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Historic Walking Tour Driving and Bicycling Tour Old Biloxi Cemetery Tour City of Biloxi Website Historic Downtown Biloxi Walking Tour Biloxi boasts a long and sometimes turbulent history, dating from 1699 when Pierre Lemoyne, Sieur d’Iberville sailed into the Mississippi Sound. The city grew from a quiet village into a thriving seafood center by the 1890s, with immigrants from Croatia/Slovenia, Bohema and later Louisiana Acadians harvesting the abundant shrimp and oysters. For most of the early 20th century, the seafood industry sustained the city’s economy. With the creation of Keesler Army Field in 1939 (now Keesler Air Force Base), Biloxi grew in national significance and population. During the 1970s Vietnamese immigrants settled in the city, locating primarily on Point Cadet – a district that was a cultural blend of new and old. In 1992 a new industry grew in Biloxi – casino gambling. With the economic boom spurred by legalized gaming in 1992 and the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Biloxi continues to strive to balance its ties to the past with its vision for the future. For a video tour of the sites you will visit during the Historic Downtown Biloxi Walking Tour, click here . (Video created in 2015.) This publication has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, through the Historic Preservation Division of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior or the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products or consultants constitute endorsement or recommendation by these agencies. This program received Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U. S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240 ©2022 City of Biloxi All Rights Reserved – City Hall P.O. Box 429, Biloxi, MS 39533 – Privacy...