City in Mississippi, United States
Pascagoula
(
PASS
-kuh-
GOOL
-uh
) is a city in
Jackson County, Mississippi
, United States. It is the principal city of the
Pascagoula metropolitan area
, and is part of the
Gulfport
?
Biloxi
?Pascagoula
Combined Statistical Area
and the
Gulfport-Biloxi metropolitan area
. The population was 22,392 at the
2010 census
,
[2]
down from 26,200 at the 2000 census. In 2019 the population was 21,699.
[3]
It is the
county seat
of Jackson County.
[4]
The city is served by three airports:
Mobile Regional Airport
, 34 miles (55 km) to the northeast in
Alabama
;
Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport
, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Pascagoula; and the
Trent Lott International Airport
, 9 miles (14 km) to the north in Jackson County.
History
[
edit
]
Early history
[
edit
]
The name
Pascagoula
, which means "bread eater", is taken from the
Pascagoula
, a group of
Native Americans
found in villages along the
Pascagoula River
some distance above its mouth.
Hernando de Soto
seems to have made the first contact with them in the 1540s, though little is known of that encounter.
Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville
, founder of the colony of
Louisiana
, left a more detailed account from an expedition of this region in 1700.
[5]
[6]
The first detailed account comes from
Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville
, younger brother of Iberville, whom the Pascagoula visited at
Fort Maurepas
in present-day
Ocean Springs
, shortly after it was settled and while the older brother was away in France. There are few details that are certain about these people, except that their language seemed not to have shared an
etymological
root with the larger native groups to the north, the
Choctaw
particularly, who speak a
Muskogean language
. There has been speculation that their language may be related to
Biloxi
. The
Biloxi people
spoke a now extinct
Siouan language
, which is related to the languages spoken by the
Sioux
,
Crow
, and
Ho-Chunk
.
[5]
[6]
The territory of the Biloxi people seems to have ranged from the areas of what are now called Biloxi Bay to
Bayou La Batre
(
Alabama
) and 25 miles (40 km) up the
Pascagoula River
, and the Pascagoula people's territory seems to have ranged between some distance north of there to the confluence of the
Leaf
and
Chickasawhay
rivers.
[6]
: 19?21
However, the Pascagoula language is completely undocumented ? thus, genealogical affiliations from other authors are speculation.
[5]
The first European settlers of Pascagoula were Jean Baptiste Baudreau Dit Graveline, Joseph Simon De La Pointe and his aunt, Madame Chaumont.
Modern history
[
edit
]
The region changed hands over the next century, being occupied variously by the English, French, and Spanish until well after the
American Revolutionary War
. It came into the permanent possession of the United States in 1812 when it was added to the
Mississippi Territory
. At one point, for 74 days in 1810, Pascagoula was a part of what was known as the
Republic of West Florida
.
[6]
: 47?49
Pascagoula was incorporated as a village in 1892. It obtained city status in 1901. Today's downtown Pascagoula used to be the town of Scranton, Mississippi, incorporated in 1870. The two towns merged in 1904 by Governor's proclamation and in 1912 by Mississippi legislative act.
[7]
In October 1973, an alleged
unidentified flying object
sighting and
alien abduction
is said to have occurred when co-workers Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker claimed they were abducted by
aliens
while fishing near Pascagoula. The incident,
Pascagoula Abduction
, earned substantial
mass media
attention.
[8]
In June 2019, Pascagoula placed a historical marker near the alleged abduction site.
[9]
Hurricane Katrina
[
edit
]
On August 29, 2005,
Hurricane Katrina
's 20-foot (6.1 m)
storm surge
devastated Pascagoula,
[10]
much like
Biloxi
and
Gulfport
and the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
[11]
Katrina came ashore during the high tide of 6:12 AM, 2.1 ft (0.64 m) more.
[12]
Nearly 92% of Pascagoula was flooded. Most homes along Beach Boulevard were destroyed, and
FEMA trailers
became an omnipresent sight.
Due to the media focus on the plight of
New Orleans
and Biloxi-Gulfport in the aftermath of Katrina, many Pascagoula citizens have expressed feeling neglected or even forgotten following the storm. Most Pascagoula residents did not possess
flood insurance
, and many were required to put their homes on
pilings
before being given a permit to rebuild. TITANTubes, sometimes referred to as
geotubes
, were installed under the beach to serve as low-profile dune cores to protect the evacuation route.
United States Navy
officials announced that two
Arleigh Burke
-class
guided missile destroyers
that were under construction at
Northrop Grumman Ship Systems
in Pascagoula had been damaged by the storm, as well as the
amphibious assault ship
USS
Makin Island
.
Hurricane Katrina damaged over forty Mississippi libraries, flooding the Pascagoula Public Library's first floor and causing mold in the building.
[13]
Points of interest
[
edit
]
The United States post office in Pascagoula contains a mural,
Legend of the Singing River
, painted in 1939 by
Lorin Thompson
. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the
Section of Painting and Sculpture
, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the
Treasury Department
. The mural was restored in the 1960s as the building became the Pascagoula Public Library. The building was damaged by
Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, and the mural was placed in storage. In 2010, it was re-installed at the new Pascagoula post office on Jackson Avenue.
[14]
Pascagoula
is the home of the
Old Spanish Fort
, the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley. It was built sometime in the 1750s.
Geography
[
edit
]
Pascagoula is located along
Mississippi Sound
, on the east side of the mouth of the
Pascagoula River
. It is bordered to the north by
Moss Point
and to the west, across the Pascagoula River, by
Gautier
. The city has a total area of 24.5 square miles (63.4 km
2
), of which 15.4 square miles (39.8 km
2
) are land and 9.1 square miles (23.6 km
2
), or 37.25%, are water.
[2]
U.S. Route 90
(Denny Avenue) passes through the city, leading northeast 16 miles (26 km) to
Grand Bay, Alabama
, and west 21 miles (34 km) to
Biloxi
.
Mississippi Highway 613
(Telephone Road) leads north from US-90 into Moss Point and 5 miles (8 km) to
Interstate 10
.
Climate
[
edit
]
According to the
Koppen Climate Classification
system, Pascagoula has a
humid subtropical climate
, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Pascagoula was 106 °F (41.1 °C) on August 26, 2023, while the coldest temperature recorded was 16 °F (?8.9 °C) on January 30, 2014.
[15]
Climate data for Pascagoula, Mississippi (
Trent Lott International Airport
), 1991?2020 normals, extremes 1997?present
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °F (°C)
|
83
(28)
|
84
(29)
|
89
(32)
|
93
(34)
|
97
(36)
|
102
(39)
|
103
(39)
|
106
(41)
|
99
(37)
|
98
(37)
|
88
(31)
|
84
(29)
|
106
(41)
|
Mean maximum °F (°C)
|
76.1
(24.5)
|
78.9
(26.1)
|
82.9
(28.3)
|
85.9
(29.9)
|
92.8
(33.8)
|
96.7
(35.9)
|
97.1
(36.2)
|
96.7
(35.9)
|
94.2
(34.6)
|
90.5
(32.5)
|
82.7
(28.2)
|
79.0
(26.1)
|
98.7
(37.1)
|
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)
|
62.5
(16.9)
|
66.4
(19.1)
|
72.2
(22.3)
|
77.6
(25.3)
|
84.3
(29.1)
|
89.6
(32.0)
|
90.9
(32.7)
|
90.7
(32.6)
|
88.0
(31.1)
|
80.7
(27.1)
|
71.4
(21.9)
|
64.8
(18.2)
|
78.3
(25.7)
|
Daily mean °F (°C)
|
51.7
(10.9)
|
55.5
(13.1)
|
61.2
(16.2)
|
66.6
(19.2)
|
73.6
(23.1)
|
80.3
(26.8)
|
82.1
(27.8)
|
81.9
(27.7)
|
78.5
(25.8)
|
69.2
(20.7)
|
59.1
(15.1)
|
54.0
(12.2)
|
67.8
(19.9)
|
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)
|
40.9
(4.9)
|
44.6
(7.0)
|
50.1
(10.1)
|
55.7
(13.2)
|
63.0
(17.2)
|
71.1
(21.7)
|
73.4
(23.0)
|
73.2
(22.9)
|
69.0
(20.6)
|
57.7
(14.3)
|
46.9
(8.3)
|
43.2
(6.2)
|
57.4
(14.1)
|
Mean minimum °F (°C)
|
22.3
(?5.4)
|
27.4
(?2.6)
|
32.1
(0.1)
|
39.8
(4.3)
|
48.8
(9.3)
|
62.8
(17.1)
|
67.8
(19.9)
|
66.8
(19.3)
|
56.1
(13.4)
|
39.9
(4.4)
|
28.9
(?1.7)
|
27.3
(?2.6)
|
21.9
(?5.6)
|
Record low °F (°C)
|
16
(?9)
|
20
(?7)
|
21
(?6)
|
32
(0)
|
42
(6)
|
50
(10)
|
60
(16)
|
60
(16)
|
45
(7)
|
29
(?2)
|
19
(?7)
|
20
(?7)
|
16
(?9)
|
Average
precipitation
inches (mm)
|
4.97
(126)
|
4.01
(102)
|
4.73
(120)
|
4.40
(112)
|
4.95
(126)
|
6.91
(176)
|
6.65
(169)
|
7.89
(200)
|
4.84
(123)
|
3.69
(94)
|
3.79
(96)
|
4.90
(124)
|
61.73
(1,568)
|
Average precipitation days
(≥ 0.01 in)
|
8.3
|
8.9
|
8.5
|
7.3
|
7.7
|
12.3
|
14.8
|
14.8
|
10.4
|
8.0
|
7.5
|
9.4
|
117.9
|
Source 1: NOAA
[16]
|
Source 2: National Weather Service (mean maxima/minima 2006–2020)
[15]
|
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1870
| 480
| | ?
|
---|
1880
| 418
| | ?12.9%
|
---|
1900
| 708
| | ?
|
---|
1910
| 3,379
| | 377.3%
|
---|
1920
| 6,082
| | 80.0%
|
---|
1930
| 4,339
| | ?28.7%
|
---|
1940
| 5,900
| | 36.0%
|
---|
1950
| 10,805
| | 83.1%
|
---|
1960
| 17,155
| | 58.8%
|
---|
1970
| 27,264
| | 58.9%
|
---|
1980
| 29,318
| | 7.5%
|
---|
1990
| 25,899
| | ?11.7%
|
---|
2000
| 26,200
| | 1.2%
|
---|
2010
| 22,392
| | ?14.5%
|
---|
2020
| 22,010
| | ?1.7%
|
---|
2020 census
[
edit
]
In the
2020 United States census
, there were 22,010 people, 8,415 households, and 4,865 families residing in the city.
2000 census
[
edit
]
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,200 people, 9,878 households, and 6,726 families living in the city. The population density was 1,726.4 inhabitants per square mile (666.6/km
2
). There were 10,931 housing units at an average density of 720.3 per square mile (278.1/km
2
). The racial makeup of the city was 67.15%
White
, 28.97%
African American
, 0.18%
Native American
, 0.97%
Asian
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
, 1.67% from
other races
, and 1.04% from two or more races.
Hispanic
or
Latino
of any race were 3.89% of the population.
There were 9,878 households, of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city, the population was 26.9% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,042, and the median income for a family was $39,044. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $22,594 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,891. About 18.1% of families and 20.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.4% of those under age 18 and 13.0% of those age 65 or over.
According to census 2010, Pascagoula has the highest percentage of Puerto Ricans in Mississippi. Puerto Ricans make up nearly 5% of the city.
Economy
[
edit
]
Pascagoula is a major industrial city of Mississippi, on the
Gulf Coast
. Prior to
World War II
, the town was a sleepy fishing village of about 5,000. The population skyrocketed with the war-driven shipbuilding industry. The city's population seemed to peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s as
Cold War
defense spending was at its height. Pascagoula experienced some new growth and development in the years before
Hurricane Katrina
.
Today, Pascagoula is home to the state's largest private, single-site employer,
Ingalls Shipbuilding
, owned by
Huntington Ingalls Industries
. Other major industries include the largest
Chevron
refinery in the world; Rolls-Royce Naval Marine, specializing in U.S. Navy ship propulsion; and First Chemical/Chemours.
Naval Station Pascagoula
was located on Singing River Island and was homeport to several Navy warships, as well as a large
Coast Guard
contingent. Naval Station Pascagoula was decommissioned as part of the 2005
BRAC
recommendations and ceased operations in 2006.
Education
[
edit
]
The
Pascagoula-Gautier School District
serves Pascagoula.
Resurrection Catholic School
is a parochial school for grades PK3-12, established in 1882.
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Brent Anderson
, country music singer
[20]
- Vick Ballard
, NFL player
- Earl Blair
, Canadian Football League player
- George Blair
, NFL player
- Steve Bowman
, NFL player
[21]
- Isaac Brown
, Wichita State University Basketball Coach
- Terrell Buckley
, NFL player
[22]
- Jimmy Buffett
, musician, songwriter, author, actor, and businessman;
[23]
born here
- Joey Butler
, MLB player
- William Colmer
, US Congressman
- Chuck Commiskey
, NFL player
[22]
- Fred Cook
, professional football player
[24]
- Tony Dees
, Olympic silver medalist in 1992 olympics
- Uncle Elmer
(real name: Stan Frazier), former professional wrestler
- Senquez Golson
, NFL player
[25]
- Litterial Green
, NBA player
- Ira B. Harkey Jr.
, editor and publisher of
Pascagoula Chronicle
; won Pulitzer Prize for courageous editorials devoted to processes of law and reason during
integration crisis
in Mississippi in 1962
- Antonio Harvey
, NBA forward
- Richard Harvey
, NFL player
[22]
- Dr. Calvin Huey
, Chemist, businessman, first African-American football player at Navy.
[26]
- Sam Leslie
, former Major League Baseball player (New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers) and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame member
[27]
- Trent Lott
, US Senator
- Aubrey Matthews
, NFL player
- Shane Matthews
, NFL player
[22]
- Fishbait Miller
, Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives
- Jennifer Palmieri
, Politician
- Clyde Powers
, NFL player
- Carl Tart
, comedian/podcaster
- Channing Tatum
, Actor
- Kim Seaman
, former professional baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Toni Seawright
, first African American
Miss Mississippi
- Charles Sellier Jr.
, television and film producer, including
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
[28]
[29]
- Tony Sipp
, Major League Baseball player
- Judson Spence
, musician, singer, songwriter
[30]
[31]
[32]
[33]
[34]
- Diron Talbert
, NFL player
[22]
- Lynn Thomas
,
NFL
player for
San Francisco 49ers
[22]
- Sarah Thomas
, first female NFL official
[35]
- Harry "The Hat" Walker
, Major League Baseball player
- Otis Wonsley
, NFL player
Sister city
[
edit
]
In popular culture
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
July 24,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Pascagoula city, Mississippi"
.
American Factfinder
. U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2020
. Retrieved
August 7,
2018
.
- ^
"Population and Housing Unit Estimates"
. Retrieved
May 21,
2020
.
- ^
"Find a County"
. National Association of Counties
. Retrieved
June 7,
2011
.
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a
b
c
Goddard, Ives (2005). "The indigenous languages of the Southeast."
Anthropological Linguistics.
47
(1): 1?60.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Cain, Cyril Edward:
Four Centuries on the Pascagoula
, Vol. 1 (1953)
- ^
"City of Pascagoula v. Krebs"
. Retrieved
March 24,
2023
.
- ^
Amy, Jeff; Plaisance, Stacey (October 11, 2013).
"Man says 1973 UFO incident turned life upside down"
.
St. Paul Pioneer Press
.
Associated Press
. Retrieved
June 27,
2019
.
- ^
Brockell, Gillian (June 26, 2019).
"The men claimed they were abducted by aliens. In Mississippi, police believed them"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
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2019
.
- ^
"
National Weather Service Forecast Office ? Mobile/Pensacola
."
NOAA
.
July 7, 2006.
- ^
"
Tropical Cyclone Report, Hurricane Katrina
." (post-analysis)
National Hurricane Center.
revised August 10, 2006.
- ^
"2005 NOAA Tide Predictions: Pascagoula, Mississippi Sound" (2005), tide on August 29, 2006,
NOAA
, web:
NOAA-tide-tables
.
- ^
"Hurricane Katrina Related Damages to Public Libraries in Mississippi"
(PDF)
.
Mississippi Library Commission
. September 2005. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 31, 2007
. Retrieved
April 24,
2009
– via American Library Association.
- ^
"Mural returns to Pascagoula Post Office"
.
Blog.gulflive.com
. July 11, 2010
. Retrieved
January 20,
2015
.
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a
b
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. National Weather Service
. Retrieved
September 1,
2023
.
- ^
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. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
. Retrieved
September 1,
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.
- ^
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.
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. Retrieved
October 23,
2013
.
- ^
"Population Estimates"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
June 8,
2018
.
- ^
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.
data.census.gov
. Retrieved
December 16,
2021
.
- ^
Campbell, Donna (December 10, 2015).
"Jackson County native co-wrote Blake Shelton song nominated for Grammy"
.
sunherald
. Retrieved
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.
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"STEVE BOWMAN"
. profootballarchives.com. Archived from
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on December 12, 2014
. Retrieved
December 12,
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Magee, Patrick (June 17, 2016).
"Pascagoula set to induct 15 in Hall of Fame Saturday"
.
sunherald
. Retrieved
December 22,
2017
.
- ^
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.
NOLA.com
. Retrieved
December 21,
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.
- ^
"Fantasy News, Fantasy Leagues, Player Projections, Cheat Sheets, Player Rankings, Draft Guides - RotoWire.com"
.
Databasefootball.com
. Retrieved
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.
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Fittipaldo, Ray (April 12, 2017).
"Steelers cornerback Senquez Golson detained after bringing gun to Alabama airport"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Jernigan, Gavin (September 11, 2018).
"Dr. Calvin Huey, the first African-American football player at the Naval Academy, dies at 75"
. Retrieved
November 5,
2018
.
- ^
Clarence., Watkins (2012).
Baseball in Memphis
. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub. p. 43.
ISBN
9780738591087
.
OCLC
759916692
.
- ^
Hevesi, Dennis (February 4, 2011).
"Charles Sellier Jr., Creator of 'Grizzly Adams', Dies at 67"
.
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. Retrieved
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2011
.
- ^
Dumas, Michael (February 8, 2011).
"Charles Sellier Jr., creator of 'Grizzly Adams', dies at 67"
.
Press-Register
. Retrieved
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2011
.
- ^
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.
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.
- ^
"Judson Spence"
.
Rareandobscuremusic.wordpress.com
. June 8, 2017.
- ^
"Judson Spence Archives"
.
Americansongwriter.com
.
- ^
"Judson Spence"
.
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.
- ^
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.
Pandora.com
. Retrieved
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2023
.
- ^
Jones, James (July 7, 2016).
"Referee Sarah Thomas will be back for another year in NFL"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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.
Newsreview.com
. October 27, 2005. Archived from
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on February 2, 2008
. Retrieved
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2017
.
- ^
Whitburn, Joel (2012).
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. Record Research, Inc. p. 322.
ISBN
978-0-89820-203-8
.
- ^
"Pascagoula Run"
. Pascagoula Run
. Retrieved
August 8,
2017
.
- ^
"Choctaw Traits"
.
Swordandscale.com
. Retrieved
February 18,
2019
.
- ^
"Cruisin' the Coast in Pascagoula, a First for the City"
.
Gulfcoastnews.com
. Retrieved
October 8,
2020
.
- ^
"Pascagoula Hosts First Official Cruisin The Coast"
.
Wlox.com
. Retrieved
October 8,
2020
.
- ^
"Jimmy Buffett honored in Pascagoula, wows beach crowd with acoustic set"
.
Gulflive.com
. September 20, 2015
. Retrieved
October 8,
2020
.
- ^
"Cruisin' The Coast named America's best car show"
.
10best.com
. Retrieved
October 8,
2020
.
External links
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