About this city
Also known as: The Hospitality City
Nestled beautifully along the saltwater shores of the Mississippi Sound in southern Hancock County, Waveland is a peaceful and highly resilient coastal resort city immediately adjacent to Bay St. Louis. Incorporated in 1888, the town originally boomed as a fashionable seaside escape for wealthy New Orleans families seeking grand beachfront summer cottages and cooling Gulf breezes. Waveland holds a historic and poignant distinction as the only municipality in the state that prohibits commercial dockside casino gambling on its coastline, dedicating its entire beachfront to natural aesthetics and public recreation. Despite suffering near-total destruction from Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the town successfully rebuilt, preserving its pristine sandy shores and its classic uncommercialized New England-style Southern hospitality culture.
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Economics & Local Vibe
Practical Tourism Metadata
Suggested stay: 1 day
Relax, swim, or beachcomb along the expansive, quiet white sands of Waveland Beach. Walk or fish from the massive planks of the Garfield Ladner Pier extending directly into the Gulf waves. Explore poignant hurricane survival archives and local civil rights history at the Waveland Ground Zero Hurricane Museum.
