes unload several tons of supplies at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Biloxi beach after cleanup


Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870954—
18801,54061.4%
18903,234110.0%
19005,45768.7%
19108,04947.5%
192010,93735.9%
193014,85035.8%
194017,47517.7%
195037,425114.2%
196044,03517.7%
197048,48610.1%
198049,3111.7%
199046,319−6.1%
200050,6449.3%
2006 (est.)44,342Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "[".

Biloxi is the smaller of two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulport-Biloxi-Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 50,644 people, 19,588 households, and 12,379 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,331.8/mi² (514.2/km²). There were 22,115 housing units at an average density of 581.6/mi² (224.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.43% White, 19.04% African American, 0.49% Native American, 5.11% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races. 3.65% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 19,588 households, out of which 31.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% are non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.6% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size is 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 14.3% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 101.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,106, and the median income for a family was $40,685.

Males had a median income of $28,046 versus $21,267 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,809. 14.6% of the population and 11.2% of families lived below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 19.6% of those under the age of 18 and 11.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Biloxi is served by Gulfport, Mississippi's Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport.

Education

The City of Biloxi is served by the Biloxi Public School District and the Harrison County School District.

Religion

Casinos

Biloxi has become home to several casino resort hotels, with 24-hour gambling, concert entertainment shows, and several restaurants. Some of the casino resorts are the following:[1]

Transportation

Biloxi's main highway is U.S. Highway 90 (Beach Boulevard), which runs along the beach and by the casinos. It connects the city to Gulfport and points westward and to Ocean Springs and Pascagoula to the east. Currently, the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge across Biloxi Bay is undergoing reconstruction following the destruction of the original bridge by Hurricane Katrina. It is expected to open to traffic in phases between November 2007 and March 2008. As of November 1st, 2007, the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge has 2 lanes open for all traffic.

Through the northern sections of the city, Interstate 10 passes through, connecting the city to New Orleans, Louisiana, Houston, Texas, Mobile, Alabama and Jacksonville, Florida. Interstate 110 splits off from I-10 at D'Iberville and heads south across the Back Bay of Biloxi to U.S. 90 near Beau Rivage, providing the city with an important hurricane evacuation route.

Other highways serving the area include:

Sports

In the center of what fisheries biologists term "The Fertile Fisheries Crescent", Biloxi offers some of the finest sportsfishing along the entire northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Spotted seatrout, red drum, Spanish and king mackerel, flounder, snapper, grouper, sharks, and more are all available to anglers during the fishing season. It is not known how Hurricane Katrina affected this ecosystem.

The city is home to the Mississippi Sea Wolves, an ECHL minor league hockey team.

Notable residents

In fiction

References

  1. ^ a b "Tentative re-opening plans for Biloxi casino resorts" (2006), City of Biloxi, www.Biloxi.ms.us, webpage:Biloxi-Casinos.
  2. ^ "2005 NOAA Tide Predictions: Biloxi (Cadet Point), Biloxi Bay" (2005), tide on 29-Aug-2005, NOAA, web: NOAA-tide-tables.
  3. ^ "Hurricane Katrina Related Damages to Public Libraries in Mississippi" (September 2005), Mississippi Library Commission, web:ALA-Katrina.
  4. ^ Gov't May Buy Thousands of Miss. Homes AP via Google News. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
  5. ^ Beachfront Development On Biloxi's Front Burner WLOX News. Retrieved on October 17, 2007.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Biloxi, Mississippi.

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Biloxi,_Mississippi&oldid=170819607"