Gulfport, Mississippi
- "Gulfport" redirects here. For the city in Florida, see Gulfport, Florida.
| Gulfport, Mississippi | |
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| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Harrison |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Incorporated | July 28, 1898 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | George Schloegel |
| Area | |
| - City | 64.2 sq mi (166.4 km2) |
| - Land | 56.9 sq mi (147.4 km2) |
| - Water | 7.3 sq mi (19.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
| Population (United States Census 2008 estimate) | |
| - City | 70,055 |
| - Density | 1,231/sq mi (475/km2) |
| - Metro | 246,190 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP Codes | 39501-39503, 39505-39507 |
| Area code(s) | 228 |
| FIPS code | 28-29700 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0670771 |
| Website | www.gulfport-ms.gov |
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city of Gulfport had a total population of 71,127, but the population had decreased to 70,055 by the 2008 Census Estimate. Gulfport is co-county seat with Biloxi of Harrison County, Mississippi. Gulfport is also the East Coast home to the US Navy Seabees.
On August 29, 2005, Gulfport was hit by the strong east side of Hurricane Katrina, and much of Gulfport was flooded or destroyed (see details below). Much of Gulfport was also severely damaged by Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969.
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Geography
Gulfport is located at 30°24'6" North, 89°4'34" W (30.401641, -89.076169).[1]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 64.2 square miles (166.4 km²): 56.9 square miles (147.4 km²) of it is land and 7.3 square miles (19.0 km²) of it is water. The total area was 11.40% water. It is unknown at this time what effect Hurricane Katrina has had on these figures.
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 1,060 |
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| 1910 | 6,386 | 502.5% | |
| 1920 | 8,157 | 27.7% | |
| 1930 | 12,547 | 53.8% | |
| 1940 | 15,105 | 20.4% | |
| 1950 | 22,659 | 50.0% | |
| 1960 | 30,204 | 33.3% | |
| 1970 | 40,791 | 35.1% | |
| 1980 | 39,676 | −2.7% | |
| 1990 | 40,775 | 2.8% | |
| 2000 | 71,127 | 74.4% | |
| Est. 2006 | 64,316 | −9.6% | |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 71,127 people, 26,943 households, and 17,647 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,249.9 people per square mile (482.6/km²). There were 29,559 housing units at an average density of 519.4/sq mi (200.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.18% White, 33.53% African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.25% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 26,943 households out of which 32.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.07.
In Gulfport, the population dispersal was 26.0% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,779, and the median income for a family was $39,213. Males had a median income of $29,220 versus $21,736 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,554. 17.7% of the population and 14.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 25.8% of those under the age of 18 and 13.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Gulfport is the location of Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, which also serves the neighboring town of Biloxi. The airport suffered extensive damage due to Hurricane Katrina. A major renovation project is for the most part completed and it has resumed commercial air service. New airlines are being regularly added.
Education
The City of Gulfport is served by the Gulfport School District and the Harrison County School District. Gulfport is also home to William Carey, a private Baptist College. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Jefferson Davis Campus is also located in Gulfport.
The USM Gulf Coast Student Service Center (occupying 50,000 square feet in the Healthmark Center at 1520 Broad Avenue in Gulfport) has been configured to provide classrooms and other reducational resources to the Southern Miss Gulf Coast student population in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Government
Fire Stations
- Station 1- Engine 1, Ladder 1, Brush 1, Boat 1, Command 1, Heavy Rescue 1
- Station 2- Engine 2, Engine 22
- Station 3- Engine 3, Rescue 3, HAZ-MAT 3
- Station 4- Engine 4, Engine 14
- Station 5- Engine 5, Engine 15
- Station 6- Engine 6, Rescue 6
- Station 7- Engine 7, Engine 17, Tanker 7, Command 7, Maintenance 7
- Station 8- Engine 8
- Station 9- Engine 9, Rescue 9, Brush 9, Command 9
- Station 10- Engine 10, Ladder 10, Boat 10
- Station 11- Engine 11, Tanker 11, Tanker 21
- Station 12- Engine 12, HAZ-MAT 12
Gulfport Police
The Gulfport Police Department has 201 sworn personnel and 92 civilian staff to serve the city. GPD has the following units:
- Airport Division
- Animal Control Officers (ACOs)
- Building Maintenance
- Central Business District Enforcement
- Criminal Investigations Division
- Communications Division
- Community Relations Division
- Community Service Technicians Unit (CSTs)
- Court Bailiff Officer
- Court Liaison & Prisoner Bills
- Crime Prevention Specialists
- D.A.R.E. Train Coordinator
- DUI Unit
- Electronic Services
- Enhancement Services
- Explorers
- False Alarm Coordinator
- K-9 Division
- Motorcycle Unit
- Narcotics Division
- PAL (Police Athletic League) Center
- Patrol Division (Districts 1 and 2)
- Police Court Clerks
- Records Division
- Reserve Division
- School Resource Officers (SROs)
- Street Crimes Unit
- SWAT
- Vehicle Maintenance Division
- VIPS (Volunteers In Police Service) Program
- Warrants Officer Division
- Youth Programs
Police Stations
- Downtown
- North Gulfport
- Orange Grove
- 8th Avenue
Harrison County Sheriffs Department
- Animal Control
- Aviation, 2 helicopters
- Communications
- Community Relations
- Corrections Division
- Criminal Interdiction Patrol
- Criminal Investigations
- Explorers
- K9 Division
- Marine Patrol and Beach Unit
- Mounted Unit
- Narcotics Division
- Patrol Division
- Process Servers
- Purchasing
- School Resource Officer
- Sheriffs Reserve
- SWAT
- Transport Division
- Warrants and Extradition
Harrison County Jail
The Harrison county jail is located in the center of the city alongside Interstate Highway 10. The present Harrison County Adult Detention Center was completed in 1990 at a cost of $20 million dollars. The facility's design capacity is 760 beds, but it has exceeded that figure throughout most of its history and it is the largest county jail in the State of Mississippi. The current inmate population average is approximately just under 1400 inmates. The detention center houses a wide array of detainees, including felons, misdemeanor offenders, males, females, juveniles charged as adults, state prisoners, federal prisoners and persons awaiting commitment to mental health facilities. Approximately eighty percent of the inmate population consists of those who are pre-trial status.
Currently, the detention center is undergoing major renovations and capital improvements. All cell doors and locking mechanisms are being replaced and upgraded, control panel technology is being improved and new perimeter detection and closed circuit television systems are being installed. In addition, three temporary housing units, consisting of 420 beds, have been erected outside the main facility. These improvements and upgrades, totaling more than 10 million dollars, will transform the detention center into a state of the art facility, thus ensuring a much improved level of safety for staff, inmates and ultimately the public. All of the improvements, upgrades and expansions are scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2009.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
U.S. Parks Service
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
Mississippi Department of Fish and Wildlife
Media
Gulfport's local newspaper is The Sun Herald. It is also served by two television stations, the ABC affiliate WLOX, the Fox affiliate WXXV, and WXXV Digital signal on Channel 25.2 mynetworktv affiliate. There are also seven radio stations in the Gulfport area.[4]
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Gulfport/Biloxi International Airport/ ANG base
Air
Gulfport/Biloxi and the Gulf Coast area is served by the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport.
Scheduled passenger service
- AirTran Airways (Gate 2) (Atanta and Tampa)
- American Airlines (Gate 1)
- American Eagle (Dallas/Fort Worth)
- Continental Airlines (Gate 3)
- Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Houston-Intercontinental)
- Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) (Gate 5 and 6)
- Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Atlanta)
- Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines (Memphis)
- US Airways (Gate 2)
- US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines (Charlotte)
- Vision Airlines (Gate 7) (St. Petersburg)
Military
- Naval Construction Battalion Center (Navy)
- Army National Guard
- 1108th Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot (AVCRAD) (Army)
- 255th Air Control Squadron (Air Force)
- 209th Civil Engineer Squadron (Air Force)
- U.S Coast Guard
State and Federal Law Enforcement
- MEMA
- FEMA
- "Blue Lightning" Strike Force of the Drug Enforcement Agency
Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, Gulfport was hit by the strong eastern side of Hurricane Katrina. Much of Gulfport was flooded or destroyed in one day by the strong hurricane-force winds which lasted over 16 hours and a storm surge exceeding 28 feet (9 m) in some sections.[5]
Hurricane Katrina damaged over 40 Mississippi libraries, gutting the Gulfport Public Library, first floor, and breaking windows on the second floor, beyond repair, requiring a total rebuild.[6]
The Sun Herald newspaper in Biloxi-Gulfport, under the executive editor Stanley R. Tiner, won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in journalism for its Katrina coverage.
Notable residents
- Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (birth name: Chris Jackson), former NBA point guard for the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies.
- Jonathan Aldridge, Professional Athlete & Entertainer.
- Thomas H. Anderson, Jr., Ambassador of the United States to Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia, Antigua, St. Vincent, and St. Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla from 1984 to 1986, was born in Gulfport.[7]
- William Joel Blass, Attorney and educator.
- Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize winning poet and Professor at Emory University. Born in Gulfport.
- Timmy Bowers, Basketball player.
- Brett Favre, American football quarterback of the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings.
- Boyce Holleman, Attorney and Actor.
- Matt Lawton, former Major League Baseball player best known for his stint with the Minnesota Twins.
- Stuart Roosa, Colonel, US Air Force, Apollo 14 astronaut,Command Module Pilot. Brought seeds to moon that germinated in space. Now these moon trees are growing here on Earth.
- Patrick X. J. Thompson Javier Professor of Telecommunications at Alabama A&M University, Author of How to Love a Good Woman: On a Shoestring Budget, Filmmaker., Small Business Owner Studio 7 films, Graduate of Gulfport High School.
- Rod Davis, National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings
See also
- Bible belt
References
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ http://www.usm.edu/gc/gcssc_map.html
- ↑ "Radio Stations in Gulfport MS". ontheradio.net. http://www.ontheradio.net/cities/gulfport_ms.aspx. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
- ↑ Gary Tuchman, Transcript of "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" (2006-08-29) 19:00 ET, CNN, CNN.com web: CNN-ACooper082906: GARY TUCHMAN, CNN Correspondent: Responds to Anderson Cooper that it felt like it would never end, saying winds were at least 100 miles per hour in Gulfport for seven hours, between about 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. For another five or six hours, on each side of that, they [Gulfport] had hurricane-force winds over 75 miles per hour; much of the city [Gulfport, Mississippi, in Harrison County] of 71,000 was then under water.
- ↑ "Hurricane Katrina Related Damages to Public Libraries in Mississippi" (September 2005), Mississippi Library Commission, web:ALA-Katrina.
- ↑ Reagan appointee
External links
- City of Gulfport Official website
- History of Gulfport's Jewish community (from the Institute of Southern Jewish Life)
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