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21-630: Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County , Mississippi , in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis , it is part of the Gulfport – Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population was 9,284 at the 2020 census , up from 9,260 at the 2010 census . The first European settlers in this area were French colonists, whose culture still influences

42-548: A huge storm surge and catastrophic damage . This area of Mississippi was inhabited by indigenous peoples at the time of European colonization; the French were the first settlers and traders in the area. They imported African slaves as laborers, and in time a Creole class of free people of color developed. After the United States conducted Indian Removal in the 1830s, more Protestant Americans migrated into this area, but it retained French and African Catholic influences. Located on

63-994: A multitude of sources, with International Aid arranging the most donations. This was the first experience of the Rainbow Family in running a disaster relief center. The Bastrop Christian Outreach Center also volunteered with the Rainbow Family. Local churches were central points of recovery in Bay St. Louis, Waveland, and Diamondhead. Some churches provided shelter, meals, clothing, and various clean-up supplies. The churches also provided distribution points where supplies could be donated and easily passed on to those who needed help. Other disaster relief agencies that were active in Hancock County include Samaritan's Purse, Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief, Red Cross, Rotary International and Salvation Army. Businesses became operational as quickly as possible. The Waveland Wal-Mart operated out of

84-469: A stack of dominoes. Houses were floated off their foundations. In Waveland and Bay St. Louis, some homes were stranded atop the railroad tracks and others in the middle of streets. Towns like Pearlington, Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead , and Kiln suffered catastrophic damage. A loosely knit group of hippies called the " Rainbow Family " arrived in Hancock County soon after Hurricane Katrina. From early September 2005 to early December 2005, they ran

105-447: A tent for 3 months following the storm; Diamondhead Discount Drug was opened within 2 days following Katrina, although the owner's store and home were both severely damaged. Other business such as Dairy Queen and Subway donated their foodstuffs, before it could spoil, in order to feed survivors. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 553 square miles (1,430 km ), of which 474 square miles (1,230 km )

126-459: Is Condemned starring Natalie Wood and Robert Redford was filmed in Bay St. Louis, which was called "Dodson" in the movie, with some additional shooting in Biloxi, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Hancock County, Mississippi Hancock County is the southernmost county of the U.S. state of Mississippi and is named for Founding Father John Hancock . As of the 2020 census ,

147-518: Is an exceptional school that excels in education, standardized test scores, and athletics. The relatively small campus, consisting of only a few buildings and a gym, is located on the beach of Bay St. Louis. OLA's mascot is the Crescent and the teams are known as "The Crescents." The Our Lady Academy soccer team has won 7 state titles in recent years for the 1A/2A/3A division. The volleyball team has many state titles to their name as well. Our Lady Academy

168-694: Is land and 79 square miles (200 km ) (14%) is water. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 46,053 people, 20,036 households, and 13,081 families residing in the county. Hancock is the only county in Mississippi where Roman Catholics outnumber Baptists. Catholics comprise a plurality of residents of Hancock County, owing to the county's French colonial heritage and proximity to deeply Catholic Southern Louisiana. School districts include: 30°23′N 89°28′W  /  30.39°N 89.47°W  / 30.39; -89.47 Our Lady Academy (Bay St. Louis, Mississippi) Our Lady Academy

189-644: Is the Harrison County line in the middle of the bay. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 26.6 square miles (69.0 km), of which 14.7 square miles (38.1 km) are land and 11.9 square miles (30.9 km), or 44,82%, are water. On August 17, 1969, Hurricane Camille made landfall at the tip of Louisiana before continuing to Bay St. Louis. On August 29, 2005, at 10:00 a.m. CDT, Hurricane Katrina made its final landfall just west of Bay St. Louis, at

210-422: Is the home of Bay High School. In addition to Bay High, there are private Catholic schools: Saint Stanislaus College , a residency and day school for boys grades 7–12; and Our Lady Academy , a day school for girls grades 7–12. The latter two share some classrooms as well as a Roman Catholic curriculum. All of Hancock County is in the service area of Pearl River Community College . The 1966 movie This Property

231-621: The Köppen Climate Classification system, Bay St. Louis has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 9,284 people, 5,447 households, and 4,273 families residing in the city. Almost all of the city of Bay St. Louis is served by the Bay St. Louis-Waveland School District . Small portions of land are within the Hancock County School District . It

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252-414: The " New Waveland Cafe and Clinic " located in the parking lot of Fred's Dept Store on Highway 90. The café provided free hot meals three times a day. The clinic was staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses from around the United States who saw more than 5000 patients during the duration. They provided treatment free of charge and dispensed free medications. Donations of medications and supplies came from

273-407: The Gulf Coast, the county was regularly hit by hurricanes but its residents learned to handle these incidents. In 2005, the county was the scene of the final landfall of the eye of Hurricane Katrina , and its communities and infrastructure suffered some of the most intense damage inflicted by that storm. Over the entire 7-mile (11 km) beach front, not one building or home was left intact. Nearly

294-400: The city. As higher ground, this area was spared inundation from the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina damaged more than 40 Mississippi libraries, including severe roof and water damage to the Bay St. Louis Public Library. The library reopened to the public on October 12, 2005. The Bay St. Louis Bridge on US Highway 90 was severely damaged, with many bridge sections down-dropped at

315-519: The colonial era. Roman Catholic schools still draw area students. Bay St. Louis is located in southeastern Hancock County. It is situated on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis which empties into the Mississippi Sound , adjacent to Pass Christian to the east. The city is bordered to the north by the Jourdan River, the primary inlet of the bay and Diamondhead . The eastern border of the city

336-463: The entire first block off the beach was destroyed for the entire 7-mile (11 km) stretch. Homes as far inland as 10 miles (16 km) were flooded by the historic storm surge, which occurred during a full moon high tide. All rivers and waterways were inundated by the surge. Highway 603 south from Interstate 10 was completely submerged, and the Highway 90 - Bay St. Louis Bridge was left looking like

357-464: The mouth of the Pearl River , causing a 28-foot (8.5 m) storm surge . Hurricane Katrina came ashore during the high tide of 9:15AM, +2.3 feet more, causing a storm tide more than 30 feet (9.1 m) high. USGS topographic maps show a common 25-foot (7.6 m) elevation contour line running throughout a ridge along the former routing of Highway 90 ( Old Spanish Trail ) on the western edge of

378-514: The population was 46,053. Its county seat is Bay St. Louis . Hancock County is part of the Gulfport – Biloxi , MS Metropolitan Statistical Area . It is situated along the Gulf of Mexico and the state line with Louisiana . The area is home to the John C. Stennis Space Center , NASA's largest rocket engine test facility. The county was severely damaged from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, which caused

399-499: The small city and who imported enslaved people from Africa. A Louisiana Creole population developed, featuring people of color as well as white colonists of largely French descent. The county was organized by European Americans, who named it after John Hancock, who was a Founding Father of the United States. While more Protestant Americans migrated into this area after Indian Removal in the 1830s, there are still many Catholic families, some dating to both African and French ancestors of

420-450: The west edges. The destroyed bridge was replaced by a new Bay St. Louis Bridge, which received America's Transportation Award. It includes a pedestrian bridge with an art walk featuring the works of local artists. The underground utility infrastructure in Bay St. Louis received a federally funded total overhaul and replacement. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to

441-486: Was established in 1971 by the Sisters of Mercy at the same location as a previous all-girls high school, St. Joseph Academy, which operated from 1855 (169 years ago)  ( 1855 ) to 1967 (57 years ago)  ( 1967 ) . St. Joseph Academy closed after it was severely damaged by Hurricane Betsy in 1965. There was talk of reopening St. Joseph Academy until Hurricane Camille hit in 1969. Our Lady Academy

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