Pascagoula dates to 1718, and 34 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 79% of U.S. towns · #14 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
Most of Pascagoula was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. 34 places in town are on the National Register, among them five historic districts with 304 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1825.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pascagoula’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pascagoula is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #14 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 Pascagoula’s 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 Pascagoula’s 157 sits above most of its state (72% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 341 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1718.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.
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 Pascagoula’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The name Pascagoula, which means "bread eater", is taken from the Pascagoula, a group of Native Americans found in villages along the Pascagoula River some distance above its mouth. Hernando de Soto seems to have made the first contact with them in the 1540s, though little is known of that encounter. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, founder of the colony of Louisiana, left a more detailed account from an expedition of this region in 1700.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pascagoula. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Pascagoula sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pascagoula.
Every building
Pascagoula, building by building, 1904–1918
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 1718, according to Wikidata. Pascagoula’s post office opened in 1825, and the census of 1870 counted 480 people here.
How does Pascagoula rank for history?
Pascagoula is more historic than 79% of U.S. towns, #14 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 Pascagoula?
34 listings: 28 buildings, among them the Old Spanish Fort (listed 1971, the first), 5 historic districts with 304 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 341 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Pascagoula?
3% of Pascagoula’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (34), 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.
