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.

Moss Point, Mississippi
City
Moss Point City Hall
Flag Seal Logo
Location of Moss Point in the state of Mississippi
Moss Point, Mississippi Location in the United States
Coordinates: 30°24′42″N 88°32′04″W
Country	United States
State	Mississippi
County	Jackson
Incorporated	1901 (as a city)
Government
• Mayor	Billy Knight, Sr. (D)[1]
Area [2]
• Total	26.56 sq mi (68.80 km2)
• Land	24.11 sq mi (62.45 km2)
• Water	2.45 sq mi (6.35 km2)
Elevation	16 ft (5 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,147
• Density	504/sq mi (194.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	39562, 39563, 39581
Area code	228
FIPS code	28-49240
GNIS feature ID	0673878
Website	cityofmosspoint.org

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.

On August 29, 2005, Moss Point was hit by the strong eastern side of Hurricane Katrina, when it passed 30 miles (48 km) 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 20 feet (6.1 m) in some sections.^[3]

An EF2 tornado touched down in Moss Point on June 19, 2023 ^[4] The tornado covered six miles of the city and damaged or destroyed over 300 homes and businesses.^[5][6]

Geography

View from ISS Expedition 72, November 2024

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 22 miles (35 km) to the Biloxi area and northeast 36 miles (58 km) 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 38 miles (61 km) to Lucedale, while Highway 613 leads south 4 miles (6 km) to the center of Pascagoula and north 5 miles (8 km) to Escatawpa.

Moss Point has a total area of 26.6 square miles (68.8 km²), of which 24.2 square miles (62.6 km²) are land and 2.4 square miles (6.3 km²), or 9.11%, are water.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1870	440		—
1880	1,333		203.0%
1910	3,054		—
1920	3,340		9.4%
1930	2,453		−26.6%
1940	3,042		24.0%
1950	3,782		24.3%
1960	6,631		75.3%
1970	19,321		191.4%
1980	18,998		−1.7%
1990	17,837		−6.1%
2000	17,653		−1.0%
2010	13,704		−22.4%
2020	12,147		−11.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

Moss Point racial composition as of 2020^[9]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	2,617	21.54%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	8,655	71.25%
Native American	23	0.19%
Asian	40	0.33%
Pacific Islander	1	0.01%
Other/Mixed	361	2.97%
Hispanic or Latino	450	3.7%

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.

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)^[10]
• 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

Sister cities

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Burlington, Vermont became the sister city of Moss Point and provided much-needed aid to the city.^[11]

See also

• Mississippi portal

• L.N. Dantzler Lumber Company