My Thoughts on Visiting the Gulf Coast (Gulfport, Biloxi: insurance, houses)

[MS Intrigued]

We just returned from visiting the MS Gulf Coast - stayed in Biloxi and drove up and down Beach Blvd from Bay St. Louis to Ocean Springs. What a lovely place! Here are a few thoughts and questions if anyone would like to answer.

• People were refreshingly nice
• Food was really awesome
• Gas prices were great
• Sitting underneath an oak tree or walking on the beach in early morning was a treat
• Some of the homes along Beach Blvd are really beautiful and we enjoyed seeing them
• Sadly there are many empty lots with driveways but the debris has been cleared away
• Bay St. Louis was really a neat little town although we really didn't venture to far in and I think I enjoyed it more than Ocean Springs which seemed a little more pricey and had more traffic
• We walked around and did not feel unsafe
• Many of the visitors we spoke to return to the coast one, two or more times a year to visit. Some return for the casinos but several people we spoke to just love the area and don't gamble
• Most of the area has amenities found in the city but still seems to maintain a small town feel

We did go to the Outback Steak House in D'Iberville and that particular road was extremely congested and full of traffic. Is this always the case/why? We didn't look around this town but it is further inland.

The population for the towns listed online seem to be higher than what the locals estimate. For instance, Biloxi is listed as having about 44,000 people but several locals said they are not sure who is being counted and felt the total number was closer to 38,000. I wondered about this as two different individuals stated this to us.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to drive into each town very far although we did see a few neighborhoods while going to various places. For instance, we walked several streets in Edgewater Park and thought it was a nice neighborhood. I didn't see a bicycle nor any children playing and wondered if the area was older people. The drawback for us is that it is too close to the beach for everyday practical reasons.

Due to the school ratings, that would put us in Long Beach or Pass Christian. I am going to do a little more research to see if any other middle schools and high schools in neighboring towns are ranked similar or at least not too far in the other direction.

I was wondering if there are any areas like the Edgewater Park neighborhood further inland, the other side of the railroad tracks (perhaps with a few children). That would seem safer in the event of a hurricane and more likely affordable for property insurance.

Overall, the Gulf Coast of Mississippi is a nice area.

[MS Intrigued]

I forgot to mention that it became a standing joke after the second or third day. "There's a Waffle House!" What gives, we counted at least nine along our travels. We finally broke down and ate at one. I had grits which I hadn't had since I left the south.

[Southern man]

Originally Posted by MS Intrigued

We did go to the Outback Steak House in D'Iberville and that particular road was extremely congested and full of traffic. Is this always the case/why? We didn't look around this town but it is further inland.

That area is the newest, hottest development and that explains the traffic and congestion.

For a long time those empty lots along the beach had what was referred to as "steps to no where".
I've been gone for three years and the steps may be cleaned up now.

[p-squared]

You think there's a lot of Waffle Houses here, you should see the Dunkin' Donut situation in Rhode Island.

[JeffConn]

Originally Posted by MS Intrigued

I forgot to mention that it became a standing joke after the second or third day. "There's a Waffle House!" What gives, we counted at least nine along our travels. We finally broke down and ate at one. I had grits which I hadn't had since I left the south.

Waffle Houses were all over the Gulf Coast before Katrina. After Katrina, Waffle Houses were rebuilt FAST! For a long time after Katrina, WH's were the ONLY place to eat anywhere near the beach, especially in Gulfport, Long Beach, and Pass Christian. I was stationed in Gulfport a month after Katrina hit, and i knew quite a few waitresses whose only job prospects were WH's. Since many houses on the Coast didn't have power for MONTHS, a hot meal, even a Waffle House meal, was a nice relief from all the Katrina blues.

[MS Intrigued]

Originally Posted by JeffConn

Waffle Houses were all over the Gulf Coast before Katrina. After Katrina, Waffle Houses were rebuilt FAST! For a long time after Katrina, WH's were the ONLY place to eat anywhere near the beach, especially in Gulfport, Long Beach, and Pass Christian. I was stationed in Gulfport a month after Katrina hit, and i knew quite a few waitresses whose only job prospects were WH's. Since many houses on the Coast didn't have power for MONTHS, a hot meal, even a Waffle House meal, was a nice relief from all the Katrina blues.

Okay, I have to admit we ate there twice. We were well treated, it was reasonable and the food wasn't bad.

I still have to say that folks on the Coast were very nice to us. We visited to see if this was a possible place for our family to move to within the next year or two and we left with a lot of positive feelings. It has been difficult to find people on this forum to chime in but maybe that's because there aren't too many coast residents on the forum.

Hey, has anyone heard about the new subdivision in Long Beach called Le Petite Cove? We are 150K to 160K kind of people.

[PortCity]

The Mississippi Coast is the most attractive progressive area in the in my opinion.