Harrison County, Mississippi
Harrison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,621, making it the second-most populous county in Mississippi. Its county seats are Biloxi and Gulfport. The county is named after U.S. President William Henry Harrison. Harrison County is part of the Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area. The county was severely damaged from both Hurricane Camille on August 17, 1969, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects. Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which  (41%) are covered by water. The Tchoutacabouffa River has its mouth at Biloxi Bay just north of the city of Biloxi. Gulfport, Mississippi, is the chief port in the state, with access to the Gulf of Mexico through a ship channel. This is the second-largest county in Mississippi by total area. Wildlife
A single pond in the county contains the critically endangered dusky gopher frog. Major highways

  Interstate 10
  Interstate 110
  U.S. Highway 49
  U.S. Highway 90
  Mississippi Highway 15
  Mississippi Highway 53
  Mississippi Highway 67
  Mississippi Highway 605
  Mississippi Highway 43

Adjacent counties and parishes
 Stone County (north)
 Jackson County (east)
 Hancock County (west)
 St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana (southwest)

National protected areas
 De Soto National Forest (part)
 Gulf Islands National Seashore (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, 208,621 people, 74,628 households, and 50,074 families were residing in the county. Corrections system
Harrison County has been studied by CNN and other media, which have reported on the beatings of inmates in the Harrison County Jail in Gulfport. Inmate Jessie Lee Williams Jr. died while in custody on February 4, 2006. In 2006 and 2007, six Harrison County Sheriff's Department deputies pleaded guilty to crimes related to the abuse of inmates at the jail. Sheriff Melvin Brisolara-R was elected in 2008, for Harrison County. Communities

Cities
 Biloxi (county seat)
 D'Iberville
 Gulfport (county seat)
 Long Beach
 Pass Christian

Census-designated places
 DeLisle
 Henderson Point
 Lyman
 Saucier

Unincorporated communities
 Cuevas
 Howison
 Lizana
 Mississippi City
 Wool Market

Politics
Since 1964, Harrison County has voted overwhelmingly Republican. The last Democrat to receive over 40% of the vote was Jimmy Carter in 1976. Education
School districts include:
 Biloxi Public School District
 Gulfport School District
 Harrison County School District
 Long Beach School District
 Pass Christian Public School District

See also

 Friendship Oak (Long Beach, Mississippi)
 Grass Lawn (Gulfport, Mississippi)
 Harrison Experimental Forest
 Historic Grand Hotels on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
 Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain
 Mississippi Aquarium
 National Register of Historic Places listings in Harrison County, Mississippi
 Old Brick House (Biloxi, Mississippi)
 Tivoli Hotel (Biloxi, Mississippi)
 Turkey Creek Community Historic District

References

Further reading
 Burt, D.E. and H.L. Welch. (2007). Quality of water in selected wells, Harrison County, Mississippi, 1997-2005 [U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1287]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. External links
 Official county site 
 Harrison County Sheriff
 
 Mississippi Courthouses – Harrison County

 
Mississippi counties
Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area
1841 establishments in Mississippi
Populated places established in 1841