Editing Diamondhead, Mississippi (section)

===Resort community===
On October 25, 1961, [[NASA]] announced the formation of the Mississippi Test Facility, now the [[John C. Stennis Space Center]]. The center would be located in an area bordering the [[Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana)|Pearl River]] in Hancock County.<ref>Scharff, p. 588</ref> During and following the construction of the facility, an influx of government workers, contractors, and their families moved into the area.<ref name="ReferenceA">"The formation of the City of Diamondhead"</ref>

Much of the land that became Diamondhead had been purchased by Walter Gex Sr., in 1937 from the Gulf State Paper Company and the Easy Opener Bag Company. Additional land was purchased by Gex, bringing his acquisition to nearly {{convert|5000|acre}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=Dan |title=Kiln Kountry: Home of Brett Favre |date=August 22, 2000 |publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |page=40}}</ref> In the late 1960s, D.E.A.R., Inc., later known as the Diamondhead Corporation, a large corporation interested in resort developments, began operations on the Mississippi Coast, with Diamondhead as its first project.<ref>{{cite news |title=Diamondhead - A Growing Coast Community |url=http://www.hancockcountyhistoricalsociety.com/reference/vf.php?t=subjects&vf=Diamondhead&i=1 |access-date=August 7, 2017 |work=Mississippi EPA News |publisher=Electric Power Associations of Mississippi |date=April 1979 |page=6}}</ref> Coastal Mississippi had been a popular vacation destination for years, particularly with [[Midwest]]erners. Its location was ideal as a second home development given the convenient access via [[Interstate 55]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Vertical Files: Diamondhead |url=http://www.hancockcountyhistoricalsociety.com/reference/vf.php?t=subjects&vf=Diamondhead&i=5 |website=Hancock County Historical Society |access-date=August 8, 2017}}</ref> The land on which Diamondhead is located is the highest point of elevation ({{convert|100|ft}} above sea level) on the [[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]] in Mississippi. Therefore, the project was named "Diamondhead" after [[Diamond Head, Hawaii|Diamond Head]], an iconic [[volcanic cone]] on the [[Hawaii]]an island of [[Oahu]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scharff |first1=Robert G. |title=Louisiana's Loss, Mississippi's Gain: A History of Hancock County, Mississippi: From the Stone Age to the Space Age |date=1999 |publisher=Brunswick Publishing Corporation |location=Lawrenceville, Virginia |pages=599–600}}</ref>

Plans for the largest resort-type community in the southern United States were unveiled at a press conference in 1969. Hawaiian-style architecture, landscape, and road names were featured in the development. The company became interested in purchasing {{convert|6000|acre}} of property adjacent to [[Interstate 10 in Mississippi|Interstate 10]], which was still under construction in the Mississippi Coast area in the 1960s.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The development would be located north of the [[Bay of Saint Louis]], with {{convert|2|mi|0}} of shoreline along the bay and {{convert|9|mi|0}} of shoreline on the Jourdan River and Rotten Bayou. An [[Interchange (road)|interchange]] on I-10 would be located near the center of the development. When completed, Diamondhead was expected to represent a total investment cost of $10 million.<ref>Scharff, 599-600.</ref>

The corporation was scheduled to close on the purchase on August 18, 1969, one day after [[Hurricane Camille]] made landfall in Hancock County. Shortly after the storm left the area, the investment team was able to survey the damage and found that the area around current-day Diamondhead received far less damage than other coastal areas. Seeing such little damage from Camille, the investment team decided to go ahead with the project.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Soon after, Diamondhead had streets, lots, infrastructure, model homes, a country club, an airport, a driving range, and a pavilion that would become the community center. Construction of I-10 to the exit at Diamondhead was completed in October 1970, allowing greater traffic access to Diamondhead. By June 1973, 3,700 lots had been sold and 31 homes had been constructed, with another 29 under construction.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Diamondhead |url=http://diamondhead.ms.gov/about-diamondhead/ |website=Diamondhead.ms.gov |access-date=August 7, 2017 |archive-date=August 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809041431/http://diamondhead.ms.gov/about-diamondhead/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Formation of the City of Diamondhead |url=http://www.hancockcountyhistoricalsociety.com/vignettes/the-formation-of-the-city-of-diamondhead/ |website=Hancock County Historical Society |access-date=August 7, 2017}}</ref> Diamondhead was responsible for much economic growth by creating opportunities for builders, tradesmen, and service industries related to the construction industry. The community also benefitted from other growth along the coast as employees from the [[Naval Oceanographic Office]] at Stennis Space Center, the [[Michoud Assembly Facility]] in [[Eastern New Orleans|New Orleans East]], and other developments around the area chose to live in Diamondhead.<ref name="Mississippi EPA News, p. 6">''Mississippi EPA News'', p. 6</ref> By the end of the 1970s, 6,500 of the 10,000 lots offered at Diamondhead had been sold. Most of the early residents came from New Orleans, but later residents came from all over the United States.<ref>Scharff, p. 637</ref> A survey taken in the late 1970s revealed that a large percentage of property owners came from New Orleans to escape overcrowding conditions.<ref name="Mississippi EPA News, p. 6"/>

Diamondhead was organized as a [[homeowner association|property owners association]] (POA). On January 1, 1985, the [[Malcom McLean|Purcell]] Company (formerly the Diamondhead Corporation) turned over the POA to a homeowner-elected board of directors.<ref>"About Diamondhead"</ref> Diamondhead continued to grow after the turnover. As more people and families moved into the community, the demographics became more diverse and less of a second home for retirees. The demographic makeup of Diamondhead changed from that of a retirement community to that of any small suburban-type area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Diamondhead, Mississippi: 25 Year Comprehensive Plan |url=http://diamondhead.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/25_year_comprehensive_Plan.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161219190038/http://diamondhead.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/25_year_comprehensive_Plan.pdf |archive-date=December 19, 2016 |url-status=live |website=Diamondhead.ms.gov |access-date=August 8, 2017}}</ref> The population of the community became younger, with 54.6% of the population over age 45 in 2000, down from 61.1% in 1990.<ref>{{cite web |title=1990 Census of the Population: General Population Characteristics: Mississippi |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-26.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906133421/http://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cp-1/cp-1-26.pdf |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |url-status=live |website=Census.gov |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census |access-date=August 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |website=Census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2015  }}</ref> Tensions began to develop among different groups. Many began to question the POA's decisions, especially over increasing monthly dues and spending large amounts of money on golf course maintenance. In 1994, those who did not want the POA to lead the community began to advocate [[municipal corporation|incorporation]] and conducted a petition drive for Diamondhead to become a city. This initial attempt at incorporation ultimately stalled but did not ease tensions between advocates and opponents.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>