These South MS cities are growing faster than almost anywhere in the state. Why?

New homes are rising on vacant land. Out-of-state license plates are common.

It is a portrait of growth in South Mississippi that Census data this week showed is bigger than almost anywhere in the state.

“That’s pretty significant for these cities,” said Crystal Delbé, a statistician for the Census Bureau.

Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian and Lucedale rank among the top 10 fastest-growing places in Mississippi. No single force is driving the shifts. Instead, city leaders say a diverse group of retirees, big-city transplants and out-of-state arrivals are being lured by the charm and quiet.

“You have just a very unique, safe, attractive community here in Pass Christian,” said Jimmy Rafferty, the city’s mayor.

“We have people buy houses sight unseen,” said Al Jones, a Lucedale alderman and the city’s mayor-elect. “You’ll see a tag from Michigan. From Arizona. Then you’ll see a Jackson County tag. It’s a variety of people.”

Bay St. Louis was Mississippi’s fourth fastest-growing city in the last four years, and its population swelled by 13 percent. Pass Christian was the fifth fastest-growing city over that period. Lucedale, the smallest of the three cities, ranked seventh with a growth rate of 9 percent. Delbé called the numbers “definitely above average” for cities of similar size.

Mississippi’s fastest-growing city over the four-year period was Duck Hill, a small community about an hour south of Oxford. Its population of 619 at the last Census had more than doubled by last year.

Other quickly growing areas include Sumrall, which is west of Hattiesburg, and Terry, a small town south of Jackson.

New development is flourishing in the popularity. A gleaming new resort opened this spring in Pass Christian. Bay St. Louis gets even busier on weekends with a stampede of Louisiana visitors, and popular New Orleans restaurants have opened there in recent years. The city’s Depot District was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina but is now filled with wine bars, fitness centers and vacation rentals. And Enviva, a wood pellet manufacturer, opened in Lucedale in 2022.

Still, the cost of building materials, insurance and interest rates may be tempering the trends. Empty space also endures nearly two decades after Katrina. Even before that, Hurricane Camille had flattened businesses and homes. “We’re not anywhere near where we were before the hurricanes,” Rafferty said.

The changes growth has brought to quaint communities are also making some locals wary. Residents of Ocean Springs, another growing Coast city, voted out several incumbent leaders this spring and the city’s mayor-elect has vowed to balance preservation with development.

Rafferty also lost his reelection bid this year amid fierce debates over development in the city. He said this week that Pass Christian must find a way to embrace the economic benefits of growth without becoming gentrified.

A few hundred newcomers means little to larger cities. But the influx is significant in Lucedale, where Jones said new residents eager for small-town life and low taxes are moving from Mobile and the Coast. There is plenty of land available, and rising subdivisions are carving out new neighborhoods. Many of the transplants are retirees.

Jones said the surge started around 2020.

“We stayed the same for a long, long time,” he said. “All of a sudden, it’s taking off.”

This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 11:36 AM.