Page 152 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2017

the county of
HARRISON
Harrison County was organized on February 5, 1841, and named in honor of United States President William Henry Harrison. The county seats are Gulfport and Biloxi. The population recorded in the 1850 federal census was 4,875; in the 2010 census it was 187,105 which is the second most populous county in the state. Interestingly, the county has a total area of 976.15 square miles of which 395.17 square miles (40.48 percent) is water. This abundant water and proximity to the Gulf of Mexico have been and continue to be significant factors in the county’s economic vitality and quality of life.
Casinos and shipbuilding are among the industries responsible
for the county’s prosperity. According to the Harrison County Development Commission’s website, these industries have created thousands of jobs and have encouraged related industries to also locate in the area. The shipbuilding industry, for instance, has attracted composite technology, which will also support the growing field of aerospace. The five primary industry sectors along the I-10 Corridor, which have become key target industries for Harrison County, are aerospace, advanced materials, shipbuilding, geospatial and marine science.
Biloxi
French explorers established this waterfront city more than 300 years ago. The seafood industry flourished and Biloxi became known as the Seafood Capital of the World. It is home to Keesler Air Force Base, the state’s largest employer, and tourism has also played a key role in providing many jobs.
Biloxi’s Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum has exhibits on seafood harvesting and processing and boat building to highlight the seafood tradition. The city’s symbol, the Biloxi Lighthouse, sits in the middle of U.S. Highway 90 and is widely known.
As Harrison County’s oldest city, leaders are encouraged that the downtown area is coming back. Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce Director Tina Ross-Seamans said, “There is a wide variety of businesses from art, restaurants, co-working space, vintage furniture and everything in between locating downtown.”
D’Iberville
Nicole LaCour Young wrote in an article on the city’s official website, “The history of D’Iberville can be told in two stories; the story of its namesake Pierre LeMoyne, Sieur d’Iberville, who explored the area after landing on the Gulf Coast in 1699, and the story of a group of dedicated citizens who worked tirelessly to incorporate the community known as d’Iberville in 1988.”
D’Iberville might have begun as a bedroom community, but its economy is now thriving as a retail hub and home to a new casino.
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Biloxi Lighthouse, circa 1901
Howard Street, Biloxi, circa 1906
View from 13th Street, Downtown Gulfport