Waveland, Mississippi
City
Motto: 
"America's Small Beach Town"[1]
Location of Waveland, Mississippi
Location of Waveland, Mississippi
Waveland, Mississippi is located in the United States
Waveland, Mississippi
Waveland, Mississippi
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 30°17′23″N 89°23′1″W / 30.28972°N 89.38361°W / 30.28972; -89.38361
CountryUnited States
StateMississippi
CountyHancock
Area
[2]
 • Total8.63 sq mi (22.36 km2)
 • Land8.49 sq mi (21.99 km2)
 • Water0.14 sq mi (0.37 km2)
Elevation
16 ft (5 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total7,210
 • Density849.23/sq mi (327.90/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP code
39576
Area code228
FIPS code28-78200
GNIS feature ID0679394
Websitewaveland.ms.gov
Waveland (left) is west of Bay St. Louis, on the Gulf of Mexico.

Waveland is a city located in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city of Waveland was incorporated in 1972. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 6,435.[3] Waveland was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.

The current mayor of Waveland is Jay Trapani.[4]

History

Andrew Jackson once lived and owned land in Waveland on what is now known as Jackson Ridge.[5] Much of Jackson Ridge later became Buccaneer State Park.[6]

The Silver Slipper Casino opened on November 9, 2006.

Hurricane Camille

On August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille made landfall at the tip of Louisiana before continuing on shore at Waveland.[7] The storm heavily damaged the areas south of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Recovery efforts went on for nearly a decade. The town later erected a plaque commemorating the efforts of the volunteers who committed time and resources towards rebuilding.

Hurricane Katrina

Waveland during Hurricane Katrina, August 29, 2005

The city of Waveland was "ground zero" of Hurricane Katrina's landfall on August 29, 2005. The city received massive damage and is still in the process of recovering and rebuilding. South of the CSXT mainline, the area was almost completely destroyed. The rest of the city took heavy flooding. In a news report, state officials said Waveland took a harder hit from the wind and water than any other town along the Gulf Coast, and that the town was obliterated. Official reports stated that approximately 50 people died when Waveland was hit directly by the eyewall of Katrina and the 26-foot (7.9 m) storm surge. Hurricane Katrina came ashore during the high tide of 8:01 am, +2.2 feet more.[8]

Hurricane Katrina damaged over 40 Mississippi libraries, gutting the Waveland Public Library, as a total loss, requiring a complete rebuild.[9]

Recovery

A group of social activists seeking to better the lives of local residents, called the "Rainbow Family", arrived in Waveland soon after Hurricane Katrina. From early September to early December 2005, they ran the "New Waveland Cafe & Clinic"[10][11] in the parking lot of Fred's Dept Store on Highway 90. The café provided free hot meals three times a day. The clinic was staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses from throughout the United States who saw over 5,000 patients during the duration, free of charge and dispensing free medications. Donations of medications and supplies came from a multitude of sources, with International Aid[12] arranging the most donations.

Waveland Elementary School, which has served public school students in Grades K-3 (Grades 4-5 attend Second Street Elementary in nearby Bay St. Louis), was heavily damaged by Katrina. The students attending the school were educated in portable classrooms for the beginning of the 2006–2007 school year, pending a permanent solution.[13]

The recovery of Waveland was due in part to the faith-based disaster recovery effort in and around the Waveland area. Shoreline Park Baptist Church in Waveland and Pastor Ed Murphy were vital to this effort, housing and feeding hundreds of missionaries from around the country for many years following Hurricane Katrina in what were referred to as "Pods for God". Shoreline Park Baptist Church directed the repair and, in some instances, the rebuilding of homes in the area for many years after the devastation.[14][15]

After the storm, the similarly named town of Wayland, Massachusetts saw the town was neglected compared to the New Orleans area which received more media coverage, and decided to adopt the town of Waveland. They started an organization called Wayland to Waveland which sent a tractor trailer full of essential supplies, rebuilt homes, and restored local parks. Even though Hurricane Katrina was many years ago, the two towns still share a bond. [16]

Geography

Waveland is in southeastern Hancock County along the shore of Mississippi Sound, an embayment of the Gulf of Mexico. It is bordered to the north and northeast by the city of Bay St. Louis. U.S. Route 90 passes through the northern side of the city, leading east across the Bay of Saint Louis 18 miles (29 km) to Gulfport and west 55 miles (89 km) to New Orleans. Beach Boulevard (Mississippi Highway 606) passes along the shoreline, connecting Waveland with Buccaneer State Park and the communities of Lakeshore and Clermont Harbor.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Waveland has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.4 km2), of which 8.5 square miles (22.0 km2) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km2), or 1.66%, are water.[3]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890328—
190052058.5%
19105546.5%
1920431−22.2%
193066353.8%
194076815.8%
19507933.3%
19601,10639.5%
19703,108181.0%
19804,18634.7%
19905,36928.3%
20006,67424.3%
20106,435−3.6%
20207,21012.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]
Waveland racial composition as of 2020[18]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 5,314 73.7%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 1,100 15.26%
Native American 35 0.49%
Asian 64 0.89%
Pacific Islander 4 0.06%
Other/Mixed 362 5.02%
Hispanic or Latino 331 4.59%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 7,210 people, 2,642 households, and 1,683 families residing in the city.

Education

Most of Waveland is served by the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District. Some portions are within the Hancock County School District.[19]

All of Hancock County is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.[20]

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ "Mayor Mike Smith Welcomes You to the City of Waveland, Mississippi". City of Waveland. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  2. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Waveland city, Mississippi". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Trapani elected as Waveland's next mayor". WLOX. December 6, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Waveland Mississippi Profile and Resource Guide, City or community of Waveland, Mississippi Facts, Information, Relocation, Real Estate, Advertising". Usacitiesonline.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  6. ↑ "About Waveland, MS". Waveland-ms.gov. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Hurricane Camille Report". Sciencepolicy.colorado.edu. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ "2005 NOAA Tide Predictions: Waveland" (2005), tide on 29-August-2005, NOAA, web: NOAA-tide-tables
  9. ↑ "Hurricane Katrina Related Damages to Public Libraries in Mississippi" (PDF). Mississippi Library Commission. September 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2005.
  10. ↑ Archived August 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "Hippie Kitchens Serve Final Meal to Hurricane Victims". NPR. November 23, 2005. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  12. ↑ "International Aid". International Aid. April 22, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  13. ↑ Burnett, Evelina (August 16, 2015). "A Decade After Katrina, Hopes of Recovery Remain Unfulfilled in Waveland, Miss". NPR News.
  14. ↑ "Facility: Shoreline Park Baptist Church (CitizenActionTeam.org Database)". Citizencommandcenter.org. August 10, 2006. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Until it's done — Rainier man turned south at Memphis for the mission of his life | Lifestyles". Tdn.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  16. ↑ Enwemeka, Zeninjor. "10 Years After Katrina, Connection Remains Between Wayland, Mass., And Waveland, Miss". WBUR news. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  19. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Hancock County, MS" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  20. ↑ "2014-2016 Catalog" (PDF). Pearl River Community College. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 7, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  21. ↑ Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.); Lauretta Dimmick; Donna J. Hassler (1999). American Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: A catalogue of works by artists born between 1865 and 1885. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 570. ISBN 978-0-87099-923-9.
  22. ↑ Bill Lee (July 11, 2015). The Baseball Necrology: The Post-Baseball Lives and Deaths of More Than 7,600 Major League Players and Others. McFarland. p. 397. ISBN 978-1-4766-0930-0.
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