

No major battles were fought in the area, and Biloxi did not suffer direct damage from the war. In the early stages of the Civil War, Ship Island was captured by Union forces, enabling them to take control of Biloxi. (It is one of two surviving lighthouses on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which at one time had twelve. The Biloxi Lighthouse was built in Baltimore, Maryland, and shipped south, where it was completed at the site in May 1848. Hotels and rental cottages were developed to serve those who could not afford their own homes. Summer homes were built by wealthy slave-owners and commercial figures. It also had the advantages of proximity to New Orleans and ease of access via water. In the antebellum period of the 19th century, it became known as a summer resort, because of its proximity to the breezes and beaches of the coast. Mississippi, and Biloxi with it, was admitted as a state to the union in 1817.īiloxi began to grow. In 1811, the US traded with Spain to take over Biloxi and related area, making it part of their Mississippi Territory. Despite this, the character of Biloxi remained mostly French, as their descendants made up the majority of the population.
#Sea of stars mississippi plus
At the same time, the French colony west of the Mississippi, plus New Orleans, was ceded to Spain as part of the Treaty of Fontainebleau.īritish rule persisted from 1763 to 1779, followed by Spanish rule from 1779 to 1810. In 1763, following Britain's victory in the Seven Years' War/ French and Indian War, France had to cede their colonies east of the Mississippi River, except for New Orleans, to Great Britain, as part of the Treaty of Paris. ĭue to fears of tides and hurricanes, colonial governor Bienville moved the capital of French Louisiana in 1722 from Biloxi to a new inland harbor town named La Nouvelle-Orléans ( New Orleans), built for this purpose in 1718–1720. In modern times it is called La Louisiane française to distinguish it from the modern state of Louisiana. French Louisiana, part of New France, was known in French as La Louisiane in colonial times. In this year, Biloxi the administrative capital of French Louisiana was moved to Biloxi (or Bilocci) from Mobile (or La Mobile). In 1720, the area of today's city of Biloxi was settled for the first time around Fort Louis.

Labeled along with "Fort Maurepas" on maps dated circa year 1710/1725, the name was sometimes used in English as "Fort Bilocci". The name of Biloxi in French was Bilocci, a transliteration of the term for the local Native American tribe in their language.

La Louisiane was separated from Spanish Florida at the Perdido River near Pensacola (this was founded by the Spanish 1559 and again in 1698). They were under the direction of Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville. In 1699 French colonists formed the first, permanent, European settlement in French Louisiana, at Fort Maurepas, now in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and referred to as "Old Biloxi". Old Biloxi (site B) and New Biloxi (site A), French map, beginning of 18th century Keesler Air Force Base lies within the city and is home to the 81st Training Wing and the 403d Wing of the U.S. The beachfront of Biloxi lies directly on the Mississippi Sound, with barrier islands scattered off the coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. Post-Katrina, the population of Biloxi decreased, and it became the fifth-largest city in the state, being surpassed by Hattiesburg and Southaven. Due to the widespread destruction and flooding, many refugees left the city. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, Biloxi was the third-largest city in Mississippi, behind Jackson and Gulfport. The city is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area and the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, MS Combined Statistical Area. The area's first European settlers were French colonists. The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated population was 46,212. Biloxi ( / b ɪ ˈ l ʌ k s i/ bih- LUK-see French: ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other seat being the adjoining city of Gulfport).
