Gulfport Ms (Biloxi, Long Beach, Ocean Springs: insurance, new home, neighborhood)

[debbie60]

Is it correct that home insurance is less expensive north of I-10? Coming from IL and looking for a charming small safe community to call home. Reasonable housing. Any suggestions? Thank you!

[An Einnseanair]

Yes, and no. It depends on the FEMA flood maps and wind damage zones. In general the area north of I-10 is better protected from storm-surge, but not always. Specifically, locations north of I-10 but near rivers where the surge can pass through a bridge opening and where the normal river flow is blocked by the surge can see significant flooding. Also you have high ground way down near the beach. They updated the maps a while back, and there are houses located in the flood zones.

Link to Maps.

You're looking for "Zone X", which means it's outside the 500-yr flood zone.

Damage from wind and flying objects is purely based on distance from the beach. So yeah, in general, locations north of I-10 will have cheaper rates as long as you make sure to stay out of flood zones.

[brickpatio]

It sounds like you might be looking for a cute, safe country atmosphere but also essentially in town. If so, you might look at Saucier, (pronounced, I think, like "so-sher"), right around West Wortham elementary and middle school on West Wortham road, just west of Hwy 49 north of Gulfport.

Another option is the area near North Woolmarket elementary school, which is also north of Gulfport and Biloxi but a few miles further east, along Hwy 67. The good thing about this spot is that that's a new highway with some very nice developments popping up, particularly at the intersection with I-10 (i.e. shopping), but also further north along the highway (i.e. several schools, etc).

If you had in mind something a little more suburban in feel, you could look in that area along Hwy 67 at the community called Tradition, which is very nice and new but designed to feel like a quaint older community. That area is designed to grow a lot over the next several decades. If you want something very high-end, a development called Florence Gardens, a coupe of miles east of Hwy 49 (north of I-10) is like something out of a magazine. Gorgeous. They have million dollar mansions but there is also a cute little town center type neighborhood there with much smaller new homes if that's your thing.

Other options...Ocean Springs is usually considered the best place to live in the area by many, particularly as a suburban location but with its own beautiful historic district, downtown area and beach. On the other end of the Coast, Diamondhead is a nice golf course community just north of I-10 that recently incorporated into its own city. Also the city of Long Beach is a pleasant middle class area that has a great, very quiet beach running from the Gulfport line for miles all the way down to the elegant town of Pass Christian. Both of these communities (Long Beach, Pass Christian) have very good schools, are quiet and very safe. Personally if I could find something in this vicinity (basically in the area kind of where Long Beach and Pass Christian meet, and within a mile or two of the beach)...this would be an ideal lifestyle. Also, Bay St Louis can't be beat, gorgeous views, lovely beach, adorable old town and very affordable. If you're worried about hurricanes though, this is not the place to be as you would want to go further inland, even if just a mile or so.

Some other good areas...North Biloxi (just south of I-10 at Cedar Lake exit, along Popps Ferry Rd) is a nice area and very centrally located.

[An Einnseanair]

Originally Posted by brickpatio

It sounds like you might be looking for a cute, safe country atmosphere but also essentially in town. If so, you might look at Saucier, (pronounced, I think, like "so-sher"), right around West Wortham elementary and middle school on West Wortham road, just west of Hwy 49 north of Gulfport.

It's correctly pronounced "soh-see-ay" (cajun-French), but with local dialects there is no telling what you'll hear. "soh-shay" is heard occasionally, as is brick's opinion of "soh-sher".

[brickpatio]

Wow, Soh-see-ay is so much prettier, ha! Good to know the soh-sher pronunciation was just a few people...

[golden eagles fan]

I've heard most people say so-sher.

[An Einnseanair]

I'm from a town called Stewart, correctly pronounced exactly as spelled; however, most locals say "stert" (one syllable). New Orleans is commonly called "Naw-Lins".

I will admit that I've heard "soh-shay" or "soh-sher" much more often than "soh-see-ay", but "soh-see-ay" is technically correct. [see correction below]

Whatever you call it, I agree with brick that it meets the criteria by the OP, and if you say "soh-sher" people will know what you are talking about.


Edit to add:
I consulted with a friend who lives in Gulfport and stand corrected. She said the correct French pronunciation is "soh-shay", with most locals calling it "soh-sher". I did a little more searching and found where one site does specify "soh-see-ay", but that was for someone's last name who lives in the area. Looks like brick was right and I was wrong.

Gautier, a small town farther east along the coast, is correctly pronounced "go-shay" by the locals.