Harrison County, Mississippi

Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, Harrison County is the second-most populous county in Mississippi with a population of 208,621; although the most recent population estimate from 2025 suggests Harrison County has overtaken Hinds County to become the state's most populous county, with a population of 217,136. Its county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport. The county is named after U.S. President William Henry Harrison. Harrison County is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area. The county was severely damaged from both Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects.

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.

George Ohr, known as the Mad Potter of Biloxi, opened Biloxi Art and Novelty Pottery in 1879 and created innovative pottery until 1910. Painter Dusti Bongé was born in Biloxi in 1903, and the author Mary Kimbrough Sinclair spent much of her childhood there. Barq’s Root Beer, invented by Edward Barq in 1898, highlights the area's link to New Orleans.

During the early to mid-1900s, Harrison County saw military developments, like the opening of Beauvoir Plantation as a museum in 1941 and Keesler Field, which attracted many during World War II. By 1930, the population was over 44,000, with a significant number of unemployed due to the Great Depression.

Population growth surged from 1930 to 1960, reaching nearly 120,000, with a mix of immigrant communities, including Vietnamese, who primarily worked in fishing.

Harrison County, in 1960, had a diverse labor force primarily in nonagricultural jobs, with few employed in agriculture. It boasted the second-highest high school graduation rate in Mississippi and the lowest percentage of residents with minimal schooling. The county has a notable civil rights legacy, highlighted by Dr. Gilbert Mason's “wade-in” protests against beach segregation and the establishment of the NAACP chapter.

Prominent figures from the county include poet Natasha Trethewey, astronaut Fred Haise, journalist Robin Roberts, basketball player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, and author Jesmyn Ward. The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, opened in 1992, is a cultural landmark.

Harrison County faced significant devastation from hurricanes Camille in 1969 and Katrina in 2005, impacting its population and economy. As of 2010, the county's population surpassed 187,000, reflecting a 56% increase since 1960, while maintaining a white majority alongside notable Hispanic/Latino and Asian minorities.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which (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.Dusky gopher frog

Major highways

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

Racial and ethnic composition +Harrison County, Mississippi – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)121,982125,635136,141125,741125,09277.37%75.97%71.80%67.20%59.96%Black or African American alone (NH)30,12932,08339,69440,97551,14319.11%19.40%20.94%21.90%24.51%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)3754317977197860.24%0.26%0.42%0.38%0.38%Asian alone (NH)1,9014,1994,8745,2585,9131.21%2.54%2.57%2.81%2.83%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census151227257xx0.08%0.12%0.12%Other race alone (NH)241782222147390.15%0.05%0.12%0.11%0.35%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census2,8124,03410,715xx1.48%2.16%5.14%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3,0372,9394,9109,93713,9761.93%1.78%2.59%5.31%6.70%Total157,665165,365189,601187,105208,621 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

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."Sixth Harrison County Sheriff's Department Officer Pleads Guilty" 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: - Text list Biloxi Public School District Gulfport School District Harrison County School District Long Beach School District Pass Christian School District

Harrison County, Mississippi

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