Biloxi << bih LUHK see >> (pop. 49,449) is one of the largest cities in Mississippi. Biloxi lies on the state’s southern coast, along the Gulf of Mexico.
Biloxi was one of the first permanent European settlements in the Mississippi Valley. The French Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’ Iberville, and his brother, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, brought settlers to the area in 1699. The name Biloxi comes from a Sioux Indian word for first people, Chief industries are casinos, tourism, and seafood processing. Gambling, fishing, and the city’s artificially created beach attract visitors. Biloxi and Gulfport are part of a metropolitan area with a population of 416,259.
In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. The Biloxi area was hit especially hard by the hurricane and a storm surge, a rapid rise in water levels produced when winds drive ocean waters ashore. Many people died in the area.
