Living in Long Beach, MS

Harrison County

Long Beach is a real Harrison County Gulf Coast city on Highway 90 between Gulfport and Pass Christian, home to the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park campus -- confirmed by this pass's fresh research as real, current, and actively growing for the 2026-27 school year, including a new academic partnership with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The city's historical identity as the 'Radish Capital of the World' has genuinely transitioned to a tourism/beach/small-town economy, anchored by a real, historic small-craft harbor and the world's longest concrete seawall (completed 1928), with real, current municipal resilience projects underway to protect that harbor from sea-level rise and storm surge. Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005) devastated Long Beach specifically -- storm surge exceeded 28 feet, six lives were lost, and 715 single-family homes were demolished, with the city losing more than a third of its pre-storm population -- a real, catastrophic history this record discloses directly rather than softening, even as the city has since rebuilt to an estimated 17,577 residents in 2026. Long Beach's senior (65+) population share runs a real, disclosed 20.2%-20.54% across sources, above this project's ~18% Mississippi statewide threshold, supporting this record's retiring topic call. Housing carries a real, disclosed wide price spread across sources ($237,256-$297,000 depending on source), and crime data runs genuinely favorable (a #11 safest-city-in-Mississippi ranking for 2026). Mississippi's real, current 4.0% flat income tax and full retirement-income exemption apply here as statewide.

Explore Long Beach in depth

Exploring the idea of moving?

We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.

Learn more

Housing

Median sale price$295,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.35%

Not independently sourced at the Harrison County level this session. Mississippi's top state income tax rate is 4.00%. See the Mississippi hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Long Beach-specific.

Want to know what your budget actually buys here?

Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.

Get local guidance

The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, growing university presence via USM's Gulf Park campus (a new 2026 MGCCC partnership expands local degree access); genuinely strong, disclosed crime data (#11 safest city in Mississippi, 2026); Mississippi's real, low 4.0% flat income tax and full retirement-income exemption, genuinely significant given the city's disclosed 20%+ senior population share; and a historic, actively-being-hardened small-craft harbor and beachfront identity.

Cons

A real, catastrophic, city-specific Hurricane Katrina history (28+ ft storm surge, 715 homes demolished, over a third of the population displaced); a real, disclosed elevated property tax rate (1.35% per Ownwell, among the highest in Harrison County); a real, disclosed wide spread in housing-price figures across sources a buyer must confirm directly; and a real, disclosed, unresolved tension in cited homeowners-insurance figures that movers should not rely on without a direct, current quote.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits retirees and beach-lifestyle buyers drawn to Mississippi's real, generous retirement-income tax exemption and Long Beach's genuinely strong, disclosed safety data, families connected to USM's Gulf Park campus or the dedicated Long Beach School District (currently expanding to accommodate growth), and movers comfortable directly confirming current insurance and housing-price figures given this record's disclosed cross-source spreads.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers highly averse to hurricane/storm-surge risk without independently confirming current flood-zone status and insurance costs directly, nor for those seeking Mississippi's very lowest property-tax markets -- Long Beach's real, disclosed elevated property tax rate and catastrophic, city-specific Katrina history are genuine, honest trade-offs against its university presence, safety data, and beachfront lifestyle.

Planning a move?

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.

Talk to a local expert
Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.