Gulfport, Mississippi | |
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City | |
City of Gulfport | |
Highway sign along U.S. Route 90
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Motto: Where Your Ship Comes In | |
Location of Gulfport in the State of Mississippi |
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Location in the United States | |
Coordinates: 30°24′6″N 89°4′34″W / 30.40167°N 89.07611°WCoordinates: 30°24′6″N 89°4′34″W / 30.40167°N 89.07611°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Mississippi |
County | Harrison |
Incorporated | July 28, 1898 |
Government | |
• Type | Mayor, 7 Member Council |
• Mayor | Billy Hewes (R) |
Area | |
• City | 64.2 sq mi (166.4 km2) |
• Land | 56.9 sq mi (147.4 km2) |
• Water | 7.3 sq mi (19.0 km2) |
Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• City | 67,793 |
• Estimate (2013) | 71,012 |
• Rank | US: 476th |
• Density | 1,191/sq mi (459/km2) |
• Urban | 208,948 (US: 175th) |
• Metro | 382,516 (US: 137th) |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP Codes | 39501-39503, 39505-39507 |
Area code(s) | 228 |
FIPS code | 28-29700 |
GNIS feature ID | 0670771 |
Website | City of Gulfport |
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city of Gulfport had a total population of 67,793. Gulfport is co-county seat with Biloxi of Harrison County, Mississippi. Gulfport is also home to the US Navy Atlantic Fleet Seabees.
An early settlement near this location, known as Mississippi City, appeared on a map of Mississippi from 1855. Mississippi City was the county seat of Harrison County from 1841 to 1902, but is now a suburb in east Gulfport.
Gulfport was incorporated on July 28, 1898. Gulfport was founded by: William H. Hardy who was president of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SIRR) that connected inland lumber mills to the coast, and later on, joined by Joseph T. Jones who later took over the G&SIRR, dredged the harbor in Gulfport, and opened the shipping channel to the sea. In 1902, the harbor was completed and the Port of Gulfport became a working seaport that now accounts for millions of dollars in annual sales and tax revenue for the state of Mississippi.
In 1910, the U.S. Post Office and Customhouse was built. The Gulfport Post office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
In March 1916, Mayor George M. Foote announced that the Andrew Carnegie Corporation was going to place a Carnegie Library in Gulfport.