Harrison County, Mississippi County in Mississippi, United States
County in Mississippi
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 .
Geography
According 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
A single pond in the county contains the critically endangered dusky gopher frog .[ 5]
Major highways
Adjacent counties and parishes
National protected areas
Demographics
Historical population
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%
2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census , 208,621 people, 74,628 households, and 50,074 families were residing in the county.
Corrections system
Harrison 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
Water from the Tchoutacabouffa River is overflowing its banks near the intersection of Old Hwy 67 and MS 15 on September 29, 1998, after Hurricane Georges made landfall.
Cities
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
Politics
Since 1964, Harrison County has voted overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to receive over 40% of the vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976.
United States presidential election results for Harrison County, Mississippi[ 14]
Year
Republican
Democratic
Third party(ies)
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
2024
48,497
63.88%
26,555
34.98%
871
1.15%
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
School districts include:[ 15]
See also
References
^ 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
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
Places adjacent to Harrison County, Mississippi
International National Other
30°25′N 89°05′W / 30.42°N 89.09°W / 30.42; -89.09