Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,621.[1] Its county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport.[2] The county is named after U.S. President William Henry Harrison.[3] Harrison County is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area. The county was severely damaged from both Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects.
Harrison County | |
|---|---|
 Dan M. Russell Jr. United States Courthouse in Gulfport, Harrison County | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Mississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 30°25′N 89°05′W / 30.42°N 89.09°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1841 |
| Named for | William Henry Harrison |
| Seat | Biloxi and Gulfport |
| Largest city | Gulfport |
| Area | |
| • Total | 976 sq mi (2,530 km2) |
| • Land | 574 sq mi (1,490 km2) |
| • Water | 402 sq mi (1,040 km2) 41% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 208,621 |
| • Estimate (2023) | 210,612 |
| • Density | 210/sq mi (83/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | harrisoncountyms |
Geography
editAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 976 square miles (2,530 km2), of which 402 square miles (1,040 km2) (41%) are covered by water.[4] 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
editA single pond in the county contains the critically endangered dusky gopher frog.[5]
Major highways
editAdjacent counties and parishes
edit- Stone County (north)
- Jackson County (east)
- Hancock County (west)
- St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (southwest)
National protected areas
edit- De Soto National Forest (part)
- Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)
Demographics
edit| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% | |
| 2020 | 208,621 | 11.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 210,612 | [6] | 1.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[1] | |||
2020 census
edit| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 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, 208,621 people, 74,628 households, and 50,074 families were residing in the county.
Corrections system
editHarrison County has been studied by CNN and other media, which have reported on the beatings of inmates in the Harrison County Jail in Gulfport. Inmate Jessie Lee Williams Jr. died while in custody on February 4, 2006.[12] In 2006 and 2007, six Harrison County Sheriff's Department deputies pleaded guilty to crimes related to the abuse of inmates at the jail.[13] Sheriff Melvin Brisolara-R was elected in 2008, for Harrison County.
Communities
editCities
edit- Biloxi (county seat)
- D'Iberville
- Gulfport (county seat)
- Long Beach
- Pass Christian
Census-designated places
editUnincorporated communities
editPolitics
editSince 1964, Harrison County has voted overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to receive over 40% of the vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Education
editSchool districts include:[15]
See also
edit- Friendship Oak (Long Beach, Mississippi)
- Grass Lawn (Gulfport, Mississippi)
- Harrison Experimental Forest
- 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
edit- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 150.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ^ Dusky gopher frog
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ "CNN.com - Anderson Cooper 360° Blog". www.cnn.com. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
- ^ "Sixth Harrison County Sheriff's Department Officer Pleads Guilty"
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Harrison County, MS" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022. - Text list
Further reading
edit- 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
edit- Official county site Archived November 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- Harrison County Sheriff
Media related to Harrison County, Mississippi at Wikimedia Commons
- Mississippi Courthouses – Harrison County