Biloxi

Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the U.S.. The 2000 census recorded the population as 50,644. Biloxi is co–county seat with the larger city Gulfport, in the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The beachfront of Biloxi lies directly on the Mississippi Sound, with barrier islands scattered off the coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. Keesler Air Force Base lies within the city and is home to the 81st Training Wing of the U.S. Air Force. With the introduction of gambling in Mississippi in the 1990s, Biloxi became an important center for casinos; the hotels and complexes brought millions of dollars in tourism revenue to the city. The more famous casino complexes were the Beau Rivage casino resort, the Hard Rock Casino Biloxi ,Casino Magic, Grand Casino, Isle of Capri Casino, Boomtown Casino, President Broadwater Casino Resort, and Imperial Palace. Like Tunica County in the northern part of the state, Biloxi and the surrounding Gulf Coast region was considered a leading gambling center in the Southern United States until many casinos were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Of the casinos that were located in Biloxi, six have reopened since Katrina. They are the Isle of Capri Casino and Resort, the Palace Casino resort, the Imperial Palace, Treasure Bay Casino, Boomtown Casino, and the Beau Rivage, which re-opened on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast with high winds, heavy rains and a 30-foot storm surge, causing massive damage to the area. Katrina came ashore during the high tide of 6:56AM, +2.3 feet more.

Commenting on the power of the storm and the damage, Mayor A.J. Holloway said, "This is our tsunami" . Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour was quoted as saying the destruction of the Mississippi coastline by Hurricane Katrina looked like an American Hiroshima. Biloxi is the smaller of two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulport-Biloxi-Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area. In the center of what fisheries biologists term "The Fertile Fisheries Crescent", Biloxi offers some of the finest sportsfishing along the entire northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Spotted seatrout, red drum, Spanish and king mackerel, flounder, snapper, grouper, sharks, and more are all available to anglers during the fishing season. It is not known how Hurricane Katrina affected this ecosystem. The city is home to the Mississippi Sea Wolves, an ECHL minor league hockey team.