Did you know that four of the nation’s Top 50 golf courses have Biloxi connections? Or that Biloxi’s population is almost evenly split between male and female? Or that Biloxi has 258 acres of parks?
The latest “book on Biloxi” is now online, and it’s chockfull of relevant data and interesting trivia about Biloxi. It’s the city’s General Market Analysis, a 44-page full-color compendium that uses easy-to-read text, charts and maps to tell the real-time story of Biloxi.
You’ll find key economic indicators, quality of life factors, demographic information, construction trends, and other timely data along with contact info for a variety of sources ready to assist potential developers or residents.
“This is a great tool for someone – whether a local or interested out-of-towner – who wants to learn about Biloxi and what makes our community such a vibrant place,” said Mayor A.J. Holloway. “This is ‘the book on Biloxi.'”
The GMA traces its roots back to the mid-1980s when the city’s Community Development Department began producing the document. The city had updated the information annually before Hurricane Katrina, but this latest edition is the first since a 28-page edition was published in 2008.
Among the matter-of-fact statements in the new GMA:
— The median age in Biloxi is 35.7, the city has 23,000 housing units, 60 percent which are single family homes, 32 percent apartments; and 8 percent mobile homes. The average household size was 2.4 people.
— Biloxi’s 955 retail establishments had gross sales of $787 million in FY 2010, generating $53.3 million in gross sales taxes.
— Four golf courses with Biloxi affiliations are ranked in the nation’s Top 50 by Golfweek magazine: Ranked at No. 2 is Fallen Oak, Beau Rivage; No. 23, Grand Bear, Grand Casino; No. 39, The Preserve, Palace Casino Resort; and No. 40, Shell Landing, IP.
— Biloxi offers 258 acres of parks, 30 ballfields, and 20 playgrounds.
— Three-quarters of the employed people in Biloxi work in the private sector, while 21 percent work for government, and 5 percent are self-employed. Biloxi has a labor force of 21,080.
— The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino is the city’s largest taxpayer, with a taxable assessed value of $77.4 million. The mega-resort represents 12.83 percent of the city’s total assessed valuation, and the city’s Top 10 taxpayers account for 36 percent of the city’s total valuation.
— Biloxi has 219 sunny days a year, with an average January temperature of 52 degrees, and 92 in July. Biloxi has 61 inches of rainfall in an average year and averages less than 1 inch of snowfall in a given year.
Read for yourself: You can find an online version of the General Market Analysis by the clicking on the Market Analysis link on the right side of the front page of the city web site, or you can go directly to the online version by clicking here.
