Hancock County, Mississippi

Hancock County is the southernmost county of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,929. Its county seat is Bay St. Louis. The county is named for Founding Father John Hancock.Hancock County is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is situated along the Gulf of Mexico and the state line with Louisiana. The area is home to the John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA's largest rocket engine test facility.The county was severely damaged from Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005, causing catastrophic effects.HistoryIn 2005, the county was the scene of the final landfall of the eye of Hurricane Katrina, and its communities and infrastructure suffered some of the most intense damage inflicted by that storm. Over the entire 7mi beach front, not one building or home was left intact. This is true for nearly the entire 1st block off of the beach for the entire 7mi stretch.