Gulf Hills, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Gulf Hills is a census-designated place
, CDP, in Jackson County
, Mississippi
, United States
. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi
Metropolitan Statistical Area
. The population was 5,900 at the 2000 census.
Gulf Hills is located along the Mississippi Gulf Coast
just south of Interstate 10
and is bordered by St. Martin
(a census-designated place) to the west, Latimer
(a census-designated place) to the north and the city of Ocean Springs
to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 8.1 square miles (21 km²), of which, 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (6.08%) is water.
The terrain in the Bayou Puerto region is relatively high considering its propinquity to the Gulf of Mexico. Elevations range from twenty-five above mean sea level to sea level. The area of interest lies south of the Big Ridge escarpment on the western terminus of an east-west striking coastal ridge, which is sub-parallel to the Big Ridge. Here small bayous and streams have dissected the topography with steep ravines to create a "hilly" terrain. Reconnaissance, surface, geologic investigations indicate that alluvial-fluvial deposits of the Late Pleistocene Prairie "formation" are exposed in the higher areas of the Bayou Puerto-Gulf Hills section. (Otvos, 1972, pp. 223–224)http://www.oceanspringsarchives.com/GulfHills.htm
The majority of the people of the Bayou Puerto sector made their livelihoods primarily from the sea and forest. The sea provided fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, as well as the medium for travel and trade. Sylvan dwellers cut timber and light wood and made charcoal. Agriculturally, there were some citrus orchards and viticulture, but large traditional farms were nonexistence. Families cultivated vegetable gardens to supplement their high protein diet consisting primarily of seafood, fowl, and game.
After 1900, there is a marked decrease in charcoal making. Virtually every male resident of Bayou Puerto in 1900 was employed in the seafood industry. Only a few Blacks were still producing charcoal, probably for local consumption. (1900 Federal Census JXCO, Miss.)
Slavery
Slavery in the Bayou Puerto area was almost nil, as most of the inhabitants existed at the subsistence level.
Civil War
No Union incursions occurred in the Bayou Puerto section, nor are there any records of Federal occupation here during the Civil War. Some of the men left the safety and seclusion of their homes to fight for States' Rights against the Union in the War of the Rebellion.
Millionaire's Playground
An event, which permanently changed the history and culture of Bayou-Puerto and St. Martin, occurred as a result of the land boom of the mid-1920s. A group of investors from Chicago and New York enamored with the natural beauty, temperate climate, and propinquity via rail to the "snow birds" of the Midwest, chose an area in eastern St. Martin along and at the mouth of Old Fort Bayou and Bayou Puerto, to build a winter resort. It was called Gulf Hills because small tributaries and intermittent streams flowing into Old Fort Bayou and Bayou Puerto have dissected the topography in the area creating a somewhat rugose topography.
Harvey W. Braniger (1875–1953), a native of Morning Sun, Iowa and developer of Ivanhoe at Chicago, is generally considered the founder of Gulf Hills. A charter of incorporation was issued for Gulf Hills by the State of Mississippi on September 15, 1925. (The Jackson County Times, September 19, 1925, p. 2)http://www.oceanspringsarchives.com/GulfHills.htm
The Chicago developers envisioned selling 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) homesites to wealthy northerners who would come to escape winter's cold blasts, then peacefully retire here.
The Branigars hosted a gala early January 1927 opening of Gulf Hills on No. 1 tee. Billed as the golf city of the Gulf Coast, Gulf Hills covered 667 acres (2.7 km²) with 249 of them dedicated as fairways, parks, playgrounds and waterways. Of the ten miles (16 km) of narrow roadways, four of them were waterfront and seven, on the golf course.
The Depression put the skids to the program. By the end of World War II, there were only 40 homes. By the 1950s, homes were being built again in Gulf Hills. Activity heightened in the 1960s and continued into the 1980s.
The Gulf Hills Inn was revitalized by renaming it Gulf Hills Dude Ranch and creating a western atmosphere. Gulf Hills became a popular place with nationwide recognition. Stars like Judy Garland, Elvis Presley and honeymooning Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collings adopted the resort as a retreat. Until the 1970s, Mafia bosses would annually gather for business and pleasure. They were so unobtrusive and looked like other golfing businessmen that few people realized they were there.
http://www.co.jackson.ms.us/GIPages/HistoryPics/JCCommunties/GulfHills.htm
Presently most people live in Gulf Hills all year round not just in the winter, and it is no longer only for the wealthy. A diverse group now occupies this once resort community.
of 2000, there were 5,900 people, 2,199 households, and 1,662 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 778.7 people per square mile (300.5/km²). There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of 321.5/sq mi (124.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.64% White, 10.61% African American, 0.19% Native American, 5.83% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races
, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population.
There were 2,199 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples
living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,250, and the median income for a family was $54,418. Males had a median income of $34,243 versus $23,377 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $21,759. About 4.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
, CDP, in Jackson County
Jackson County, Mississippi
There were 47,676 households out of which 37.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.70% were married couples living together, 14.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 20.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.10% had...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Pascagoula metropolitan area
The Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the southeastern corner of Mississippi that covers two counties - Jackson and George. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 150,564. The area was significantly impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A July 1, 2009...
. The population was 5,900 at the 2000 census.
Gulf Hills is located along the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Mississippi Gulf Coast
The Mississippi Gulf Coast refers to the three Mississippi counties which lie on the Gulf of Mexico: Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties.The region was severely damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and again by Hurricane Katrina in 2005....
just south of Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
and is bordered by St. Martin
St. Martin, Mississippi
St. Martin is a census-designated place in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,676 at the 2000 census.St...
(a census-designated place) to the west, Latimer
Latimer, Mississippi
Latimer is a census-designated place in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(a census-designated place) to the north and the city of Ocean Springs
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, about east of Biloxi. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 census...
to the south.
Geography
Gulf Hills is located at 30°26′3"N 88°49′33"W (30.434065, -88.825794).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 8.1 square miles (21 km²), of which, 7.6 square miles (19.7 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (6.08%) is water.
The terrain in the Bayou Puerto region is relatively high considering its propinquity to the Gulf of Mexico. Elevations range from twenty-five above mean sea level to sea level. The area of interest lies south of the Big Ridge escarpment on the western terminus of an east-west striking coastal ridge, which is sub-parallel to the Big Ridge. Here small bayous and streams have dissected the topography with steep ravines to create a "hilly" terrain. Reconnaissance, surface, geologic investigations indicate that alluvial-fluvial deposits of the Late Pleistocene Prairie "formation" are exposed in the higher areas of the Bayou Puerto-Gulf Hills section. (Otvos, 1972, pp. 223–224)http://www.oceanspringsarchives.com/GulfHills.htm
History
Bayou Puerto is the ancestral name for the area that most of us refer to today as Gulf Hills. This small, isolated, primarily Roman Catholic settlement came into existence in the mid-19th century, and encompassed for the most part the S/2 of Section 12, all of Section 13, the E/2 of Section 14, and the NE/4 of Section 24 all of T7S-R9W, Jackson County, Mississippi.The majority of the people of the Bayou Puerto sector made their livelihoods primarily from the sea and forest. The sea provided fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, as well as the medium for travel and trade. Sylvan dwellers cut timber and light wood and made charcoal. Agriculturally, there were some citrus orchards and viticulture, but large traditional farms were nonexistence. Families cultivated vegetable gardens to supplement their high protein diet consisting primarily of seafood, fowl, and game.
After 1900, there is a marked decrease in charcoal making. Virtually every male resident of Bayou Puerto in 1900 was employed in the seafood industry. Only a few Blacks were still producing charcoal, probably for local consumption. (1900 Federal Census JXCO, Miss.)
Slavery
Slavery in the Bayou Puerto area was almost nil, as most of the inhabitants existed at the subsistence level.
Civil War
No Union incursions occurred in the Bayou Puerto section, nor are there any records of Federal occupation here during the Civil War. Some of the men left the safety and seclusion of their homes to fight for States' Rights against the Union in the War of the Rebellion.
Millionaire's Playground
An event, which permanently changed the history and culture of Bayou-Puerto and St. Martin, occurred as a result of the land boom of the mid-1920s. A group of investors from Chicago and New York enamored with the natural beauty, temperate climate, and propinquity via rail to the "snow birds" of the Midwest, chose an area in eastern St. Martin along and at the mouth of Old Fort Bayou and Bayou Puerto, to build a winter resort. It was called Gulf Hills because small tributaries and intermittent streams flowing into Old Fort Bayou and Bayou Puerto have dissected the topography in the area creating a somewhat rugose topography.
Harvey W. Braniger (1875–1953), a native of Morning Sun, Iowa and developer of Ivanhoe at Chicago, is generally considered the founder of Gulf Hills. A charter of incorporation was issued for Gulf Hills by the State of Mississippi on September 15, 1925. (The Jackson County Times, September 19, 1925, p. 2)http://www.oceanspringsarchives.com/GulfHills.htm
The Chicago developers envisioned selling 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) homesites to wealthy northerners who would come to escape winter's cold blasts, then peacefully retire here.
The Branigars hosted a gala early January 1927 opening of Gulf Hills on No. 1 tee. Billed as the golf city of the Gulf Coast, Gulf Hills covered 667 acres (2.7 km²) with 249 of them dedicated as fairways, parks, playgrounds and waterways. Of the ten miles (16 km) of narrow roadways, four of them were waterfront and seven, on the golf course.
The Depression put the skids to the program. By the end of World War II, there were only 40 homes. By the 1950s, homes were being built again in Gulf Hills. Activity heightened in the 1960s and continued into the 1980s.
The Gulf Hills Inn was revitalized by renaming it Gulf Hills Dude Ranch and creating a western atmosphere. Gulf Hills became a popular place with nationwide recognition. Stars like Judy Garland, Elvis Presley and honeymooning Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collings adopted the resort as a retreat. Until the 1970s, Mafia bosses would annually gather for business and pleasure. They were so unobtrusive and looked like other golfing businessmen that few people realized they were there.
http://www.co.jackson.ms.us/GIPages/HistoryPics/JCCommunties/GulfHills.htm
Presently most people live in Gulf Hills all year round not just in the winter, and it is no longer only for the wealthy. A diverse group now occupies this once resort community.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,900 people, 2,199 households, and 1,662 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 778.7 people per square mile (300.5/km²). There were 2,436 housing units at an average density of 321.5/sq mi (124.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.64% White, 10.61% African American, 0.19% Native American, 5.83% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.02% of the population.
There were 2,199 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $49,250, and the median income for a family was $54,418. Males had a median income of $34,243 versus $23,377 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $21,759. About 4.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Gulf Hills is served by the Jackson County School DistrictJackson County School District (Mississippi)
The Jackson County School District is a public school district based in Jackson County, Mississippi .The district serves the communities of Vancleave, Latimer, St. Martin, Hurley, Wade, and Big Point.-Schools:*East Central High School...
.