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Welcome to Biloxi, Mississippi, the Gulf Coast’s most progressive and exciting community. On this peninsula, you will experience the same colorful tapestry of sights, sounds, and smells that has captivated this area’s inhabitants for over 300 years.
On the sandy shores of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, Biloxi stands as one of the oldest cities in the United States. Biloxi boasts a fascinating history, having first been settled by the French looking for the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Myriad attractions tell the story of the city’s historically rich past. Monuments to the memory include Beauvoir, the last home of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy; the 138-year-old Biloxi Lighthouse; Fort Massachusetts on Ship Island; the George E. Ohr Museum, which houses the unique pottery of a turn of the century artisan; and the Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum, which traces the story of how Biloxi once reigned as the Seafood Capital of the World.
Biloxi’s social calendar is filled with plenty of festivals, parades, and fishing rodeos galore. Join the natives in celebrating Mardi Gras, the Blessing of the Fleet, which is part of our many enjoyable festivals, or stop in at any of Biloxi’s dozen attractions. The multi-million dollar Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center is host to non-stop entertainment.
Excellent schools, hospitals, and housing facilities make Biloxi an attractive place for potential residents, as well as guests. In addition to the seafood industry, employment has had an ever-diversifying industrial scene, as well as at Keesler Air Force Base, the largest electronics center in the world. Located in the heart of the city, Keesler brings people from all over the world to Biloxi.
20 Interesting FACTS about Biloxi
1. There is only one city named Biloxi in the United States.
2. The word ‘Biloxi’, which means “First People”, comes from the Biloxi Indian tribe,
whom the French encountered in 1699.
3. Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, in command of a French expedition
to find the mouth of the Mississippi River, landed on the shore of Biloxi on February 13, 1699.
4. Biloxi has served under eight flags: French, English, Spanish, West Florida Republic,
Magnolia State, Confederate, Mississippi State, and The United States.
5. Biloxi was the capital of the Louisiana Territory from circa 1719 to circa 1722.
6. The historic old Spanish trail, which is a 20th century creation, runs through Biloxi as Highway 90.
7. Fort Massachusetts was not a civil war fort. It was the result of the efforts of the
U.S. Congress to fortify all major harbors and ports along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
Construction began in 1858. The fort was never actually finished.
8. “Beauvoir” near the Coast Coliseum, was the last home of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy.
9. Biloxi is the home of the Magnolia Hotel, oldest hotel still standing on the
Mississippi Coast, constructed in 1847.
10. “Biloxi Bacon”, a fish called mullet, helped to save people from starvation during the civil war.
11. In the 1920’s, Biloxi was known as the “Seafood Capital of the World.”
12. Biloxi and Harrison County have the longest man-made beach in the world, which is 26 miles long.
13. Biloxi is the birthplace of Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise.
14. The mast of the “USS Biloxi”, World War II cruiser, proudly stands at Guice Park,
located in front of the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor on Highway 90.
15. Mardi Gras was first celebrated on March 3, 1699 in the New World by d’Iberville and his men.
16. Queen Ixolib (Biloxi spelled backwards) and King D’Iberville rule over the Biloxi Mardi Gras.
17. Keesler Air Force Base, the largest electronics training center in the world, is located in Biloxi.
18. Biloxi has been a tourist destination since before the Civil War.
19. Biloxi is also known for the cultural diversity. Our ethnic groups
keep our foods, celebrations and customs alive.
20. The cast iron Biloxi lighthouse has survived 21 hurricanes since its erection in 1847.
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