If you have already read my article on “Why I decided to retire in Ocean Springs, MS”, you have learned some good reasons why I like living in the Ocean Springs, Mississippi Gulf Coast area. I wanted to relate more about both the area and why it’s different from California (where I escaped from). I listed a number of great things my wife and I discovered in the Ocean Springs area but I did not adequately describe the geography.
Ocean Springs is located just South of Interstate 10 at exit 50, also MS609 South. The original community was formed in 1699 by the French as their first capital in the Southern U.S. This capital eventually went to New Orleans after moving around for a while. Sadly there is little if anything remaining from the original settlement except for a park on the site of the first fort. Read more about the area’s history at Wikipedia (don’t forget to donate to Wikipedia)
Fewer than 117 people per square mile compared to Orange County CA with 3,300 per square mile
Ocean Springs is a city of about 17,000 people. It is located in Jackson County. A discussion of the area would not be complete without including much of Jackson County (population about 145,000) and Neighboring Harrison County to the West (about 215,000 people), which includes the somewhat larger cities of Biloxi and Gulfport. All of these communities are tied together by their close proximity, they are all located on the Mississippi Gulf and most of the Mississippi Gulf Coast developed area is South of I10. The population of both counties is less than 360,000 in 2,019 square miles. This is fewer than 178 people per square mile.
Hancock County is located at the West end of the Mississippi Gulf Coast with smaller communities and population. Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties run from the Louisiana state line to the Alabama state line in the East.
The general area is close to New Orleans (about an hour or so away) to the West and the city of Mobile and Alabama/Florida beaches to the East (1-2 hours). The whole area shares a similar culture descended from French speaking settlers. In fact, all of the communities from Mobile in the East well past New Orleans on the West celebrate MartiGras as an example of just one thing that ties these communities together. Commercial fishing is something all of the Gulf Coast cities have in common, each has at least one harbor, the shrimp industry is important employer here.
If you visit the Gulf Coast from Southern California in the Fall, Winter and Spring, it is much like some areas of Southern California in that the weather is generally warm and pleasant. If you visit in the Summer you will notice the Mississippi Gulf Coast area is warm and humid, Humidity exists at Southern California beaches but is not usually found inland. Some areas in Southern California are hotter in the Summer and some areas on the Gulf Coast are briefly cooler in the winter.
It rains on the Gulf Coast, not every day or all day on days when it rains.
I have lived in a humid area years ago so the summer humidity was not a complete turn off. If you do manual work e.g. planting or pulling weeds in Ocean Springs in the summer, you will perspire at a greater rate than doing the same work in Southern California (except in hot interior areas). While I would not want to install a new roof on a home along the Coast in August, the weather is something that you get familiar with.
If you are moving on a boat the breeze will mitigate the humidity. By the way, it does rain on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I am writing this on September 22 and we have had 11 days with rain this month. It has never rained all day or all night. Rain clouds come and go quickly. Just wait a few minutes and go out to a sunny day. By the way, when it rains the temperature drops.
One of the first things that I noticed upon arriving in the Ocean Springs area for the first time was the lack of traffic. I was shocked to find that the local TV stations did not have traffic helicopters. When I found this to be true, I was about to return to California. How could this be? Without a real rush hour and little traffic, there seems to be no need to invest in a “chopper” as the California TV stations like to call them. Wow, no traffic. To be clear, there may be traffic as defined by the locals and their rush hour is about 10 minutes at 5 PM but as a seasoned road warrior from “CA freewayland”, I am here to tell you, there is no real traffic in Ocean Springs.
The reason for the lack of traffic is the population density. Both Harrison and Jackson County together have fewer than 178 people per square mile compared to Orange County, California with more than 3,300 people per square mile. 3,300 per square mile is generous since a sizable part of Orange County, CA includes uninhabited mountains. Most of the population in Jefferson and Jackson County reside in about half of the land area which puts the number of people per square mile in those areas at about 350 or so (just an estimate). Still far from crowded. I like the less crowded atmosphere in Ocean Springs (and the Gulf Coast), it reminds me of growing up in Orange County, CA (many, many years ago) when the population was 2/3rds less than it is now.
Compare beaches
Beaches in most urban areas are crowded and difficult to access on weekends. Most (an estimate) people who live close to a beach on the West Coast avoid the beaches most of the year and rarely drag the family to the beach on a crowded summer day. The beaches of the Mississippi Gulf Coast are wide open all year long. Not only are the beaches wide, but they have brilliant white sand. Another benefit for those with children is that the water is shallow out to about 100 feet (or further). Along most beaches your children can run in water up to their waist. Compare the two photos above keeping in mind that they are representations of what may be typical scenes On the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Southern California beaches.
Yes, bags are still free at MS Gulf Coast grocery stores!
My wife and I went to a grocery store to buy a few things. We were prepared to carry our goods in our arms because we had no bag when the friendly cashier asked if we wanted bags. Again, Wow! We said yes and were careful to not throw them to the four winds when we finished using them. While this may be a small thing to most of you, it is one of my pet things about California, what some call the “nanny state”. I looked around and failed to see plastic bags flying around or along the side of the road.
We were directed to a local restaurant on the bay for local sea food. Raw oysters were on the menu at a whopping $5 per dozen. I had to ask to be sure that they were not charging $5 each but no, you really do get a whole dozen for that price. I asked if they were on sale and the answer was “y’all aren’t from around here are you?”. Well, they were not on sale, it was market price for the area.
Turns out that all those commercial fishing boats in ports all along the Gulf Coast ply the waters daily for fresh seafood and it actually makes it to the restaurants that day. I checked the prices at a popular chain in Southern California and the prices varied from $22 up for a dozen and there is little doubt that they were not caught that day or perhaps even within a few days. By the way, most seafood served in Southern California comes from Alaska or Asia, very little comes from local waters.
Gas, save a dollar or more per gallon over California
Our pick-up truck was a bit thirsty when we arrived in Ocean Springs the first time so we stopped in at a local gas station. I could not help but be amazed at the price of gas, I recall that it was about $1.00 less than in California (now the difference is even more since the gas price increase) It makes you wonder why such a difference. So with the savings from our lunch and fuel compared to Southern California we were off to one of the casinos dotting the beach in nearby Biloxi.
We used our savings in the slot machines and actually won money. We enjoyed a great buffet of local food (later in the day, you probably thought we went from oysters directly to the buffet, not.) including seafood and took our winnings with us. (disclaimer: I am not condoning gambling nor am I suggesting that everyone wins at the casino). We have been to several area casinos and none were as congested as some of the California casinos that I have been to. Fewer smokers as well, what a difference in air quality. The Southern California casinos are fouled with very heavy smoke.
There is a great culture of food in the area. Seafood is prepared in many ways and rice is more popular than potatoes. The food culture is largely inherited as it has been around for several hundred years. Most food is rich in spices (but not hot) Fried food can be found everywhere along with fabulous fried chicken and fried catfish. Cajun food is found everywhere. Red beans and rice, crawfish in season, gumbo and so much more.
By the way, a helpful hint. Almost all fish is classified as “fish”. So if you ask what type of fish the answer may surprise you, it will be “why it’s fish”. To fully understand this would take a few paragraphs to suffice to say, when you see the word “fish”, it’s probably catfish (which is pretty good). Always ask for Mississippi (or in a pinch Louisiana) farmed catfish.
Local restaurants family owned restaurants vs chain restaurants
In California we tended to eat out at chain restaurants, when in Ocean Springs we usually eat at family owned restaurants. In fact the harder the restaurant is to find, the better the food seems to be. My wife told me to leave out the names of some small out of the way places so that visitors do not overwhelm them with posts to Twitter and Facebook. We like the intimate atmosphere in these places one of which only has six tables. If you want to find them, come to Ocean Springs and talk with the locals. I have written several reviews of local restaurants in this blog.
As a friend who visited my home pointed out, parking lots tend to have full sized vehicle slots. One of his complaints and mine as well are these miniature parking spaces in some areas of Southern California. Parking spaces for those with electric vehicles, those with hybrids, motor cycles, bikes, golf carts, bicycles, strollers and on and on. If you have an SUV or large pick-up truck in SoCal good luck. Almost everyone here has a pick-up truck to tow their boat. Yes you can find foreign cars here in fact there are new Mercedes and BMW dealers. While those luxury cars will sell, wait until both offer pickup trucks, then look out.
Homes on and around the Gulf Coast are on larger lots than typical suburban developments
Homes in the area tend to be built on larger lots (in comparison to CA lots). The typical suburban home in Southern California is built on a 6,000-7,000 sq. ft. lot and most have fences at least in the side and back yards. Some have fences from the sidewalk completely surrounding the home. This “isolation” prevents neighbors from casual contact.
In the Ocean Springs area with lots upwards of 9,000 sq. ft. or larger in development areas, few homes have fences and fewer have fences around the entire property unless they are decorative. There is more of a friendly and open feeling in the neighborhoods. Some who have dogs or pools will construct see through fences that to not obstruct the view. For me, this difference is an important one.
I talk to my neighbors because we have common lawns and we see each other when out working around the house. In fact, my neighbor cuts my lawn sometimes and then I reciprocate by cutting his lawn. We can not reach out of the windows and touch the neighbors house as is the case in some congested areas in California.
We do have a home owners association as many Southern California developments have. I was told when I bought my home that the HOA fee was $50. I thought, not bad, I was paying $105.00 per month in Southern California. I was corrected, not $50 per month, $50 per year. Later I found that the association collected too much money so they held a picnic with the excess money.
About home prices, they are about half of what homes in part of Southern California cost (and 1/3 to 1/4 of the cost of an Orange County home. You can actually find a home for less than $100k. The median house price along the Gulf Coast is about $170k. That’s what I call affordable housing. In CA and other states, governments are struggling with finding affordable housing, along the Gulf Coast, the open market is alive, well and delivering quality homes for reasonable prices.
Americans do the jobs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast! A message to our leaders.
We purchased a home in Ocean Springs which has caused me to interact with many local trades people. Each contact has been a pleasant experience. I have learned a great deal about the people of Ocean Springs and how they go about their lives. I haven’t experienced this in California since I was decades younger although perhaps that’s my fault. One thing that stands out from these conversations is that all of the people that have come to do work at my home live in the area and were usually born close to where they live.
Most are family businesses with sons and daughters working for their fathers, mothers and grandparents. In one case they’re were at least four generations in the family business. You often hear that there are jobs that Americans will not do, perhaps the individuals saying that should visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. When I hear that Americans will not do the work, I look around where I now live. Americans are everywhere doing lots of work at fast food restaurants, cleaning hotel rooms, weeding yards etc.
A number of the people I have met here have been to California on vacation, living there with a friend or attending school there. They decided to return to the Ocean Springs area because they missed the community feel they grew up with. I am often asked how I came to buy a home in the area having come from California. So I say, why did you ask me this? The answers are typically; “well it seems that California is where everyone wants to live, that California Dreaming thing”. Most do not understand what the Gulf Coast area has to offer a Californian. The ones surprised about someone from California moving here only know what they see on TV.
So I tell them, “for the same reason you returned after visiting. You thought that California was the be all and end all place to live. You soon found that with the overcrowding, traffic, high prices for almost everything and the lack of that community feel, it was in fact not what you believed it to be”. I told each one of them and others that I meet, that you cannot give up everything you desire for weather alone. The “weather” tax is not just money, it’s life style as well.
People do not tend to discuss politics with me at first. Since I am from California, I must be a liberal. My landscaper began to discuss President Trump and then caught himself and apologized for talking politics. That was a new experience for me. I told him that it was fine and he began telling me how his friends and relatives were strong Trump supporters. Now you would hear this in parts of Orange County and Riverside County but not in Los Angeles or further North in California.
I began asking others what party they belonged to and it seems that everyone in the area is a Republican/ Conservative. There are Democrats here and amazing enough they get along with the Republicans. Democrats can speak about their beliefs without being beat down. And those same Democrats do not beat down the Republicans. Reminds me of my youth.
Learning about the politics of the area, I began noticing all of the churches. There are many and it seems all denominations are represented. There are bill boards for attending a large Catholic High School. Clearly, faith plays an important role in the area. There are of course churches in Southern California and I attempt no comparison about the religious fervor between the two areas except that religious belief seems to be more pronounced in the Ocean Springs area. It’s my personal observation that this area seems to be much more family and community oriented.
Local vehicle license official apologized for 20 minute wait
We all know the horror stories of showing up at a California DMV office without an appointment (it’s been joked about on TV). So, I had to pay the registration on my vehicle in Ocean Springs and decided to pay it in person because the tax office was very close to my home. I arrived at the office and there were, I believe six windows where county employees would assist customers.
I walked right up to an open window and was told that I had to come back next month because I could not renew before the month that the renewal was due. It was the 29th of the month (it was due the next month). A pleasant woman behind the counter advised me not to come back on the first day of the month because it was the busiest.
It happens that I was leaving the area on the 2nd so I disregarded her advice, I went on the first day of the month about 9:00 AM. About that line. She was right, it was long compared to the last time I was there and walked right up to the desk. This time there were three people in front of me. I waited about two minutes. I walked up and said “wow, you guys are busy on the first.” She said, “yes, I know”. I said my part as straight faced as I could and she was not kidding. I knew then and there that living on the MS Gulf Coast is all about context. (P.S. she apologized for my wait, Wow, what a concept!).
8 year drivers license printed while you wait
As an aside, the state offers an eight year drivers license as an option, wow, a no-brainer as they say so I said yes and within ten minutes they handed me a new drivers license, no waiting for two weeks as in California (four year max in CA). Another difference between California and Mississippi. Mississippi will not give a drivers license to a person here illegally. Police in the state will arrest and turn over to ICE any person they find to be here illegally. It’s nice to not live in a state where criminal aliens are set free on bail.
Let me apologize in advance for some failings around the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I will list them:
- No weather helicopter
- Kids get an education at highly rated schools
- Not every corner has a stop light
- Adults have to accept responsibility for themselves, government does not. This means throwing your plastic bag in to the recycling bin.
- You can walk around some areas in Ocean Springs, Biloxi and Gulfport with an open container
- You are allowed to carry a pistol on a holster in public without a permit
- Some roads are closed to the multitude of cultural events
- Seating at high school sporting events is hard to get
- Choosing the right church is difficult, there are too many choices
- Shrimp is not imported (generally, ask before you order)
- Crawfish has a fairly short season, none in the summer.
- If you want to keep most of your money you can not every public service requires a fee
- Do not be alarmed if people at the table next to you in a restaurant speak to you
- If you do not have a boat, you will not be looked down upon
- There is plenty of parking for pick-up trucks
- Sorry there is no deposit for bottles, just recycling containers. It’s your choice here to recycle
- Area residents do all kinds of jobs so do not be surprised to see an American waiting tables or at a fast food restaurant
- Free speech is still a guaranteed right here
- If you do not understand the accent, just say “would y’all please repeat a bit slower!”
Now, y’all need to come and visit the area. As my website develops, I will include places to stay, eat and visit. In the interim, you can fly into Gulfport Airport which is in the heart of the area and served by United, Delta and American from Houston, Dallas and Atlanta respectively. You can also drive from New Orleans airport about 1.5 hours away.
P.S We have been here for a while so there is some updating of this article that is required as follows:
We love this place. It was a bit cool in January and February but March weather is nice. Sunny days, no rain with shorts weather for hiking the trails and attending cultural events. We have been to the Art Fair in Ocean Springs, it was held on the streets. This is was very nice. We acquired a few items for our home from local artists.
We attended Mardi Gras parades in Ocean Springs and in Biloxi. These were fun. One at night and one during the day. Whole families turned out, we walked away with about a ton of beads. Great fun.
Then we went to the St. Patricks Day parade, it was as much fun as the Mardi Gras parades. We stood along the beach route and had fun as the people on the floats threw beads, food and stuff at the crowds.
We have gone to fairs, bbq cook off’s and other events. My brother and I went to see the President last fall. It’s not possible to go to all of the events in the area, there are too many. For example, this weekend there are four events and three are at the same time. An Art Walk in Ocean Springs, Home Show in Gulfport, event in Pascagoula celebrating the ship building business and the Saturday morning farmers selling their wears at the Ocean Springs train station.
The cost of most things is exceeding my expectations, that is a bit to much lower than in CA. My property taxes are much below what I was paying in CA by a factor of three. It makes you wonder why people would live in crowded areas with poor schools and accelerated crime then to top if off pay more for the pleasure.
We have taken up walking around Ocean Springs in the morning. The oak lined streets are terrific. The homes and landscaping are well taken care of. The old town area from the beach to D’iberville (highway 90) are all custom homes, some well more than 100 years old. Houses in this area have character. People walk their dogs, and exercise. Everyone is say’s hello.
We walk along the beach, along the two harbors as well. I talk to the fishermen on occasion and they tell me what they are catching. We saw our first alligator in the water near the smaller harbor. We saw our second one while hiking in the Gulf Islands National Seashore which is located about 20 minutes from our home. It’s beautiful there.
And we spend time on our boat dock looking at the Pelicans that have come up the Bayou in search of fish. There were dozens of them diving and catching one or one fish. It was entertaining to watch. Apparently they leave the beach and come to our area in the Winter when the tide is low and the fish come out of the grasslands to the deeper water of the Bayou.
