Harrison County

History

Harrison County, established on February 5, 1841, is named after President William Henry Harrison. Gulfport and Biloxi are the county seats. Located on the Gulf Coast, it was created from portions of Hancock, Jackson, and Perry counties.

Mississippi's Gulf Coast played an important role in colonial history, serving as a meeting point for European settlers and Native Americans. In 1699, the French established Fort Maurepas, the first European capital in Mississippi, with leaders like Pierre Le Moyne and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne. Bienville, a key military and political figure, lived on the Gulf Coast until 1722.

By the 1850 census, Harrison County had a population of 3,378 whites, 56 free blacks, and 1,441 slaves. During the antebellum period, the county's agricultural economy was underdeveloped, ranking low in the state for cotton and livestock but was the leading rice producer by 1860. That year, there were 584 foreign-born residents in Harrison County, the third-highest in Mississippi. Slaves constituted 21 percent of the population.

After the Civil War, while not many battles occurred there, Harrison County became a refuge for former Confederates, with Jefferson Davis moving to Beauvoir Plantation in 1877. Post-war, the county's population and agricultural sector remained small, but foreign-born residents, mainly Germans and Irish, made up nearly 7 percent of the population in 1880. Harrison had few farms, but most farmers owned their land; African Americans were 27 percent of the population.

Rapid growth in Harrison County occurred from the late 1800s to 1900, with the population rising to 21,002. As industrial jobs rose, agriculture declined, leading to the introduction of the Biloxi schooner for fishing. By 1900, industrial firms employed 1,577 people. The immigrant population expanded, diversifying into many nationalities engaged in fishing and canning.

Religiously, Harrison County had a mix of denominations, with a significant rise in Catholicism due to new immigrants. The arts, tourism, and gambling became part of the county's charm, with hotels opening in the 1880s to cater to visitors, spurred by railroad expansion and proximity to New Orleans.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 976 square miles (2,530 km2), of which 402 square miles (1,040 km2) (41%) are covered by water. The Tchoutacabouffa River has its mouth at Biloxi Bay just north of the city of Biloxi. Gulfport, Mississippi, is the chief port in the state, with access to the Gulf of Mexico through a ship channel. This is the second-largest county in Mississippi by total area.

Wildlife

A single pond in the county contains the critically endangered dusky gopher frog.

Major highways

I-10

I-110

US 49

US 90

MS 15

MS 43

MS 53

MS 67

MS 605

Adjacent counties and parishes

Stone County (north)

Jackson County (east)

Hancock County (west)

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (southwest)

National protected areas

De Soto National Forest (part)

Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 208,621. The median age was 38.2 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 61.4% White, 24.8% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.9% from some other race, and 7.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.7% of the population.

80.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 19.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 81,633 households in the county, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.7% were married-couple households, 19.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 91,554 housing units, of which 10.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 58.5% were owner-occupied and 41.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.1%.

Corrections system

Harrison County has been studied by CNN and other media, which have reported on the beatings of inmates in the Harrison County Jail in Gulfport. Inmate Jessie Lee Williams Jr. died while in custody on February 4, 2006. In 2006 and 2007, six Harrison County Sheriff's Department deputies pleaded guilty to crimes related to the abuse of inmates at the jail. while Sheriff George Payne was in office. Sheriff Melvin Brisolara-R was elected in 2008, for Harrison County.

Communities

Cities

Biloxi (county seat)

D'Iberville

Gulfport (county seat)

Long Beach

Pass Christian

Census-designated places

DeLisle

Henderson Point

Lyman

Saucier

Unincorporated communities

Cuevas

Howison

Lizana

Mississippi City

Wool Market

Politics

Harrison County is very conservative for an urban county. Like the rest of Mississippi, the town cast an overwhelming majority for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election. Since 1964, Harrison County has voted overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to receive over 40% of the vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976, and the last Democrat to win the county was John F. Kennedy in 1960.

Education

School districts include:

Biloxi Public School District

Gulfport School District

Harrison County School District

Long Beach School District

Pass Christian School District