Gulfport Mississippi History & Facts

Gulfport is the second-largest city in Mississippi after the state capital, Jackson. Along with Biloxi, Gulfport is the co-county seat of Harrison County and the larger of the two principal cities of the Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area.As of the 2020 census, the city of Gulfport had a total population of 72,926, with 416,259 in the metro area as of 2018.It is also home to the US Navy Atlantic Fleet Seabees.

This area was occupied by indigenous cultures for thousands of years, culminating in the historic encounter between the Choctaw and the first European explorers of the area. Along the Gulf Coast, French colonists founded nearby Biloxi, and Mobile in the 18th century, well before the area was acquired from France by the United States in 1803 in the Louisiana Purchase. By the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the United States completed treaties to extinguish Choctaw and other tribal land claims and removed them to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. In that period, the other four of the Five Civilized Tribes in the Southeast were also removed, to make way for white settlers to take over the lands and develop them for agriculture, especially cotton.

An early settlement near this location, known as Mississippi City, appeared on a map of Mississippi from 1855.Mississippi City was the county seat of Harrison County from 1841 to 1902, but is now a suburb in east Gulfport.

Gulfport was incorporated on July 28, 1898. The city was founded by William H. Hardy,who was president of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (G&SIRR) that connected inland lumber mills to the coast. He was joined by Joseph T. Jones, who later took over the G&SIRR, dredged the harbor in Gulfport, and opened the shipping channel to the sea. In 1902, the harbor was completed and the Port of Gulfport became a working seaport. On April 28, 1904 the Treasury Department changed the port of entry for the district of the Pearl River from Shieldsboro to Gulfport.It now accounts for millions of dollars in annual sales and tax revenue for the state of Mississippi.

Famous Peoples From Gulfport Mississippi

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf

Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (born Chris Wayne Jackson; March 9, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for nine years with the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies.

Abdul-Rauf played college basketball for the LSU Tigers from 1988 to 1990 and was a consensus first-team All-American both seasons he played. He was chosen as the 3rd overall pick in the 1990 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets. Abdul-Rauf was selected for the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1993, appeared in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 1993 NBA All-Star Weekend, and was one of the league's most accurate free throw shooters. After his NBA career, he played in multiple leagues around the world.

Abdul-Rauf sparked controversy during his NBA career when he refused to stand for the national anthem in a sign of protest and called the flag of the United States a symbol of oppression.

Abdul-Rauf was born Chris Jackson in Gulfport, Mississippi, the son of Jacqueline Jackson.He was raised in a single-parent family, along with his two brothers, Omar and David. His childhood was characterized by poverty, as there were times when he and his brothers were not able to have proper nutrition.Abdul-Rauf missed the fourth grade and was later placed in special education classes. He had a moderate form of Tourette syndrome, a condition that went undiagnosed until he was 17.Abdul-Rauf managed to overcome difficulties to become a basketball prodigy for Gulfport High School.In his senior season in high school he averaged 29.9 points and 5.7 assists per game and was called up to the McDonald's All-American Game.He was also named Mississippi Mr. Basketball twice, in 1987 and 1988.

Having never played an organized game, Abdul-Rauf was discovered by a middle-school girls coach in Gulfport, MS during lunch period on the playground. Recognizing his skill, she convinced his mother to allow him to play organized basketball. In his first game, despite not knowing the rules, Abdul-Rauf scored 24 points.

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