Town file
Gulfport, Mississippi
Gulfport, Mississippi (Harrison County, Mississippi) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 721, "A Less Than Genius Murder Plot" (30 July 2026).
- Town
- Gulfport
- County
- Harrison County
- State
- Mississippi
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 721
- Approximate location
- 30.419, -89.069
Episode 721 / 30 July 2026 / 186 min / full
A Less Than Genius Murder Plot
"Gulfport, Mississippi, which is on the Gulf; this is in Harrison County, area code 228" about 0:06:51
The case: Murder of Edwina Marter (January 12th, 1976). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2026
- Population
- 72,468
- Median household income
- $41,250
- Median home value
- $172,600
- Two-bedroom rent
- $900 a month
- Cost of living
- 82.6
- Religious
- 51%
- Property crime
- ▲ double the average
- Violent crime
- about 20% beneath the national average
History, in brief
- Two villages predated Gulfport: Hansborough and Mississippi City. about 0:07:30
- Mississippi City came out of the Mississippi City Company, formed in 1837 to build the town as a headquarters for the railroad. about 0:07:45
- A later company wanted to connect the railroad from Hattiesburg to the coast; the site of Gulfport was chosen because Mississippi City had no deep water, and the town was founded that year. about 0:08:07
- The project went bankrupt and in 1893 Gulfport was a ghost town with nobody left. about 0:08:27
- A Philadelphia oil tycoon bought the company and built the town up again. about 0:08:36
- In 2005 the eastern side of Hurricane Katrina hit Gulfport with winds of 100 miles an hour and a 19-foot storm surge. about 0:08:43
- 9,571 houses were damaged or destroyed and the town's economy was wrecked. about 0:08:57
- The city received more than $300 million in federal aid, which it used to repair infrastructure, roads and sewers. about 0:09:11
The reviews read out
5 stars
"Multiple growth opportunities and extra-curricular activities such as a movie theatre, the beach, car shows, shopping and a wide variety of restaurants; a little bit of everything."about 0:10:03
3 stars
"A tough place to describe: in the heart of the coast but troubled by uncamped neighbourhoods, poverty and unlivable wages; the reviewer wants a shelter for the homeless and more resources for the poor."about 0:10:27
1 star
"For people who are looking to go to jail; not enough bars close by to bar hop, so you drink and drive or waste money on Ubers; Mississippi education sucks; casinos are full of couples losing money; residents' conversation sucks and everyone has kids; poverty, drugs and expensive prostitution."about 0:10:56
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Biloxi, Mississippi8.0 miles
- Wiggins, Mississippi30 miles
- Lucedale, Mississippi45 miles
- Irvington, Alabama50 miles
- Chunchula, Alabama62 miles
- Hattiesburg, Mississippi63 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.