Sun Herald: Coastal population still below pre-Katrina levels, according to Census data

The Sun Herald reports on latest Census population figures...

Census: Coast cities yet to recover
By Michael Newsome

New U.S. Census Bureau data shows Gulfport, Long Beach and Waveland had the most population growth in 2008, but most South Mississippi cities are still below pre-Hurricane Katrina populations.
The data released today shows only cities in Pearl River, Stone and George Counties are above their pre-storm totals, though Coast cities are making steady gains. Gulfport — South Mississippi’s largest city — gained 1,074 people in 2008, the data shows. The city is still 3,205 below its pre-Katrina population of 73,260. Waveland gained 454 people in 2008, bringing its population to an estimated 5,249, still far below the pre-Katrina population of 8,346. In Long Beach, 753 residents were gained in 2008, the Census reports.

Long Beach Mayor Billy Skellie believes many families, taking advantage of good schools there, have rebuilt their homes and he notes several apartment complexes opened, which likely contributed to the growth.

“It is still a really desirable place to educate your children and also to live,” Skellie said.

Like data on counties released recently, the latest Census numbers on cities show growth in Stone, George and Pearl River counties, which don’t have the post-Katrina housing and insurance troubles the Coast has after Katrina. Poplarville, Wiggins, Picayune and Lucedale are still above pre-Katrina totals. Of those cities, only Poplarville lost residents in 2008, having gone down only 27.

The Census shows some Coast cities had losses in 2008. Biloxi was down 617 from 2007, the most of any South Mississippi city, Moss Point lost 259 and Ocean Springs lost 109. Bay St. Louis was down 71 residents.

But Skellie also doubts his city, as well as some others, are as far below pre-Katrina totals as the Census reports. All Coast cities area still below their 2005 totals. The numbers show Long Beach had a pre-Katrina population of 17,469, but only had 12,234 in 2008, as well as Biloxi being down from 50,562 before the storm to 45,670 in 2008. But Gautier and D’Iberville are only down from before Katrina about 330 apiece. Ocean Springs is only down 406 from before the storm.

Housing officials have said that many new apartment complexes were built after the storm, but landlords are having to pay high insurance costs, and as a result, rents are higher than many can afford and a large number of units remain vacant.

Besides doubts from elected officials, immigrants rights groups have often said they don’t believe Census numbers. For example, recent Census numbers, which included data on ethnicity, showed the six southernmost counties’ Hispanic population is 15,420, a figure doubted by the Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance. MIRA believes the number is closer to 30,000 and might have been near 80,000 just after the storm. The Census numbers only show South Mississippi’s Hispanic population as 2,103 more than it was before Hurricane Katrina. The group believes many Hispanics avoid Census workers.

“Even the people who speak English and are born in the U.S. have always been resistant to the Census because of the fear factor, because of the stigma and because it is The Man coming to the door,” Victoria Cintra, MIRA organizing coordinator told the Sun Herald recently. “Especially communities of color and immigrant communities are the ones that get left out. I don’t believe in the numbers at this point.”