Pros and Cons of Living in Long Beach

Long Beach's core trade-off pairs a real, growing university anchor and genuinely strong safety data against a real, catastrophic, city-specific Katrina history and elevated property taxes.

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Pro: a real, growing university anchor and strong safety

USM's Gulf Park campus is real, current, and actively expanding (a new 2026 MGCCC partnership), and Long Beach's crime data runs genuinely favorable -- a #11 safest-city-in-Mississippi ranking for 2026.

Pro: Mississippi's real, low income tax and retirement exemption

Mississippi's flat 4.0% income tax and full retirement-income exemption apply in Long Beach as statewide -- genuinely significant given the city's disclosed 20%+ senior population share.

Con: a real, catastrophic, city-specific Katrina history

Hurricane Katrina brought a documented 28+ feet of storm surge to Long Beach specifically, demolishing 715 homes and displacing over a third of the city's population -- a real, disclosed risk any mover should weigh directly.

Con: a real, disclosed elevated property tax rate

Ownwell cites Long Beach's median effective property tax rate at 1.35% -- among the highest in Harrison County and matching Mississippi's own highest-cited statewide comparison figure.

Key takeaways

Pro: USM's Gulf Park campus is a real, currently growing university anchor.
Pro: genuinely strong, disclosed crime data (#11 safest city in Mississippi, 2026).
Con: real, catastrophic, city-specific Hurricane Katrina history (28+ ft surge, 715 homes demolished).
Con: a real, disclosed elevated property tax rate (1.35% effective, per Ownwell).

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.