Editing Diamondhead, Mississippi

{{Short description|City in Mississippi, US}}
{{About|the city in Mississippi||Diamond Head (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Diamondhead, Mississippi
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| motto              = "Where living is easy."<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.diamondhead.ms.gov/| title=Welcome to the City of Diamondhead, Where Living Is Easy!| publisher=City of Diamondhead, Mississippi| access-date=August 15, 2017}}</ref>
| image_skyline      = Diamondhead, Mississippi.png
| image_flag         = Flag of Diamondhead, Mississippi.png
| image_seal         = 
| image_blank_emblem = Logo of Diamondhead, Mississippi.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| image_map          = Hancock_County_Mississippi_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Diamondhead_Highlighted.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location of Diamondhead, Mississippi
| pushpin_map        = USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Mississippi]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Mississippi|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Hancock County, Mississippi|Hancock]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Nancy Depreo ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])<ref>{{cite web |title=LIVE REPORT: Diamondhead Mayor Nancy Depreo officially sworn into office |url=https://www.wlox.com/video/2020/11/03/live-report-diamondhead-mayor-nancy-depreo-officially-sworn-into-office/ |website=www.wlox.com |access-date=December 15, 2020}}</ref>
| leader_title1      = [[City council|Councilors]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_title2 = [[Municipal incorporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date2  = February 6, 2012
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_28.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 32.55
| area_land_km2      = 26.18
| area_water_km2     = 6.36
| area_total_sq_mi   = 12.57
| area_land_sq_mi    = 10.11
| area_water_sq_mi   = 2.46
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 9529
| population_density_km2 = 363.95
| population_density_sq_mi = 942.63
| timezone           = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
| utc_offset         = -6
| timezone_DST       = CDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -5
| elevation_m        = 20
| elevation_ft       = 66
| coordinates        = {{coord|30|23|0|N|89|22|22|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 39525
| area_code          = [[Area code 228|228]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 28-19100
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0689399
| website            = {{URL|www.diamondhead.ms.gov}}
}}

'''Diamondhead''' is a city in southeastern [[Hancock County, Mississippi|Hancock County]], [[Mississippi]], United States. The city is located just over {{convert|50|mi}} northeast of [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]. It is part of the [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]]−[[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]] [[Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. In February 2012, Diamondhead was officially incorporated as a city. In the 2020 USA decennial census, the city population was 9,529.

==History==
===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"/>

===Hurricane Katrina===
[[Image:Hurricane Katrina winds 1500utc29Aug05 landfall MS.gif|thumb|200px|right|Diamondhead on top of small bay in fuchsia]]

On August 29, 2005, [[Hurricane Katrina]] made its third landfall on the Mississippi Coast. Before and during landfall, water poured into the Bay of St. Louis, and the initial flooding occurred in low-lying areas along the Jourdan River and its tributary bayous. Therefore, Diamondhead and [[Kiln, Mississippi|Kiln]] began to flood before the bulk of the surge came.<ref>{{cite web |title=Katrina's Surge: Part 10 |url=https://www.wunderground.com/education/Katrinas_surge_part10.asp |website=Weather Underground |access-date=August 5, 2017 |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806020450/https://www.wunderground.com/education/Katrinas_surge_part10.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> A record [[storm surge]] of nearly {{convert|30|ft}} caused extensive damage. Many homes were badly damaged or completely destroyed, especially those homes on the south side of Diamondhead, facing the Bay of Saint Louis. The commercial center, including stores and restaurants, was mostly destroyed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Diamondhead Community in Hancock County Still Trying to Clean Up After Katrina |url=http://www.gulfcoastnews.com/GCNarchive/2007/GCNkatrinaDiamondhead.htm |website=GulfCoastNews.com |access-date=August 8, 2017}}</ref> A 1,000-gallon aviation fuel tank from the airport in Diamondhead floated onto I-10.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=James Patterson |title=Hurricane Katrina: The Mississippi Story |date=2012 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |location=Jackson, Mississippi |isbn=978-1-61703-023-9 |page=5}}</ref> The north side fared better, and many of the people whose homes had been destroyed in neighboring cities, as well as in Diamondhead, moved into the houses which remained on the north side. Overnight, the population swelled from 6,500 to 9,000.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

===Incorporation===
Following Hurricane Katrina, the POA found itself facing issues that it had not anticipated that brought back the issue regarding incorporation. A city would be eligible for federal or state financial resources that the POA would not have access to as a private entity. Concerns about the expiration of the various covenants that governed different areas within the POA also created anxiety among homeowners.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In July 2006, the POA commissioned a study to determine how to best protect its assets. The study ultimately determined that incorporation would be the best route.

In 2009, a petition supported by the Property Owners Association (POA) to hold an incorporation election was filed with the Hancock Chancery Court, and an election approved the incorporation. Opponents contended that the petition lacked a sufficient number of signatures and that incorporation requirements were not complied with. In 2010, the Hancock Chancery Court ruled against the opponents, who then appealed to the [[Supreme Court of Mississippi]]. The appeal further claimed irregularities during the hearing on the original objection. On October 29, 2011, the Supreme Court of Mississippi upheld the Hancock Chancery Court and ruled against the irregularity claims.<ref name="Sea Coast Echo">{{cite web |url=http://12.68.233.230/40/article_5447.shtml |title=News |access-date=November 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425145132/http://12.68.233.230/40/article_5447.shtml |archive-date=April 25, 2012  }}</ref> In January 2012, a motion for extension to appeal the decision was denied by the Supreme Court, and a final edict mandating the incorporation was issued. The City of Diamondhead was presented its charter as the 111th city in Mississippi by [[Secretary of State of Mississippi|Secretary of State]] [[Delbert Hosemann]] on February 6, 2012.<ref name="Sun Herald">{{cite web |url=http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/hancock-county/article36469698.html |title=Diamondhead receives charter as Mississippi's 111th city |website=Sunherald.com |access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref>

==Geography==
Unlike most of the [[Mississippi Gulf Coast]], which is relatively level, the Diamondhead area has more rolling [[topography]], with elevations ranging from [[sea level]] to over {{convert|100|ft}}. The city is bordered to the south by the [[Bay of Saint Louis]]. Rotten Bayou runs west and northwest of the city. [[Harrison County, Mississippi|Harrison County]] borders Diamondhead to the east.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], in 2010 the Diamondhead CDP had a total area of {{convert|30.3|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|28.7|km2|order=flip}} were land and {{convert|1.5|km2|order=flip}}, or 5.04%, were water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2819100| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Diamondhead CDP, Mississippi| work=American Factfinder| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=August 15, 2017| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213100401/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2819100| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Major highways===
*[[File:I-10.svg|22px]]  [[Interstate 10 in Mississippi|Interstate 10]] runs through the southern part of the city, with access from Exit 16. I-10 leads east {{convert|35|mi}} to [[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]] and southwest {{Convert|56|mi}} to [[New Orleans]].

===Nearby cities and towns===
*[[Bay St. Louis, Mississippi|Bay St. Louis]] ({{convert|11|mi|disp=sqbr}} south by road)
*[[DeLisle, Mississippi|DeLisle]] ({{Convert|7|mi|0|disp=sqbr}} east)
*[[Kiln, Mississippi|Kiln]] (7 miles [11&nbsp;km] northwest)
*[[Picayune, Mississippi|Picayune]] (21 miles [34&nbsp;km] northwest)
*[[Shoreline Park, Mississippi|Shoreline Park]] ({{convert|6|mi|0|disp=sqbr}} south)
*[[Waveland, Mississippi|Waveland]] ({{convert|10|mi|0|disp=sqbr}} south)

===Climate===
The average temperature of Diamondhead is 67&nbsp;°F, which is higher than the Mississippi average temperature of 64&nbsp;°F and is much higher than the national average temperature of 54&nbsp;°F.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usa.com/diamondhead-ms-weather.htm|publisher=USA.com|access-date=March 13, 2021|title=Diamondhead, MS Weather}}</ref> 
{{climate chart
| Diamondhead
|41 |59 |5.5
|44 |62 |5.0
|50 |68 |5.7
|57 |75 |5.5
|64 |82 |5.0
|71 |87 |4.8
|71 |89 |6.7
|71 |89 |6.4
|69 |86 |5.7
|59 |78 |3.1
|48 |68 |3.9
|42 |60 |5.1
|float     = right
|clear     = both
|units     = imperial
|source    = [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=722331&cityname=Waveland-Mississippi-United-States-of-America WeatherBase.com (13 March 2021)]
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1980= 1011
|1990= 2661
|2000= 5912
|2010= 8425
|2020= 9529
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Census data<ref>''1980 Census of Population: Characteristics of the Population: Number of Inhabitants: Mississippi'', "Population of Places, 1960-1980", p. Mississippi 26-17. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.</ref><ref>''Census '90: 1990 Census of Population: General Population Characteristics: Mississippi'', "Summary of General Characteristics of Persons, 1990", p. 2 Mississippi. U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of Statistics.</ref><ref>''Mississippi 2000: Summary Population and Housing Characteristics: 2000 Census of Population and Housing'' "Age and Sex 2000", p. Mississippi 34. U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau.</ref><ref>''Mississippi: 2010: Summary Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Census of Population and Housing'', "Age and Sex 2010", p. Mississippi 10. U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau.</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Diamondhead racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US2819100&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=December 16, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|8,123
|85.25%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|335
|3.52%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|39
|0.41%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|130
|1.36%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|2
|0.02%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|463
|4.86%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|437
|4.59%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 9,529 people, 3,767 households, and 2,630 families residing in the city.

==Education==
Diamondhead is served by the [[Hancock County School District]].

All of Hancock County is in the service area of [[Pearl River Community College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prcc.edu/files/catalogs/Catalog%202014-2016%20-%20Spring.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807053926/http://prcc.edu/files/catalogs/Catalog%202014-2016%20-%20Spring.pdf |archive-date=August 7, 2015 |url-status=live|title=2014-2016 Catalog|publisher=Pearl River Community College|accessdate=April 13, 2022}}</ref>

===Local schools of note===
*[[Hancock High School (Mississippi)|Hancock High School]]
*[[Our Lady Academy]]
*[[Saint Stanislaus College]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.diamondhead.ms.gov/ City of Diamondhead official website]

{{Hancock County, Mississippi}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Cities in Hancock County, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 2012]]