Pearlington, Mississippi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pearlington, Mississippi
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Sign welcoming visitors to Pearlington
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Location of Pearlington, Mississippi
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 Pearlington, Mississippi
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Mississippi |
| County | Hancock |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.54 sq mi (24.71 km2) |
| • Land | 9.13 sq mi (23.64 km2) |
| • Water | 0.41 sq mi (1.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,153 |
| • Density | 126.31/sq mi (48.77/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
39572
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| Area code(s) | 228 |
| FIPS code | 28-55920 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0675547 |
Pearlington is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on U.S. Route 90, along the Pearl River, at the Louisiana state line. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,684 at the 2000 census. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall just south of Pearlington.
Contents
Geography
Pearlington is located at 30°15′0″N 89°36′18″W / 30.25000°N 89.60500°W (30.249994, -89.604939).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 9.6 square miles (25 km2), of which 9.1 square miles (24 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (4.91%) is water.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 1,153 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 812 | 70.42% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 228 | 19.77% |
| Native American | 15 | 1.3% |
| Asian | 6 | 0.52% |
| Other/Mixed | 62 | 5.38% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 30 | 2.6% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,153 people, 371 households, and 215 families residing in the CDP.
Education
Pearlington is served by the Hancock County School District.
All of Hancock County is in the service area of Pearl River Community College.
John C. Stennis Space Center
In 1961, Pearlington was one of six communities in Hancock County acquired by the federal government either wholly (Gainesville, Logtown, Napoleon, Santa Rosa, and Westonia) or in part (a section of northern Pearlington), to provide a 125,000 acres (506 km2) acoustical buffer zone for what was envisioned to be NASA's main rocket testing facility, the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC). These communities had a total population of 700 families, who were fully relocated from their former properties.
As of 2012[update], SSC is NASA's largest rocket engine test facility. It also provides testing facilities for more than 30 different state, national, international, public, and private rocket developers and manufacturers.
Remnants of the portion of Pearlington and the other five communities still exist inside the testing buffer zone at SSC. These include such features as city streets. now overgrown with grasses and shrubs, and a one-room school house.
Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005 at 10 am CDT (1500 UTC), Hurricane Katrina made a third landfall on Pearlington. The eye of the hurricane made direct contact with Pearlington, halfway between Biloxi and New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina came ashore during the high tide of 8:01 am, raising flood waters +2.2 feet more.
Hurricane Katrina damaged more than 40 Mississippi libraries. The Pearlington Public Library was a total loss, and it required a complete rebuild.
Almost a year later, a member of C.O.D.R.A. (Coalition of Disaster Relief Agencies) in Pearlington noted that all (but 2) homes, every building, and every vehicle in the town of 1600 was destroyed. The storm surge travelled 4.5 miles (7.2 km) inland to drown what little was left under 12–20 feet of toxic stew from the saltwater storm tide off the Gulf of Mexico.
The town was reduced to a site for survivors to get water, ice and military-issued meals from aid stations. There was no Red Cross or shelter. The houses were heaps of debris, and broken trees and nail-studded boards littered the roads. The people - perhaps 600 of the 1,700 residents - had to live in tents and under tarps. The elementary school buildings that were still standing were opened as shelters after the water went down.
Residents say that Pearlington was old and generally overlooked. It has been a segregated and isolated town. It has no mayor. The only form of government was the town's all volunteer fire department, West Hancock Fire Rescue, and its head, Chief Kim Jones.
After further damage from Hurricane Gustav in 2008, Pearlington began to rebuild.
Notable people
- Ripley A. Arnold, founder of Camp Worth, which was eventually renamed Fort Worth, Texas
- Emma Sadler Moss (1898–1970), pathologist
See also
In Spanish: Pearlington para niños
