Pass Christian, Mississippi
Encyclopedia
Pass Christian nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County
Harrison County, Mississippi
-National protected areas:* De Soto National Forest * Gulf Islands National Seashore - Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 189,601 people, 71,538 households, and 48,574 families residing in the county. The population density was 326 people per square mile . There were 79,636 housing...

, 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...

, along the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...

. It is part of the Gulfport
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport is the second largest city in Mississippi after the state capital Jackson. It is the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. As of the...

Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....

, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area
Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area
The Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region that covers three counties - Hancock, Harrison, and Stone. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 246,190. The area was significantly impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A...

. The population was 6,579 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Pass Christian is located at 30°19′28"N 89°14′50"W (30.324463, -89.247214).
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 city has a total area of 15.3 square miles (39.6 km²), of which, 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²) of it is land and 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it (44.97%) is water.

The ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 of Pass Christian is 39571. Geographically, the town of Pass Christian is peninsular, with water on three sides: the Gulf of Mexico to the south, the Bay of St. Louis to the west and a long stretch of bayou to the north. The area north of the bayou, known as DeLisle , shares a zip code with and is officially part of Pass Christian, yet has always had a separate name (formerly Wolf Town or Wolftown for reasons that were obvious at the time).

History

Pass Christian was named for a nearby deepwater pass, which in turn was named for Nicholas Christian L'Adnier who lived on nearby Cat Island
Cat Island (Mississippi)
Cat Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of the United States. The island is named for raccoons which Spanish explorers mistook for cats. It is unknown who discovered Cat Island. It was called Isle-aux-Chats and Isola de Gati in French and Italian, respectively. It is within the...

 beginning in 1746. (Another nearby pass, Pass Marianne, was named for L'Adnier's wife Marianne Paquet.)http://www.ci.pass-christian.ms.us/history/briefhistp5.htm

In 1781 all of Pass Christian peninsula was owned by Julia de la Brosse (Widow Asmard). Upon her death in 1799, Widow Asmard deeded 800 arpents - the entire downtown Pass Christian - to Charles Asmar, her freed slave, who upon his death left the property to his heirs. Pass Christian was officially charted as a town in 1848. http://history.passchristian.net/pass_time_line.htm

The town was a famous resort prior to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 and the site where the first yacht club of the South (and second in the US) was established in 1849. The town was a favorite location for the beach and summer homes of the wealthy of New Orleans. The row of historic mansions along the town's shoreline, especially Scenic Drive, was one of the country's notable historic districts.

During the Civil War, the Battle of Pass Christian occurred when the began shelling the town. The 3rd Mississippi Regiment which was stationed in Pass Christian, had marched toward Biloxi expecting a Union landing there, leaving Pass Christian completely unprotected. A housewife dashed to her upper floor balcony and waved a white bed sheet, the flag of surrender, and the bombardment ceased. Union soldiers plundered the town before withdrawing, there being little of value, including food, for them to confiscate. This skirmish became known as Bedsheet Surrender.

In 1884, Wolf Town - so named for the preponderance of wolves in the area - was renamed as Delisle. Delisle is a stretch of land north of the Pass Christian bayou. http://history.passchristian.net/pass_time_line.htm

Tarpon Hole, offshore of Pass Christian in the Mississippi Sound, was the location where a world record Black Sea Bass was caught by Captain John T. McDonald. Captain McDonald operated the schooner "Queen of the Fleet." The fishing vessel was noted for its nearly spotless racing record throughout the 1890s and early 1900s until being replaced by larger, faster schooners built for the Biloxi fisheries during World War I. The two-masted 42 feet (12.8 m) vessel was purchased in 1895 by Mrs. Bidwell, later given to John McDonald, and years later, was lost at sea on October 16, 1923 during a storm. John T. McDonald had been a city alderman in 1888, and served as mayor for three 2-year terms from 1890 to 1895, and served another term in 1903.

George McDonald Jr., A descendant of Capt. John T. McDonald served in the the United States Army during the Vietnam war and fought in the Battle of Ia Drang
Battle of Ia Drang
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the...

 at Landing Zone X-Ray, participating in a search-and-destroy mission with the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry on November 14 and 15, 1965. 33 years later, In November 1998, George McDonald received the Bronze Star distinguishing himself by valor in action. Georges Father, George McDonald Sr. Served in the United States Army during World War II along with his brother Frank J. McDonald, who served in the United States Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La, flagship of Carrier Task Force 2. Three descendants of Frank J. McDonald served in the United States Army During Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pass Christian was in the path of two of the most intense hurricanes ever to hit the United States--Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest tropical cyclone and second hurricane during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. The second of three catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century , which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River...

 on August 17, 1969 and Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

 on August 29, 2005. Each hurricane caused the near total destruction of the city.

Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005, Pass Christian was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Of the approximately 8,000 homes in Pass Christian, all but 500 were damaged or destroyed. In spite of the fact that the beachfront Scenic Drive follows the crest of a small bluff, affording it some elevation, most of the historic mansions along the road were severely damaged, and many were destroyed.

Hurricane Katrina totally destroyed the local public library, requiring a complete rebuild. Thirteen members of the city's police department retreated to the library after the police station became unsafe and water from the Gulf of Mexico began to pour in.

The library was immediately north of City Hall across a small parking lot but was at a lower elevation. When the water crested the elevation of City Hall, the police cars in the parking lot began to float and were carried around the parking lot by the current. One car struck the South side doors causing them to implode and the Gulf of Mexico driven by Katrina's powerful winds rushed in the building. With no way to fight against the current they were trapped inside a concrete box that was rapidly filling with water. Knowing that they had to escape they attempted to shoot the glass out of the North side of the building. This was unsuccessful. The laminated glass proved impervious to the .45 caliber rounds of the police issue handguns. The force of the water entering the building after the southern wall was destroyed by the car was far too strong to swim against. The only way out was with the current.

The storm surge
Storm surge
A storm surge is an offshore rise of water associated with a low pressure weather system, typically tropical cyclones and strong extratropical cyclones. Storm surges are caused primarily by high winds pushing on the ocean's surface. The wind causes the water to pile up higher than the ordinary sea...

 from Hurricane Katrina that hit Pass Christian was estimated at 8.5 m (27.8 ft), which is the US record high, leveling Pass Christian up to half a mile inland from the shore; estimation of highest storm surges was complicated because high-water markers were also destroyed. Highway 90 along the beach was damaged, and the bridge over the Bay of St. Louis was thrown completely apart, not being reopened until a new bridge was partially completed in May 2007. (Connection was temporarily replaced by a ferry service.) Sewage contamination rendered the local water supply unusable, as some samples tested positive for more than 250 bacteria and parasites. By late September 2005, access was restricted south of the railroad tracks (about 4 blocks inland) without proper credentials, as crews continued to search for victims and clear debris. In early 2007, although rebuilding was underway in much of the city, a large portion of empty, deserted homes and other structures remain. Many residents were still living in FEMA trailer
FEMA trailer
The term FEMA trailer,or FEMA travel trailer, is the name commonly given by the United States Government to many forms of temporary manufactured housing assigned to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita or other events, by the Federal Emergency Management Agency...

s, and out-of-state volunteers were still needed for the rebuilding effort.


Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 6,579 people, 2,687 households, and 1,797 families residing in the city. 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 781.2 people per square mile (301.7/km²). There were 3,351 housing units at an average density of 397.9 per square mile (153.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.91% White, 28.17% African American, 0.62% Native American, 3.48% Asian (almost all Vietnamese American
Vietnamese American
A Vietnamese American is an American of Vietnamese descent. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American group....

), 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.62% 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 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 2,687 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% 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, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the city was $40,743, and the median income for a family was $46,232. Males had a median income of $35,352 versus $22,195 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 city was $26,008. About 8.2% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Pass Christian School District
Pass Christian School District
The Pass Christian School District is a public school district based in Pass Christian, Mississippi .-Schools:*Pass Christian High School **2005 National Blue Ribbon School *Pass Christian Middle School...

 operates the schools in the city, and in the inland, unincorporated areas around and to the north of Delisle. The Pass Christian Middle School (formerly the Pass Christian High School) on the corner of 2nd Street and Church Street was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The only thing left standing, ironically, was a monument proclaiming that the school had withstood Hurricane Camille. The new Pass Christian High School, which opened in 2001, was flooded almost to the second level, but was renovated and re-opened in October 2006. The Pass Christian Elementary School, across the street from the high school, was also flooded and was torn down due to mold concerns. Delisle Elementary was the only school left standing, and as such, was a temporary grounds for all of the students of the Pass Christian School District, housed either in temporary trailer classrooms or in the elementary school, sharing cafeteria and gymnasium facilities with the school.

A new educational complex housing Pass Christian Middle School and Pass Christian Elementary School opened in 2010 with an attached Boys and Girls Club on the north side of campus. As of 2011, Delisle Elementary School has been torn down and is under reconstruction.

Pass Christian High School is a Blue Ribbon school, and all four of the schools in the school district consistently rank high among other public schools in Mississippi.

The facility of the parochial elementary and middle school of St. Paul's Roman Catholic church was destroyed by Katrina, and the school was merged with the neighboring Long Beach parochial school to form St. Vincent de Paul School. The parochial high school in Pass Christian is the Coast Episcopal High School.

Notable residents

  • Phelan Beale
    Phelan Beale
    Phelan Beale was a wealthy attorney and sportsman in New York City.Beale, who was married to Edith Ewing Bouvier, an aunt of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is probably best remembered as the absent father chronicled in the Grey Gardens saga portrayed in a 1975 movie documentary, 2006 Broadway...

    , original owner of Grey Gardens
    Grey Gardens
    Grey Gardens is a 1975 documentary film by Albert and David Maysles, with Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive socialites, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived at Grey Gardens, a decrepit mansion at 3 West End Road in...

  • Dave Dennis, businessman and candidate for Mississippi Governor
  • Brett Favre
    Brett Favre
    Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...

    , lived in Pass Christian, Mississippi for a fraction of his life, retired NFL quarterback formerly of the Green Bay Packers
  • Captain John Handy
    Captain John Handy
    Captain John Handy , was an American jazz alto saxophonist. Handy's style was rooted in New Orleans Jazz but also incorporated elements of R&B....

    , jazz musician
  • Jimmy Johnson
    Jimmy Johnson (cartoonist)
    Jimmy Johnson is an American comic strip cartoonist who writes and draws Arlo and Janis. He is an alumnus of Auburn University, class of 1974."My earliest cartoon work was copying Fred and Barney and Yogi Bear...

    , cartoonist and creator of the syndicated newspaper comic strip Arlo and Janis
    Arlo and Janis
    Arlo and Janis is a comic strip written and drawn by Jimmy Johnson. It is a leisurely-paced domestic situation comedy. It was first published in newspapers on July 29, 1985.- Cast :...

    .
  • Margaret Loesch
    Margaret Loesch
    Margaret Ann Loesch, is a veteran television executive, multi-award–winning producer, who is currently the President and CEO of Discovery Communications and Hasbro Inc's joint venture television network, The Hub.-Early life:...

    , television executive and producer, formerly founding CEO of Fox Kids Networks and the US Hallmark Channel, currently CEO of The Hub, a TV network.
  • Tig Notaro
    Tig Notaro
    Tig Notaro, born Carl Notaro, is an American stand-up comic."Tig" is a nickname, bestowed upon her by her brother when both were children. Her great-great-grandfather was the mayor of New Orleans....

    , standup comedian.
  • Robin Roberts
    Robin Roberts (newscaster)
    Robin René Roberts is an American television broadcaster. Roberts is the co-anchor of ABC's morning show Good Morning America-Early life:...

    , ABC News
    ABC News
    ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...

    ' Good Morning America
    Good Morning America
    Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...

    anchor who returned home to provide emotional coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
  • Jesmyn Ward
    Jesmyn Ward
    Jesmyn Ward is an American novelist. She won the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction with Salvage the Bones, a novel about familial love and community in the 12 days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. An assistant professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Alabama, she is currently...

    , an American novelist and winner of the 2011 National Book Award for Fiction. Born in DeLisle.

Cultural references

  • The city is mentioned in the John Mellencamp
    John Mellencamp
    John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

     song "Cuttin' Heads" from his 2001 album of the same name
    Cuttin' Heads
    Cuttin' Heads is an album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp, released in 2001. It was his second album for Columbia Records.- Track listing :All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted....

    . Mellencamp pronounced the name incorrectly.
  • The city is mentioned in Poppy Z. Brite
    Poppy Z. Brite
    Poppy Z. Brite is an American author. Brite initially achieved notoriety in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s after publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections...

    's novel Drawing Blood as one of the towns main character Zachary Bosch stops in during his travels.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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