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Harrison County, Mississippi
Gulfport Mississippi Courthouse
Harrison County Courthouse (constructed in 1903, destroyed by fire in 1970s)[1]
Seal of Harrison County, Mississippi
Seal
Map of Mississippi highlighting Harrison County
Location in the state of Mississippi
Map of the U.S
Mississippi's location in the U.S.
Founded 1841
Named for William Henry Harrison
Seat Biloxi and Gulfport
Largest city Gulfport
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

976 sq mi (2,528 km²)
574 sq mi (1,487 km²)
402 sq mi (1,041 km²), 41
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

208,621
Congressional district 4th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.co.harrison.ms.us

Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,621,[2] making it the second-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport.[3] The county is named after U.S. President William Henry Harrison.[4]

Harrison County is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county was severely damaged from both Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 976 square miles (2,530 km2), of which 574 square miles (1,490 km2) is land and 402 square miles (1,040 km2) (41%) is water.[5] 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.[6]

Major highways[]

  • I-10 Interstate 10
  • I-110 Interstate 110
  • US 49 U.S. Highway 49
  • US 90 U.S. Highway 90
  • Circle sign 15 Mississippi Highway 15
  • Circle sign 53 Mississippi Highway 53
  • Circle sign 67 Mississippi Highway 67
  • Circle sign 605 Mississippi Highway 605
  • Circle sign 43 Mississippi Highway 43

Adjacent counties and parishes[]

National protected areas[]

  • De Soto National Forest (part)
  • Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1850 4,875
1860 4,819 −1.1%
1870 5,795 20.3%
1880 7,895 36.2%
1890 12,481 58.1%
1900 21,002 68.3%
1910 34,658 65.0%
1920 32,855 −5.2%
1930 44,143 34.4%
1940 50,799 15.1%
1950 84,073 65.5%
1960 119,489 42.1%
1970 134,582 12.6%
1980 157,665 17.2%
1990 165,365 4.9%
2000 189,601 14.7%
2010 187,105 −1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[2]

2020 census[]

Harrison County racial composition[11]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 125,092 59.96%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 51,143 24.51%
Native American 786 0.38%
Asian 5,913 2.83%
Pacific Islander 257 0.12%
Other/Mixed 11,454 5.49%
Hispanic or Latino 13,976 6.7%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 208,621 people, 74,628 households, and 50,074 families residing in the county.

2000 census[]

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 187,479 people, 71,538 households, and 48,574 families residing in the county. The population density was 326 people per square mile (126/km2). There were 79,636 housing units at an average density of 137 per square mile (53/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 73.15% White, 21.09% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.60% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 1.72% from two or more races. 2.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 71,538 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.10% were married couples living together, 15.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.00% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 11.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.50 males.

The main income for a household in the county was $35,624, and the median income for a family was $41,445. Males had a median income of $29,867 versus $22,030 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,024. 14.60% of the population and 11.60% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.70% of those under the age of 18 and 11.30% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Harrison County has the sixth highest per capita income in the State of Mississippi.


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, Mississippi. Inmate Jessie Lee Williams Jr. died while in custody on February 4, 2006.[13] In 2006 and 2007, six Harrison County Sheriff's Department deputies pleaded guilty to crimes related to the abuse of inmates at the jail.[14] Sheriff Melvin Brisolara-R was elected in 2008, for Harrison County.

Communities[]

TchoutacabouffaRiver1998

Water from the Tchoutacabouffa River overflowing its banks near the intersection of Old Hwy 67 and MS 15 on September 29, 1998, after Hurricane Georges made landfall.

Cities[]

Census-designated places[]

  • DeLisle
  • Henderson Point
  • Lyman
  • Saucier

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Cuevas
  • Howison
  • Lizana
  • Mississippi City
  • Wool Market

Politics[]

Since 1964, Harrison County has voted overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to receive over 40% of the vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

United States presidential election results for Harrison County, Mississippi[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 46,822 61.70% 27,728 36.54% 1,335 1.76%
2016 40,354 63.74% 21,169 33.44% 1,790 2.83%
2012 39,470 62.33% 23,119 36.51% 739 1.17%
2008 38,757 62.55% 22,673 36.59% 527 0.85%
2004 39,703 62.73% 23,076 36.46% 509 0.80%
2000 32,256 61.30% 19,142 36.38% 1,218 2.31%
1996 25,486 52.84% 18,775 38.92% 3,974 8.24%
1992 25,049 52.84% 15,268 32.21% 7,090 14.96%
1988 32,892 68.88% 14,439 30.24% 423 0.89%
1984 33,995 72.83% 12,495 26.77% 187 0.40%
1980 25,175 58.70% 16,318 38.05% 1,395 3.25%
1976 19,207 51.72% 16,569 44.61% 1,363 3.67%
1972 28,962 84.02% 4,761 13.81% 747 2.17%
1968 6,542 22.37% 4,549 15.55% 18,157 62.08%
1964 16,301 75.14% 5,393 24.86% 0 0.00%
1960 5,177 30.89% 8,961 53.47% 2,621 15.64%
1956 5,742 44.17% 6,549 50.37% 710 5.46%
1952 5,960 45.35% 7,181 54.65% 0 0.00%
1948 415 5.56% 692 9.28% 6,351 85.16%
1944 622 9.43% 5,976 90.57% 0 0.00%
1940 633 10.19% 5,577 89.75% 4 0.06%
1936 495 10.44% 4,208 88.78% 37 0.78%
1932 449 9.72% 4,124 89.28% 46 1.00%
1928 1,485 28.57% 3,712 71.43% 0 0.00%
1924 523 13.99% 3,044 81.41% 172 4.60%
1920 314 19.29% 1,270 78.01% 44 2.70%
1916 197 11.96% 1,395 84.70% 55 3.34%
1912 45 2.82% 1,292 80.95% 259 16.23%
1900 150 19.58% 611 79.77% 5 0.65%
1896 17 6.30% 237 87.78% 16 5.93%
1892 10 2.36% 360 85.11% 53 12.53%



See also[]

  • Friendship Oak (Long Beach, Mississippi)
  • Grass Lawn (Gulfport, Mississippi)
  • Historic Grand Hotels on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
  • Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain
  • Mississippi Aquarium
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Harrison County, Mississippi
  • Old Brick House (Biloxi, Mississippi)
  • Tivoli Hotel (Biloxi, Mississippi)
  • Turkey Creek Community Historic District

References[]

  1. ^ Shaw, Betty Hancock. 2011. Gulfport: Images of America, Arcadia Publishing: Charleston, SC (page 28).
  2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28/28047.html. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off.. pp. 150. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_28.txt. 
  6. ^ Dusky gopher frog
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ms190090.txt. 
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  11. ^ "Explore Census Data". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=0500000US28047&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  13. ^ "CNN.com - Anderson Cooper 360° Blog". http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/2007/07/family-suspicious-about-grandsons-jail.html. 
  14. ^ "Sixth Harrison County Sheriff's Department Officer Pleads Guilty"
  15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

Further reading[]

  • Burt, D.E. and H.L. Welch. (2007). Quality of water in selected wells, Harrison County, Mississippi, 1997-2005 [U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1287]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

External links[]

Coordinates: 30°25′N 89°05′W / 30.42, -89.09

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Harrison County, Mississippi. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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