History of Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Ocean Springs, Mississippi (right) on the Gulf of Mexico.]]
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi|Jackson County, Mississippi, about 2 miles east of Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi. It is part of the Pascagoula metropolitan area|Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 census.
The town has a reputation as an "arts community." Its historic and secluded downtown area, with streets lined by Live Oak trees, is home to several art galleries and shops plying shiny wares new and old alike. It is also home to a number of ethnic restaurants, relatively uncommon in surrounding communities.
Ocean Springs was the hometown of the late Walter Inglis Anderson, a nationally renowned painter and muralist. The town plays host to several festivals, including its Peter Anderson Festival and The Herb Festival.
Image:Katrina_OS.JPG|thumb|300px|right| Damage from Katrina to Biloxi Bay Bridge (US 90) in Ocean Springs
Ocean Springs was severely damaged on August 29, 2005, by Hurricane Katrina, which smashed many buildings along the shoreline, including the Ocean Springs Yacht Club, and the historic wooden Fort Maurepas, and gutted or flooded other buildings. Katrina's 28-foot storm surge also destroyed the Biloxi Bay Bridge, which connected Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi to Ocean Springs.Gary Tuchman, Transcript of "Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees" (2006-08-29) 19:00 ET, CNN, CNN.com web: [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/29/acd.01.html CNN-ACooper082906]: GARY TUCHMAN, CNN Correspondent: Responds to Anderson Cooper that it felt like it would never end, saying winds were at least 100 miles per hour in Gulfport for seven hours, between about 7:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. For another five or six hours, on each side of that, they [Gulfport] had hurricane-force winds over 75 miles per hour; much of the city [Gulfport, Mississippi, in Harrison County] of 71,000 was then under water.
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