Pass Christian, Mississippi

Pass Christian (pronounced "kris-CHAN" or "kris-chee-ANN" [rather than "KRIS-chin" as in an adherent to Christianity]), nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, along the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,579 at the 2000 census.

Geography
Pass Christian is located at 30.32444°N, -89.24722°W (30.324463, -89.247214). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.3 sqmi, of which, 8.4 sqmi of it is land and 6.9 sqmi of it (44.97%) is water.

The ZIP code of Pass Christian is 39571. Geographically, the town of Pass Christian is peninsular, with water on three sides: the Gulf of Mexico to the south, the Bay of St. Louis to the west and a long stretch of bayou to the north. The area north of the bayou, known as DeLisle (pronounced "duh LILL" or "duh LEEL"), shares a zip code with and is officially part of Pass Christian, yet has always had a separate name (formerly Wolf Town or Wolftown for reasons that were obvious at the time).



History
Pass Christian was named for a nearby deepwater pass, which in turn was named for Nicholas Christian L'Adnier who lived on nearby Cat Island beginning in 1746.

In 1781 all of Pass Christian peninsula was owned by Julia de la Brosse (Widow Asmard). Upon her death in 1799, Widow Asmard deeded 800 arpents - the entire downtown Pass Christian - to Charles Asmar, her freed slave, who upon his death left the property to his heirs. Pass Christian was officially charted as a town in 1848. 

The town was a famous resort prior to the American Civil War and the site where the first yacht club of the South (and second in the US) was established in 1849. The town was a favorite location for the beach and summer homes of the wealthy of New Orleans. The row of historic mansions along the town's shoreline, especially Scenic Drive, was one of the country's notable historic districts.

During the Civil War, the Battle of Pass Christian occurred when the USS Massachusetts (1860) began shelling the town. The 3rd Mississippi Regiment which was stationed in Pass Christian, had marched toward Biloxi expecting a Union landing there, leaving Pass Christian completely unprotected. A housewife dashed to her upper floor balcony and waved a white bed sheet, the flag of surrender, and the bombardment ceased. Union soldiers plundered the town before withdrawing, there being little of value, including food, for them to confiscate. This skirmish became known as Bedsheet Surrender.

In 1884, Wolf Town - so named for the preponderance of wolves in the area - was renamed as Delisle. Delisle is a stretch of land north of the Pass Christian bayou. 

Tarpon Hole, offshore of Pass Christian in the Mississippi Sound, was the location where a world record Black Sea Bass was caught by Captain John T. McDonald. Captain McDonald operated the schooner "Queen of the Fleet." The fishing vessel was noted for its nearly spotless racing record throughout the 1890s and early 1900s until being replaced by larger, faster schooners built for the Biloxi fisheries during World War I. The two-masted 42 ft vessel was purchased in 1895 by Mrs. Bidwell, later given to John McDonald, and years later, was lost at sea on October 16, 1923 during a storm. John T. McDonald had been a city alderman in 1888, and served as mayor for three 2-year terms from 1890 to 1895, and served another term in 1903.

George McDonald Jr., A descendant of Capt. John T. McDonald served in the United States Army during the Vietnam war and fought in the Battle of Ia Drang at Landing Zone X-Ray, participating in a search-and-destroy mission with the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry on November 14 and 15, 1965. 33 years later, In November 1998, George McDonald received the Bronze Star distinguishing himself by valor in action. Georges Father, George McDonald Sr. Served in the United States Army during World War II along with his brother Frank J. McDonald, who served in the United States Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La, flagship of Carrier Task Force 2. Three descendants of Frank J. McDonald served in the United States Army During Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pass Christian was in the path of two of the most intense hurricanes ever to hit the United States--Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969 and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. Each hurricane caused the near total destruction of the city.

The 1969 hurricane destroyed an apartment complex, killing 21 people who had taken refuge inside. The area was nonetheless, redeveloped. A Wharton School professor used this as a classic example of government delivering skewed incentives for people to rebuild in known disaster areas.

Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005, Pass Christian was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Of the approximately 8,000 homes in Pass Christian, all but 500 were damaged or destroyed. In spite of the fact that the beachfront Scenic Drive follows the crest of a small bluff, affording it some elevation, most of the historic mansions along the road were severely damaged, and many were destroyed.

Hurricane Katrina totally destroyed the local public library. It was rebuilt. Thirteen members of the city's police department retreated to the library after the police station became unsafe and water from the Gulf of Mexico began to pour in.

The library was immediately north of City Hall across a small parking lot but was at a lower elevation. When the water crested the elevation of City Hall, the police cars in the parking lot began to float and were carried around the parking lot by the current. One car struck the South side doors causing them to implode and the Gulf of Mexico driven by Katrina's powerful winds rushed in the building. With no way to fight against the current they were trapped inside a concrete box that was rapidly filling with water. Knowing that they had to escape they attempted to shoot the glass out of the North side of the building. This was unsuccessful. The laminated glass proved impervious to the .45 caliber rounds of the police issue handguns. The force of the water entering the building after the southern wall was destroyed by the car was far too strong to swim against. The only way out was with the current.

The storm surge from Hurricane Katrina that hit Pass Christian was estimated at 8.5 m (27.8 ft), which is the US record high, leveling Pass Christian up to half a mile inland from the shore; estimation of highest storm surges was complicated because high-water markers were also destroyed. Highway 90 along the beach was damaged, and the bridge over the Bay of St. Louis was thrown completely apart, not being reopened until a new bridge was partially completed in May 2007. (Connection was temporarily replaced by a ferry service.) Sewage contamination rendered the local water supply unusable, as some samples tested positive for more than 250 bacteria and parasites. By late September 2005, access was restricted south of the railroad tracks (about 4 blocks inland) without proper credentials, as crews continued to search for victims and clear debris. In early 2007, although rebuilding was underway in much of the city, a large portion of empty, deserted homes and other structures remain. Many residents were still living in FEMA trailers, and out-of-state volunteers were still needed for the rebuilding effort.



Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,579 people, 2,687 households, and 1,797 families residing in the city. The population density was 781.2 people per square mile (301.7/km²). There were 3,351 housing units at an average density of 397.9 per square mile (153.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.91% White, 28.17% African American, 0.62% Native American, 3.48% Asian (almost all Vietnamese American), 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 2,687 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

Personal income
The median income for a household in the city was $40,743, and the median income for a family was $46,232. Males had a median income of $35,352 versus $22,195 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,008. About 8.2% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The Pass Christian School District operates the schools in the city, and in the inland, unincorporated areas around and to the north of Delisle. The Pass Christian Middle School (formerly the Pass Christian High School) on the corner of 2nd Street and Church Street was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The only thing left standing, ironically, was a monument proclaiming that the school had withstood Hurricane Camille. The new Pass Christian High School, which opened in 2001, was flooded almost to the second level, but was renovated and re-opened in October 2006. The Pass Christian Elementary School, across the street from the high school, was also flooded and was torn down due to mold concerns. Delisle Elementary was the only school left standing, and as such, was a temporary grounds for all of the students of the Pass Christian School District, housed either in temporary trailer classrooms or in the elementary school, sharing cafeteria and gymnasium facilities with the school.

A new educational complex housing Pass Christian Middle School and Pass Christian Elementary School opened in 2010 with an attached Boys and Girls Club on the north side of campus. As of 2011, Delisle Elementary School has been torn down and is under reconstruction.

Pass Christian High School is a Blue Ribbon school, and all four of the schools in the school district consistently rank high among other public schools in Mississippi.

The facility of the parochial elementary and middle school of St. Paul's Roman Catholic church was destroyed by Katrina, and the school was merged with the neighboring Long Beach parochial school to form St. Vincent de Paul School. The parochial high school in Pass Christian is the Coast Episcopal High School.

Notable residents

 * Phelan Beale, original owner of Grey Gardens
 * Dave Dennis, businessman and candidate for Mississippi Governor
 * Brett Favre, lived in Pass Christian, Mississippi for a fraction of his life, retired NFL quarterback formerly of the Green Bay Packers
 * Captain John Handy, jazz musician
 * Jimmy Johnson, cartoonist and creator of the syndicated newspaper comic strip Arlo and Janis.
 * Margaret Loesch, television executive and producer, formerly founding CEO of Fox Kids Networks and the US Hallmark Channel, currently CEO of The Hub, a TV network.
 * Tig Notaro, standup comedian.
 * Robin Roberts, ABC News' Good Morning America anchor who returned home to provide emotional coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
 * Jesmyn Ward, an American novelist and winner of the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction. Born in DeLisle.

Cultural references

 * The city is mentioned in the John Mellencamp song "Cuttin' Heads" from his 2001 album of the same name. Mellencamp pronounced the name incorrectly.
 * The city is mentioned in Poppy Z. Brite's novel Drawing Blood as one of the towns main character Zachary Bosch stops in during his travels.
 * The city is mentioned in Robert A. Heinlein's novel The Puppet Masters as a conflict site.