Moss Point, Mississippi

Moss Point is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 12,147 in 2020, a decline from the figure of 13,704 in 2010. The Moss Point Historic District and several individual buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places' Jackson County listings.

History

On August 29, 2005, Moss Point was hit by the strong east side of Hurricane Katrina, and much of the city was flooded or destroyed (see details below). Moss Point is home to Trent Lott International Airport and the Mississippi Export Railroad.

An EF2 tornado touched down in Moss Point on June 19, 2023 The tornado covered six miles of the city and damaged or destroyed over 300 homes and businesses.

Geography

Moss Point is in southeastern Jackson County, on the east side of the Pascagoula River. It is bordered to the south by the city of Pascagoula, the county seat, and to the north by unincorporated Escatawpa. The Escatawpa River flows east–west through the city into the Pascagoula River.

U.S. Route 90 forms the southeastern boundary of Moss Point, leading southwestward into Pascagoula and northeastward to Interstate 10, which runs through the northern part of the Moss Point city limits. I-10 leads west to the Biloxi area and northeast to Mobile, Alabama. Mississippi Highways 63 and 613 (Main Street) are north–south roads through Moss Point. Highway 63 leads south to US-90 and north to Lucedale, while Highway 613 leads south to the center of Pascagoula and north to Escatawpa.

Moss Point has a total area of , of which are land and , or 9.11%, are water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,147 people, 5,102 households, and 3,263 families residing in the city.

Education

The city is served by the Moss Point School District.

Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005, Moss Point was hit by the strong eastern side of Hurricane Katrina, when it passed east of central New Orleans with minimal gale-force winds. However, on the east side of Hurricane Katrina, much of Moss Point was flooded or destroyed in one day, by the strong hurricane-force winds which lasted several hours and a storm surge exceeding in some sections.Gary Tuchman, Transcript of "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" (2006-08-29) 19:00 ET, ''CNN''
CNN-ACooper082906
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN Correspondent: Responds to Anderson Cooper that it felt like it would never end, saying winds were at least 100 miles per hour in Gulfport for seven hours, between about 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. For another five or six hours, on each side of that, they had hurricane-force winds over 75 miles per hour; much of the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, in Harrison County of 71,000 was then under water.

Sister city

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Burlington, Vermont became the sister city of Moss Point and provided much-needed aid to the city.

Notable people

* Jeramey Anderson, State Representative, Mississippi 110th House District
* Verlon Biggs, NFL football player, Defensive end for the New York Jets from 1965 to 1970 and the Washington Redskins from 1971 to 1974
* Damarius Bilbo, NFL football player and sports agent, graduated Moss Point High School in 2001
* Devin Booker, NBA basketball player
* Melvin Booker, graduated Moss Point High School in 1990, NBA basketball player, father of Devin Booker
* John Brock, CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises (graduated Moss Point High School in 1967)
* Ray Costict, linebacker for the New England Patriots from 1977 to 1979
* Ken Farragut, NFL and Ole Miss Hall of Fame football player
* Silky Nutmeg Ganache, contestant on season 11 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''
* Eddie Glaude, Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Princeton University
* Don Hultz, NFL football player
* Alcender Jackson, NFL football player
* Kenny Johnson, former cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers.
* Tom Johnson, NFL defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings
* Robert C. Khayat, NFL football player, lawyer, Chancellor of the University of Mississippi
* David Thomas Roberts, composer and musician
* Toni Seawright, 1982 graduate of Moss Point High; the first African American to win Miss Mississippi in 1987 (4th Runner-up Miss America 1988)
* Tony Sipp, Major League Baseball Houston Astros - twice World Series Champion
* Cory Wilson, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judge
* George Wonsley, NFL football player
* Nathan Wonsley, NFL football player

See also

* L.N. Dantzler Lumber Company

References

External links

City of Moss Point official website

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Cities in Mississippi
Cities in Jackson County, Mississippi
Cities in Pascagoula metropolitan area