Your Life - Special Packages - Guide To Gulf Coast Living

Saturday, Jun. 20, 2009

Bay St. Louis offers a great sense of community

Though depleted in numbers during recent years, residents of this small, beach-side city remain no less enthusiastic about the place where they live.

They also like it that “The Bay,” as they call their beloved town, is also known as “A Place Apart.” That’s the way they want it.

“There is a sense of belonging,” said Jane Carrow, a city employee and Bay resident since 1998. “Everybody living here has a common thread.”

One of those threads is surviving the horrible hurricane of 2005, which wreaked havoc on the city and reduced the population from nearly 10,000 to about 6,000 now. But there are many other threads binding residents together: love of the water, of fishing and boating, small-town life, creativity, low crime rates, youth sports, sand in the toes, and sun on the shoulders.

“How many people have come through here and said, ‘Man, this would be a great place to retire’?” Carrow said.

For families, there are numerous churches of various faiths, school activities and youth sports galore. Adults enjoy gathering places such as the Mockingbird Cafe on Second Street and a lively local Little Theater scene.

Businesswoman Kay Gough, who co-owns a book store with her son, finds special bonds in the town. “It’s the people and the laid-back attitude,” she said. “It’s just a different kind of relationship.”

The local school district offers elementary, middle and high schools, as does the private Catholic system. The town is widely known for its local painters, potters, jewelry-makers, and other artists. There are excellent antique stores. The small, individually owned shops that carry wares in Old Town and elsewhere offer great service and a variety of merchandise.

Then there are restaurants serving up fresh Gulf Coast seafood and other delicacies. Hollywood Casino, located north of U.S. 90, offers golf, live entertainment, slots and table games, along with an RV park and a new hotel. To the south along the beach, the Silver Slipper Casino is available to residents and visitors.

If you happen to be a boating enthusiast, The Bay is hard to beat. The Bay of St. Louis, which slips inland just west of Pass Christian, was discovered and named by the French in 1699. It is fed by the Jourdan and Wolf rivers, both of which are navigable for miles. Whether fishing, crabbing, swimming, beach-hopping or just cruising, it’s a water-lover’s paradise.