Station/Boat Location~
Station Gulport
Date there~
2002 - 2004
Weather~
Mostly Sunny. Hot Summers 90's. Cool Winters. Very Humid. Never snowed when I was there
Military facilities~
Navy Seabee Base in Gulfport. Keesler Airforce Base in Biloxi. Biloxi is the neighboring town and very close.(Gulfport and Biloxi are basically one big town) Keesler Airforce Base had just about everything. I didn't use the Seabee base very much just because I preferred Keesler. Keesler had Commissary and Exchange, gas station, movie theater, and other ammenties. Seabee Base had basketball courts, racket ball room, and workout gym. Pass Road starts at the airforce base and ends at the navy base.
Medical~
Full Medical at Keesler. Never used the Seabee Base. Memorial Hospital in North Gulfport, Biloxi Regional Medical Center and Gulf Coast Medical Center. Plenty of dentists and specialty facilities. Medical should not be a problem there.
Housing~
Sorry, no Coast Guard Housing here. However, there are a ton of apartment complexes and houses for rent. There are a lot of new subdivisions popping up and there were plenty of places to rent in them. The station was at the end of Hwy 49 and to the west was Biloxi and the east was Long Beach and Pass Christian. Many people lived in the neighboring cities. Finding a house should not be a hard task. There are also a few nice apartment complexes that are dog friendly for large breed dogs. Houses are moderately priced. BAH should cover most everything.
Shopping~
Gulfport - Prime Outlet Mall - O'Kosh, Nautica, Bass, Carters, Tommy, Polo, Fossil.... Also there are about 6 Walmarts between Gulfport and the neighboring towns. Bed Bath and Beyond, Academy Sports, Belk, Home Depot, Lowes, Barnes and Noble, Pier 1, TJ Maxx,Petsmart, KB Toys, Bassett Funinture, Lazy Boy... Lots of shopping!! Sorry no Target. (closest one is about 4 hours away)
Biloxi - Edgewater Mall - Abercrombie, American Eagle, Sears, Gap, Dillards....
Grocery Stores - Keesler Commissary, Wal-Mart, Food Giant, Winn-Dixie
Child Care/Schools~
Sorry...we don't have kids, but from what I remember, there were quite a few schools. I also remember there were a few private schools, but other than that, I don't have any information to offer in this area.
Adult Schools~
Gulf Coast Community College Jefferson Davis Campus - Gulfport, University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey College, St. Marys College
There are a lot of schools available, but they will require a commute if the ones listed above are not chosen.
Fun Activities~
Lots of Golfing, a few driving ranges, movies, parasailing, deep sea fishing tours
Marine Life - located directly behind the CG station - dolphins!
Gulfport Lake - behind humane society feeds into bay
Gulfport Sportsplex - CG had a morale football team, also has baseball fields and soccer fields for kids. Very Very Nice area.
Ship Island - an island located a few miles out in the gulf. Summer Boat Cruises that will drop you off and let you spend the day out there. Drinks, food and bathrooms are located on the cruise ship. $18 for adults, and $10 for kids.
Gulf Shores a two hour drive! Very Pretty! Somewhat touristy.
There are quite a few festivals between Gulfport and Biloxi. Harley Davidson Memorial Blowout Weekend (never seen so many bikes before!) Garden Festival, Oktoberfest.
SeaHawks Hockey Team - Games were a blast!!
Pensacola, Fl 2 hour drive<, Destin, Fl 3 hour drive,New Orleans, La 2 1/2 hour drive - Lots of high end shopping
Additional Info~
Casinos - Beau Rivage - Biloxi - Lots to do here. This casino attracts a lot of comedians such as Rodney Carrington. Also attracts a lot of musicians such as Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, 3 Doors Down....
Some of the Casinos have crawfish sales where they sale crawfish plates for about $5.00 a plate and have cokes and beer available. A lot of fun..if you eat crawfish. Huge Shrimp is for sale behind the casino (can't remember the name)(the one directly to the east of the CG Station) at the boat docks for $3.00 / lb! Casinos also offer nightclubs which are really nice. I am not sure which one but one has the Tiki Lounge which was a huge hit.
Restaurants - Red Lobster, Olive Garden, McAlisters, Logans Roadhouse, Ruby Tuesday, Outback Steakhouse, Marble Slab Icecream...Lots of fast food.
Gulfport has Local International Airport which is really convenient.
Now to the negative...the traffic can be a headache during rush hour. Avoid Three Rivers Road after 5! Hwy 49 is a pain during rush hour (stop lights are everywhere); Cowan-Lorraine Road has bridge that closes to let boats through which can take a while.
I never had any problems with crime there but I am sure it's there.
Keep in mind that you will be living in the deep south. Racisim is still very much alive here but it's avoidable.
I loved Gulfport. The population between Gulfport and Biloxi was right over 100,000. The city was just the right size for me. Hope this helps.
One other thing - I haven't been back to Gulfport since we transferred, but I have seen pictures of Gulpfort after Hurricane Katrina. I am not sure how much of the town is still being repaired. I know they closed the Grand Casino Gulpfort and Biloxi and are not reopening them. The information listed above is how the town was when I was living there, and I don't know the current condition.
Homeport MS
Station Gulport
Date there~
2002 - 2004
Weather~
Mostly Sunny. Hot Summers 90's. Cool Winters. Very Humid. Never snowed when I was there
Military facilities~
Navy Seabee Base in Gulfport. Keesler Airforce Base in Biloxi. Biloxi is the neighboring town and very close.(Gulfport and Biloxi are basically one big town) Keesler Airforce Base had just about everything. I didn't use the Seabee base very much just because I preferred Keesler. Keesler had Commissary and Exchange, gas station, movie theater, and other ammenties. Seabee Base had basketball courts, racket ball room, and workout gym. Pass Road starts at the airforce base and ends at the navy base.
Medical~
Full Medical at Keesler. Never used the Seabee Base. Memorial Hospital in North Gulfport, Biloxi Regional Medical Center and Gulf Coast Medical Center. Plenty of dentists and specialty facilities. Medical should not be a problem there.
Housing~
Sorry, no Coast Guard Housing here. However, there are a ton of apartment complexes and houses for rent. There are a lot of new subdivisions popping up and there were plenty of places to rent in them. The station was at the end of Hwy 49 and to the west was Biloxi and the east was Long Beach and Pass Christian. Many people lived in the neighboring cities. Finding a house should not be a hard task. There are also a few nice apartment complexes that are dog friendly for large breed dogs. Houses are moderately priced. BAH should cover most everything.
Shopping~
Gulfport - Prime Outlet Mall - O'Kosh, Nautica, Bass, Carters, Tommy, Polo, Fossil.... Also there are about 6 Walmarts between Gulfport and the neighboring towns. Bed Bath and Beyond, Academy Sports, Belk, Home Depot, Lowes, Barnes and Noble, Pier 1, TJ Maxx,Petsmart, KB Toys, Bassett Funinture, Lazy Boy... Lots of shopping!! Sorry no Target. (closest one is about 4 hours away)
Biloxi - Edgewater Mall - Abercrombie, American Eagle, Sears, Gap, Dillards....
Grocery Stores - Keesler Commissary, Wal-Mart, Food Giant, Winn-Dixie
Child Care/Schools~
Sorry...we don't have kids, but from what I remember, there were quite a few schools. I also remember there were a few private schools, but other than that, I don't have any information to offer in this area.
Adult Schools~
Gulf Coast Community College Jefferson Davis Campus - Gulfport, University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey College, St. Marys College
There are a lot of schools available, but they will require a commute if the ones listed above are not chosen.
Fun Activities~
Lots of Golfing, a few driving ranges, movies, parasailing, deep sea fishing tours
Marine Life - located directly behind the CG station - dolphins!
Gulfport Lake - behind humane society feeds into bay
Gulfport Sportsplex - CG had a morale football team, also has baseball fields and soccer fields for kids. Very Very Nice area.
Ship Island - an island located a few miles out in the gulf. Summer Boat Cruises that will drop you off and let you spend the day out there. Drinks, food and bathrooms are located on the cruise ship. $18 for adults, and $10 for kids.
Gulf Shores a two hour drive! Very Pretty! Somewhat touristy.
There are quite a few festivals between Gulfport and Biloxi. Harley Davidson Memorial Blowout Weekend (never seen so many bikes before!) Garden Festival, Oktoberfest.
SeaHawks Hockey Team - Games were a blast!!
Pensacola, Fl 2 hour drive<, Destin, Fl 3 hour drive,New Orleans, La 2 1/2 hour drive - Lots of high end shopping
Additional Info~
Casinos - Beau Rivage - Biloxi - Lots to do here. This casino attracts a lot of comedians such as Rodney Carrington. Also attracts a lot of musicians such as Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, 3 Doors Down....
Some of the Casinos have crawfish sales where they sale crawfish plates for about $5.00 a plate and have cokes and beer available. A lot of fun..if you eat crawfish. Huge Shrimp is for sale behind the casino (can't remember the name)(the one directly to the east of the CG Station) at the boat docks for $3.00 / lb! Casinos also offer nightclubs which are really nice. I am not sure which one but one has the Tiki Lounge which was a huge hit.
Restaurants - Red Lobster, Olive Garden, McAlisters, Logans Roadhouse, Ruby Tuesday, Outback Steakhouse, Marble Slab Icecream...Lots of fast food.
Gulfport has Local International Airport which is really convenient.
Now to the negative...the traffic can be a headache during rush hour. Avoid Three Rivers Road after 5! Hwy 49 is a pain during rush hour (stop lights are everywhere); Cowan-Lorraine Road has bridge that closes to let boats through which can take a while.
I never had any problems with crime there but I am sure it's there.
Keep in mind that you will be living in the deep south. Racisim is still very much alive here but it's avoidable.
I loved Gulfport. The population between Gulfport and Biloxi was right over 100,000. The city was just the right size for me. Hope this helps.
One other thing - I haven't been back to Gulfport since we transferred, but I have seen pictures of Gulpfort after Hurricane Katrina. I am not sure how much of the town is still being repaired. I know they closed the Grand Casino Gulpfort and Biloxi and are not reopening them. The information listed above is how the town was when I was living there, and I don't know the current condition.
Homeport MS
