Gulfport ( ) is a port city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, and its co-county seat. It had a population of 72,926 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Mississippi after Jackson. The Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area had a population of 416,259. Gulfport lies along the Gulf Coast of the United States in southern Mississippi, taking its name from its port on the Gulf Coast on the Mississippi Sound.

Gulfport emerged from two earlier settlements, Mississippi City and Handsboro. Founded in 1887 by William H. Hardy as a terminus for the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad, the city was further developed by Philadelphia oil tycoon Joseph T. Jones, who funded the railroad, harbor, and channel dredging. The city was officially incorporated in 1898. By the early 20th century, Gulfport had become the largest lumber export city in the United States, though this faded with the depletion of Mississippi's Piney Woods. The city transitioned into tourism through its white beaches, grand hotels, and significant casino gaming operations.

The largest sectors of Gulfport's economy include military operations, tourism, healthcare, and maritime commerce. The city is home to the Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The Port of Gulfport serves as one of the busiest ports in the Gulf of Mexico, while Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport provides commercial air service to the region. Despite significant impacts from Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the city has consistently rebuilt and expanded its infrastructure and facilities.

History

Two villages predated the founding of Gulfport: Mississippi City, located along the gulf, and Handsboro, founded in the 1800s along the northern bayous. Mississippi City was born out of the Mississippi City Company that was formed in 1837 to build a town to serve as the terminus for the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad. The purpose of the railroad was to transfer yellow pine for ship-based trade. While a depression led to the abandonment of the railroad, the town was nevertheless built and later made the county seat upon the creation of Harrison County in 1841.

The Gulf and Ship Island Railroad company was later reorganized and selected William H. Hardy as its president. Desiring to connect the railroad from the town of Hattiesburg, which he founded, to the coast, he steered away from Mississippi City because of its lack of proximity to deep water. Because of the cost of the project, Hardy went bankrupt in 1893, and the town became a ghost town. At the time, the Gulfport port had greater ease of access than comparable ports like Mobile or New Orleans. and in March 1916, the construction of a Carnegie Library was announced by the mayor. Other impressive developments include the building of the Great Southern Hotel, the construction of an electric plant (later managed by Mississippi Power), and a streetcar line. The 1920s saw a construction boom with buildings like the Hotel Markham and the Bank of Gulfport being completed. After the war, the base was declared excess, and the city purchased most of the facilities for a new Gulfport Municipal Airport (the first airport was dedicated in 1930). In 1954, the U.S. Air Force resumed use of the facilities they still owned as Gulfport Air Force Base to train Air National Guard units. when the facilities were transferred to the Mississippi Air National Guard as the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center. In 1965, the city annexed the original Mississippi City and Handsboro area. The most heavily damaged part of Gulfport was the waterfront areas: storm waters in Gulfport reached 21 feet, and the port of Gulfport was nearly completely destroyed. Otherwise, the downtown and inland areas received small amounts of structural damage.

In 1976, the Armed Forces Retirement Home relocated from Philadelphia to Gulfport on the land of the former Gulf Coast Military Academy. The facility was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina but rebuilt as a much larger facility in 2010. A new county courthouse was built in 1977. In 1993, the city opened its first two casinos, and later that year in December, the city annexed north of Gulfport. This annexed land included Turkey Creek, a historic community founded by emancipated slaves before the founding of Gulfport. In 2003, the Dan M. Russell Jr. United States Courthouse was completed. 9,571 houses were damaged or destroyed, and the town was left with a $3 million deficit. The city received over $300 million in federal aid which it used to repair infrastructure and facilities for essential services. In 2020, on the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Mississippi Aquarium opened, replacing a dolphin-oriented facility destroyed by the hurricane.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total area of , of which is land and (11.40%) is water.

The Gulfport Formation in Harrison County is described as barrier ridge composed of white, medium- to fine-grained sand, yellow-orange near surface. Thickness ranges from 5.0 to 9.5 m. It overlies Biloxi Formation. Age is late Pleistocene.

Gulfport Formation is limited to a 1- to 3-km-wide discontinuous barrier ridge belt that borders the Gulf mainland shore. It commonly overlies Prairie Formation (alluvium) landward and Biloxi Formation (shelf deposits) near shore. The formation grades upward from poorly to moderately sorted shoreface sands to foreshore sand and dunes. The unit extends from Gulfport, MS, eastward to the mouth of the Ochlockonee River, Franklin County, Florida and was deposited during the Sangamonian. These include:

  • Lyman
  • Orange Grove
  • Biloxi River
  • Lorraine
  • The Reserve
  • Pine Hills
  • Bayou Bernard Industrial District
  • Bayou View North
  • The Island
  • Fernwood
  • Handsboro
  • College Park
  • Silver Ridge
  • Great Southern
  • Mississippi City
  • Gooden
  • East Park
  • Bayou View South
  • Magnolia Grove
  • East Beach
  • Broadmoor
  • Soria City
  • CBD
  • State Port & Jones Park
  • West Beach
  • Gaston Point
  • Fairgrounds
  • Central Gulfport
  • 25th Avenue Commercial
  • Original Gulfport
  • Mid-City
  • Brickyard Bayou
  • North Gulfport Industrial Center
  • Turkey Creek
  • North Gulfport
  • CB Base
  • Gulfport Heights
  • Forest Heights
  • Sports Super Complex

Climate

Gulfport has a humid subtropical climate, which is strongly moderated by the Gulf of Mexico. Winters are short and generally mild; cold spells do occur, but seldom last long. Snow flurries are rare in the city, with no notable accumulation occurring most years. Summers are generally long, hot and humid, though the city's proximity to the Gulf prevents extreme summer highs, as seen farther inland. Gulfport is subject to extreme weather, most notably tropical storm activity through the Gulf of Mexico. The all-time record high for the city is , set on August 26, 2023, and the record coldest is on February 12, 1899. Climate records for the city date back to 1893; however, until 1998 records were stitched with neighboring Biloxi.

Demographics