Pascagoula, Mississippi
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Pascagoula is a city located in Jackson County, Mississippi. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 26,200. It is the county seat of Jackson CountyTemplate:GR.Image:WikiPascagoulaStereo.jpg Pascagoula is the industrial heart of Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast as a whole. Prior to World War II, the town was a sleepy fishing village of only about 5,000. The population exploded with the war-driven shipbuilding industry. Although the city's population seemed to peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s as Cold War defense spending was at its height, Pascagoula has recently experienced new growth and development. Today, Pascagoula is home to the state’s largest employer, Ingalls Shipbuilding, owned by Northrop Grumman Ship Systems — "America’s Shipbuilder." Other major industries include one of the largest Chevron refineries in the country; Signal International, an oil platform builder; and Mississippi Phosphates. Another community asset, Naval Station Pascagoula, is located on Singing River Island and is homeport to several Navy warships as well as a large Coast Guard contingent. However, Naval Station Pascagoula is set to be decommissioned as part of the 2005 BRAC recommendations.
Pascagoula, the "Singing River" city by the sea has a deep and rich history as a European settlement that goes back over 300 years. The name Pascagoula, which means "bread eaters," is taken from a band of peaceful Native Americans. Hernando De Soto first made contact with these Native Americans in the 1540s. Local legend says the noble Pascagoula tribe chanted and waded hand-in-hand into the Pascagoula River, drowning together rather than become enslaved to an enemy tribe, the Biloxi. Thus, the legend of the "Singing River" was born. Those who now live in Pascagoula maintain that on still summer and autumn evenings, the sad song of the Pascagoulas can still be heard near the river. The charm of the old South is alive in this beautiful seaside town where the streets are lined with splendid antebellum structures and grand live oaks laden with Spanish moss.
Pascagoula has been home, hideaway, respite, or inspiration to many interesting people including the pirate Jean Lafitte; the infamous Copeland Gang; “Old Hickory” Andrew Jackson; General (later President) Zachary Taylor; Confederate General and Congressman David Emanuel Twiggs; Union Admiral David Farragut; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who penned "The Building of a Ship" while in Pascagoula; and Nobel Laureate in literature William Faulkner who is believed to have written "Mosquitoes" while summering in Pascagoula. The world renowned rhythm and blues band The Nite Riders also got their start in Pascagoula in the 1950s. Many of the original members still perform together in local casinos.
Pascagoula gained notoriety on October 11, 1973 when two local fishermen, Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker, claimed to have been abducted by aliens from a Pascagoula pier. The media frenzy that followed touched off national interest in UFOs and extraterrestrials unparrelled since the Roswell incident. In 1983, Hickson wrote a book about his ordeal entitled UFO Contact In Pascagoula.
Pascagoula also gained dubious national attention in the 1980s, when novelty singer/songwriter Ray Stevens featured the town in his hit, "Mississippi Squirrel Revival." Stevens admits, though, that the song may have been set in any Southern town.
Points of interest include: Beautiful white sand beaches; championship golf courses such as Shell Landing Golf Course, designed by Davis Love III, and Mississippi National Golf Course, located on the Singing River; The Longfellow House; beautiful Horn Island located off the Mississippi Coast and the Old Spanish Fort, which was built between 1715 and 1726 and is the oldest edifice West of the Atlantic coast. Originally, this historic structure was the carpentry shop of Joseph Simon de La Pointe.
The city is the home of Republican Senator Trent Lott, the birthplace of American singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett, attorney Richard Scruggs, NFL players Jim Marcellas and Terrell Buckley, NBA forward Antonio Harvey, actor William Nakia Yelland and Major League Baseball player Harry Walker.
The city is served by Mobile Regional Airport, which is located in nearby Mobile, Alabama, the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport about 20 miles west of Pascagoula, and the recently constructed Trent Lott International Airport, located within Jackson County.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated Pascagoula, like Biloxi and Gulfport and the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 92% of Pascagoula flooded. Most homes along Beach Boulevard were destroyed and FEMA trailers are everywhere. Unfortunately, Pascagoulians feel neglected by the major media as attention from Katrina focuses on New Orleans, Gulfport & Biloxi. A flyover of the city shows most roofs intact, but that is deceptive since flooded and moldy homes are uninhabitable, even with the roof. Most of the residents did not have flood insurance and many are being required to put their home on pilings before being given a permit to rebuild. The cost of restoration is unimaginable.
Mayor of the city is Matthew Avara.
Geography
Pascagoula is located at 30°21'49" North, 88°32'31" West (30.363656, -88.542041)Template:GR, along Mississippi Sound at the mouth of the Pascagoula River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.2 km² (18.2 mi²). 39.3 km² (15.2 mi²) of it is land and 7.9 km² (3.0 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 16.74% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 26,200 people, 9,878 households, and 6,726 families residing in the city. The population density was 666.4/km² (1,726.4/mi²). There were 10,931 housing units at an average density of 278.0/km² (720.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.15% White, 28.97% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 3.89% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,878 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,042, and the median income for a family was $39,044. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $22,594 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,891. 20.7% of the population and 18.1% of families were below the poverty line. 31.4% of those under the age of 18 and 13.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
