Ocean Springs dates to 1699, and 21 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 83% of U.S. towns · #9 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
Most of Ocean Springs was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 21 places in town are on the National Register, among them six historic districts with 446 buildings between them. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1893 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Ocean Springs’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Ocean Springs is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #9 of 100 in Mississippi. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Ocean Springs’ overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Ocean Springs’ 247 sits above most of its state (80% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 461 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1699.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Ocean Springs’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The settlement of Fort Maurepas or Old Biloxi, in colonial French Louisiana (New France), began in April 1699 at present-day Ocean Springs, under the authority of King Louis XIV, as Fort Maurepas by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville. It was the first permanent French outpost in French Louisiana and was established as a foothold to prevent Spanish encroachment on France's colonial claims. The site was maintained well into the early 18th century.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Ocean Springs. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Ocean Springs sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Ocean Springs.
Every building
Ocean Springs, building by building, 1893–1915
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1699, according to Wikidata. Ocean Springs’ post office opened in 1854, and the census of 1870 counted 560 people here.
How does Ocean Springs rank for history?
Ocean Springs is more historic than 83% of U.S. towns, #9 of 100 in Mississippi. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Ocean Springs?
21 listings: 14 buildings, among them the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Depot at Ocean Springs (listed 1979, the first), 6 historic districts with 446 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 461 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Ocean Springs?
4% of Ocean Springs’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1979.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (21), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1897–1924
1897–1924
1898
1900
1900
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