Gulfport (/ˈɡʌlfˌpɔːrt/ GUHLF-port) is a city in and a co-county seat of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States.
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.
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.
[10] On April 28, 1904, the Treasury Department changed the port of entry for the district of the Pearl River from Shieldsboro to Gulfport.
[9][10] The Louisville and Nashville railroad line also began serving the city around this time at Gulfport Station (then the Union Depot).
[14] 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.
[10] In 1917, the city was set to hold the Mississippi Centennial Exposition, but upon the U.S. entering World War I, the plans were abandoned.
[17] This lasted until 1958,[18] when the facilities were transferred to the Mississippi Air National Guard as the Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center.
In 1976, the Armed Forces Retirement Home relocated from Philadelphia to Gulfport on the land of the former Gulf Coast Military Academy.
[9]On August 29, 2005, Gulfport was hit by the strong eastern side of Hurricane Katrina with wind speeds of at least 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) and storm surge of at least 19 feet (5.8 m).
The city received over $300 million in federal aid which it used to repair infrastructure and facilities for essential services.
The Gulfport Formation in Harrison County is described as barrier ridge composed of white, medium- to fine-grained sand, yellow-orange near surface.
[29] Gulfport Formation is limited to a 1- to 3-km-wide discontinuous barrier ridge belt that borders the Gulf mainland shore.
The unit extends from Gulfport, MS, eastward to the mouth of the Ochlockonee River, Franklin County, Florida and was deposited during the Sangamonian.
With about 6.7 miles (10.8 kilometres) of white sand beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, Gulfport has become a tourism destination, due in large part to Mississippi's coast casinos.
Gulfport has served as host to popular cultural events such as the "World's Largest Fishing Rodeo," "Cruisin' the Coast" (a week of classic cars), "Black Spring Break" and "Smokin' the Sound" (speedboat races).
There are historic neighborhoods and home sites, as well as diverse shopping opportunities and several motels scattered throughout to accommodate golfing, gambling, and water-sport tourism.
The Gulfport station has 110 members which include Active, Reserve and Coast Guard Auxiliary who respond to an average of 300 search and rescue cases annually.
The Harrison County Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is also located in Gulfport.
In 2009, the university moved to its new Tradition Campus, constructed off Mississippi Highway 67 in north Harrison County.
[48] The Gulf Park Campus of the University of Southern Mississippi is located in Long Beach, just west of Gulfport.
Until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Amtrak's Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to Orlando made stops in Gulfport station.
[61][62] Well into the 1960s, the Louisville and Nashville ran several trains daily, making stops in Gulfport--Crescent, Gulf Wind, Humming Bird, Pan-American and Piedmont Limited—varied destinations including New Orleans, Cincinnati, Atlanta, New York City and Jacksonville.