Gulfport is weirdly shaped. If you’re staring at a map of Gulfport MS for the first time, you’ll probably notice it looks like a giant, irregular puzzle piece dropped right onto the edge of the Mississippi Sound. It isn't just a beach town. Honestly, most people who visit end up stuck on Highway 90, thinking they’ve seen the whole place, but the map reveals a much more complicated story of a city that stretches deep into the piney woods of Harrison County.
It’s the second-largest city in Mississippi. That surprises people. They expect a sleepy fishing village, but what they get is a massive industrial port, a sprawling suburban north side, and a historic downtown that’s still recovering from, and redefining itself after, Hurricane Katrina.
When you look at the layout, you’re looking at layers of history. You have the grid of the original 1887 survey down by the water, and then you have the chaotic, sprawling growth of the late 20th century as the city ate up the land around it. Understanding this geography is basically the only way to navigate the city without losing your mind in the traffic around Crossroads Shopping Center.
The Beachfront Grid and the Highway 90 Trap
Most tourists never leave the bottom two inches of the map. This is where the white sand is. The Mississippi Gulf Coast has the world's longest man-made beach, stretching 26 miles, and Gulfport sits right in the middle of it. If you look at the map of Gulfport MS along the shoreline, you’ll see Highway 90—the lifeblood of the coast.
Locals call it "the beach road."
It’s a straight shot, but it’s deceptive. You think you’re moving fast until you hit the lights near the Port of Gulfport. The Port is that massive rectangle jutting out into the blue water on your map. It’s a deep-water port, and it’s the reason the city exists. Captain Joseph T. Jones and William H. Hardy basically willed this city into existence to have a place where the railroads could meet the ships.
West of the Port, the map shows a lot of residential streets. This is where you find the older, grander homes that managed to survive the 2005 surge. East of the Port is the "Jones Park" area. It’s a massive green space on the map. If you’re traveling with kids, this is the anchor. It’s got the splash pads, the replica lighthouses, and the harbor where the Ship Island Excursions ferry departs.
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Navigation 101: The Highway 49 Spine
If Highway 90 is the city's belt, Highway 49 is its spine. Look at the map of Gulfport MS and find where the vertical line of 49 meets the horizontal line of 90. That intersection is the literal center of the universe for Harrison County.
Going north on 49 takes you away from the breeze and into the heat.
This is where the "real" Gulfport happens. You pass the historic downtown area around 13th Street and 14th Street. If you’re looking at your phone map, zoom in here. This is the walkable part. You’ve got Fishbone Alley—a literal alleyway covered in local art and neon—and a cluster of bars and restaurants like Half Shell Oyster House. It’s a tight, urban grid that feels nothing like the suburban sprawl just five minutes north.
As you keep heading north on 49, the map gets messy. You’ll see the intersection with I-10. This is the "Crossroads." It’s a nightmare of traffic lights and big-box stores. Every major chain you can think of is crammed into this section of the map. If you are trying to get from the beach to the airport (Gulfport-Biloxi International, located just east of 49), this is the bottleneck you have to plan for.
The Bayou Bernard and the Industrial North
North of I-10, the map of Gulfport MS starts to look a lot greener. You’ll see the squiggly lines of Bayou Bernard.
This isn't just a swamp. It’s a major industrial waterway.
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Companies like Trinity Yachts used to build world-class luxury vessels tucked away in these bayous. Today, it’s a mix of heavy industry and surprisingly quiet residential pockets. If you follow the map further north toward the Orange Grove area, the city starts to feel more like a forest. This is where the massive growth has happened over the last twenty years. People moved north to get away from the flood zones, and the map reflects that shift.
The "Lyman" area at the very top of the city limits is almost rural. You’ll see large tracts of land and fewer intersections. It’s a stark contrast to the dense, salty air of the shoreline.
Why the Map Looks "Empty" in Spots
You might notice some blank spaces on the map, particularly moving west toward Long Beach or east toward Biloxi. A lot of that is reclaimed land or areas that were never rebuilt after Katrina.
- The Mississippi Sound: The water on your map isn't the open ocean. It’s a sound, protected by barrier islands (Cat, Ship, Horn, and Petit Bois).
- The Federal Land: You’ll see a large chunk of land labeled for the Naval Construction Battalion Center (The Seabees). It’s a massive base that essentially acts as a city within a city. You can't just drive through it, so your GPS might try to route you around its huge rectangular footprint.
- The Airport: GPT airport takes up a massive amount of real estate on the eastern edge of Gulfport. It’s why there aren't many through-streets connecting Gulfport and Biloxi north of the tracks but south of I-10.
Avoiding the "Train Trap"
Here is something the map of Gulfport MS won't explicitly warn you about, but the lines tell the story: the CSX railroad.
Look for the thin black line that runs perfectly parallel to Highway 90, just a few blocks inland. That track is active. Very active. If a freight train decides to stop or move slowly, it can effectively cut the city in half from east to west. There are only a few "grade-separated" crossings (places where the road goes over or under the tracks).
- The 49 overpass.
- The Cowan-Lorraine flyover (further east).
If you are trying to get to a dinner reservation on time, check the map for those overpasses. If you’re stuck at a ground-level crossing in downtown Gulfport, you might be there for twenty minutes. It’s a quirk of coastal life that map apps don't always factor into their "arrival time" estimates.
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The Secret Waterways
If you’re a kayaker or a fisherman, the standard road map of Gulfport MS is useless to you. You need to look at the satellite view.
Gulfport is defined by water that isn't the Gulf. The Turkey Creek community is a historic area centered around the creek of the same name. It’s a vital ecological and cultural site. Then there’s the Biloxi River, which forms part of the northeastern boundary of the city.
The map shows a city that is constantly trying to balance its identity as a gritty port town with its desire to be a vacation destination. You see the massive casinos like Island View—look for the two huge buildings connected by a bridge over Highway 90—and then you see the empty lots where grand hotels used to stand.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Gulfport
To actually use a map of Gulfport MS effectively, stop thinking like a tourist and start thinking like a local commuter.
- Download Offline Maps: Cell service can get spotty near the base or deep in the northern woods of Lyman.
- Identify the "Back Way": Use Pass Road. It runs parallel to Highway 90 and the railroad tracks. It’s uglier—lots of strip malls and car washes—but it’s often twice as fast as the beach road when the tourists are in town for Cruisin' The Coast.
- Locate the "Under-the-Radar" Parks: Look for Bayou View Park on the map. It’s tucked into a residential neighborhood and offers some of the best water views without the Highway 90 noise.
- Check the Port Layout: If you’re heading to the aquarium (Mississippi Aquarium), it’s right across from the Port. Use the parking lots indicated on the map north of the facility rather than trying to find street parking on 90.
- Plan for the Interstate: If you are staying on the beach but want to go to the Prime Outlets, don't take 49 North. Look at your map and see if taking Canal Road or Lorraine Road is a better "up and over" route to bypass the 49/I-10 bottleneck.
The map of Gulfport is a document of resilience. It shows a city that has been wiped clean by hurricanes multiple times and keeps building back in the same spots, just a little higher and a little further north each time. Whether you’re looking for a spot to fish in the bayou or a place to grab a beer downtown, the geography tells you exactly where the soul of the city hides. Just stay off Highway 49 at 5:00 PM if you value your sanity.