Last updated on June 6th, 2021 at 09:29 pm

Last Updated on June 6, 2021 by

Ok, so let me start by saying that I have lived here for three years and while I am no longer an outsider, I do not say “y’all” very often. My goal is to adopt the language and when I do, I will be a local. In the interim, I adopt the culture and absolutely love to eat crawfish. Let me start by saying that I came from California. Yes, that California, the place where kids watch TV shows and can’t wait until they go there. You should know that the water is very cold even in the summer. Most locals do not swim in the sea. Sorry to drop that bomb but our water here is much warmer. Notice how I used the term “our”.

I have written a long blog about coming to Ocean Springs to retire, it’s actually quite popular on my blog site. I do not want to repeat what I wrote (go read it) because this is a slightly different topic. Frankly, when we found our home in Ocean Springs, we were completely unaware of the beauty and benefits of living in Ocean Springs. I started a while ago using the Mississippi Gulf Coast or the Gulf Coast to refer to all of the places that I like. As an outsider, the first thing you observe is that people are really friendly. Your neighbor will actually come over and meet you and cut your lawn when you are out of town.

Talking about the food would take too much time here and I would get wrapped up in that topic and fail to get into what I really want to say. By the way, have I said that I like crawfish? On to other things that outsiders will hopefully love about our area. It’s diverse. So stop me right here. I am not going off on a tangent about diversity. What I mean is that each community is a bit different than the others. Starting with Bay St. Louis which I call Eastern New Orleans because so many people from New Orleans own homes there. The town was blown over by hurricane Katrina and nearly completely rebuilt.

You will love the new restaurants and waterfront. Several streets in the downtown area are filled with homes that laid foundations early in the last century or even before. Most of the area is walkable and their beaches are manicured. Restaurants, do not get me started. Have fun in the evening with a drink and enjoy the sunset. Actually, the sunrise with a cup of espresso is even better.

Come a bit East along the beach on U.S. 90 (Beach Blvd), stop in at old town Pass Christian or visit their small boat harbor. This small town of only a few thousand has been around for a long time and has a great Mardi Gras celebration and other events to celebrate just about everything. Continue East and stop by the Long Beach boat harbor, have a drink in a sky-high restaurant, and see the Gulf of Mexico. Perhaps you can see some dolphins.

Moving further East you arrive in Gulfport, the largest city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and home to a commercial port where the lion’s share of bananas that come to the U.S are unloaded. Located at the port are the Island View Casinos, one on the beach (smoke-free) and one on the north side of Beach Blvd. Old downtown Gulfport (not so old, incorporated in 1880), has a vibrant nightlife with pubs and restaurants where you can walk around with your drink. Jones park on the beach hosts numerous events during the year including the famous Christmas lights.

Lots of restaurants in Gulfport along Beach Blvd and upon U.S. 49. Keep motoring on East and you arrive in Biloxi, one of the oldest communities on the Gulf Coast. Founded in 1699. More casinos and lots of things to do on the beach including jet ski riding. Try one of the boat harbors where you can buy fresh fish from the commercial boats. Biloxi is also developing a nightlife in the old town. Mary Mahoney is a great restaurant located in one of the oldest buildings on the coast, built in the 1700s

Drive across the Biloxi Bay Bridge and you arrive at Ocean Springs. This unique small town has a small but busy downtown area with lots of restaurants, bars, pubs, antique shops, and other retailers. The whole area is walkable. It’s a popular nightspot for the younger crowd. Many of the homes and churches are from a bygone era and the magnificent live oaks are worth stopping to take photos of. The small beach and a park sited at the original landing place of the French in 1699 round out this great stop along the drive.

Go further East and you drive through the East Bay communities of Gautier and Pascagoula. These communities support one of the largest shipbuilding areas in the nation. Gulf Coast residents are proud of our shipyard workers and the ships they build for the Navy. Some of the oldest homes and the oldest live Oak can be found in Pascagoula. Lots of fishing opportunities along with the cost and the Pascagoula River. Try Bozos Two restaurant one of my favorites in Pascagoula.

If you keep driving East highway 90 move away from the beach until it gets to Mobile. A few things apply to the entire coast. All of the communities have Mardi Gras parades. Many have St. Patrick and other parades and events throughout the year. Fishing is part of the culture everywhere and each of the communities has a different take on fishing. Biloxi for example has a large inland bay and rivers. Gautier and Pascagoula have rivers and bays.

So I just gave you a tour but have hardly described the area from a deeply personal perspective. I love this area. California was too sterile. Yes, I had friends and family but in the Mississippi Gulf, most people are considered friends and family even when they meet you for the first time. The entire area shares a great food culture that the families grew up with. The area is rural yet enlightened. Yes, there are ‘Good old boys” who have been here their entire lives but there are highly educated people as well. I noticed one time that there were as many people in Ocean Springs with advanced degrees as were in Orange County, CA.

Religion is important in this area, much more so than I had experienced in California. There seemed to be a church on every corner when I first arrived. Basically, this is because people are neighborhood-oriented. A very good thing in my book. And the sports culture here is everywhere. In California many of the kids are on their computers, here many kids are playing sports after school (they are also very computer literate). Parents are involved with their kids in sports and events.

And the events, it seems that every weekend there is an event in each community. There is simply no way you could go to all of the events. We have our favorites and they usually involve art or food or both.

You can own a gun in Mississippi. Lots of people own guns and there are many places to shoot them. I like to target practice with my friends. We even go to gun shows. I won’t even compare this with California. You still can not buy marijuana in Mississippi (at least for now) so if that bothers you, perhaps the Mississippi Gulf Coast is not your kind of place.

As an outsider, I see the differences between the Mississippi Gulf Coast and other areas. I am well-traveled and have lived in several states and Europe. I have lots to compare and I choose the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Please call me if you are considering moving here, we can compare notes. 228-315-3234. You can use our website anytime to browse properties. Just go back to the menu. If you create an account, you can save the ones you like and when you are ready, I can show them to you.