Long Beach, Mississippi

Long Beach is a city (incorporated August 10, 1905) located in Harrison County, Mississippi, USA. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 17,320.

Geography
Long Beach is located at 30°21'9" North, 89°9'35" West (30.352547, -89.159639).

According to the United States Census Bureau, before Hurricane Katrina, the city had a total area of 10.3 sqmi. 10.1 sqmi of it was land and 0.2 sqmi of it was water. The total area was 1.85% water. Current statistics are not available.



Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,320 people, 6,560 households, and 4,696 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,713.6 people per square mile (661.5/km²). There were 7,203 housing units at an average density of 712.6 per square mile (275.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.49% White, 7.36% African American, 0.39% Native American, 2.57% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.44% from two or more races. 2.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,560 households out of which 36.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 13.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the city the population dispersal was 27.1% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $43,289, and the median income for a family was $50,014. Males had a median income of $35,909 versus $24,119 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,305. 9.0% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.2% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Education
The City of Long Beach is served by the Long Beach School District. The district operates five campuses and has an enrollment of approximately 2,700 students.

These campuses include:

Long Beach High School, Long Beach Middle School, Reeves Elementary School, Harper McCaughan Elementary School, and Quarles Elementary School

Long Beach High has a long standing tradition of excellence. They offer rigorous academics including college preparatory classes, advanced placement classes and award winning vocational classes. In 2007 Long Beach High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Making them one of four schools in Mississippi and one of about 273 private and public schools in the United States. Although the education of the schools seem to be thriving and it seems students grades are rising.

The Gulf Coast campus of The University of Southern Mississippi is also located in Long Beach along Beach Boulevard. The Friendship Oak Tree is located on the front lawn of the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus.

The Early 1900's
Long Beach began as an agricultural town, based much around its radish industry. But on August 10, 1905, Long Beach incorporated and became another city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As the years went on, the city moved from its agricultural heritage and moved toward tourism with the beach and high-rise condominiums becoming increasingly popular.

"The Radish capital of the world"
Long Beach's early economy was based largely upon radishes. Logging initially drove the local economy, but when the area's virgin yellow pine forests became depleted, row crops were planted on the newly cleared land.

A productive truck farming town in the early 20th century, citizens of Long Beach proclaimed the city to be the "Radish Capital of the World." The city was especially known for its cultivation of the Long Red radish variety, a favorite beer hall staple in the northern US at the time. In 1921, a bumper crop resulted in the shipment of over 300 train loads of Long Beach's Long Red radishes to northern states.

Eventually, the Long Red radishes for which Long Beach was known fell into disfavor, and the rise of the common button radish caused a dramatic decline in the cultivation of this crop in the area.

Hurricane Katrina
Nineteen days following the city's centennial, Hurricane Katrina struck the city on August 29, 2005, destroying more than 90% of all buildings along the Gulf of Mexico. Many Long Beach residents were left without homes or those that took on much water and or wind damage.

Hurricane Katrina damaged over 40 Mississippi libraries, heavily damaging the Long Beach Public Library.

The City of Long Beach, California, held a fund raiser to help its eponymous relative (Ref: Long Beach Cares). The City of Peoria, Arizona adopted Long Beach and provided both public and private resources. This resulted in a close relationship between the two communities.

Today
Today, the city is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. More and more residents are moving in, due to beaches and condominiums setting up in the area.

Many restaurants have returned to Long Beach, such as Harbor View Cafe, Bull's,and Cajun Crawfish Hut, and have given local musicians popularity like Grocery Feet,The Crowd and a solo pianst/vocalist Brett Hilbert.

However, the city has not received the full return of businesses due to building codes on the beach put in effect by FEMA and MEMA, and also because of the economic downturn. The city is recovering from Katrina and its citizens are still "the friendly city."