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bum*# HANCOCK COUNTY
page
Waveland remains “Hospitality City” despite rapid growth
BY METRIC DOCKINS
THE SUN HERALD
Friendly, easy-going Waveland - a moniker stemming trom the area’s beachfront - is nicknamed Hospitality City, and residents want to make sure that the epithet remain appropriate despite the rapid growth ot recent years.
Today as in days of old, the population of
—-	incorporated communir
. re ’Si- greatly during the ’ii mai.ir h, ’udays as New ° V here to their vacation
homes.
Many of Waveland’s permanent residents are, in fact, retirees trom the Crescent City, and others commute daily to jobs in the Big Easy or at Stennis Space Center.
Labeled an "exclusive little place" before its incorporation on March 6, 1888,
Waveland did nor become a city until 1970, when the official census passed the 2,500
mark. Today, the population is about 6,600.
Because of the special charter under which Waveland was incorporated, the city is unique in some of its governmental operations. For instance, it has a city secretary rather than a city clerk, and even city elections are out of sync with those of the other Coast cities.
In the early days of the city’s settlement, Nicholson Avenue was a major thoroughfare as the site of a highly successful woolen mill established by the Honorable A.A. Ulman, who was the mayor.
As the years rolled by, Coleman Avenue became the hub of the city’s life, with City Hall, an elementary school that later became the civic center, the public library, the post
office, a drugstore, a bank, restaurants, bars, grocery and convenience stores and offices all located there.
But that began to change about 30 years ago when commercial development started to increase on U.S. 90. Off-and-on efforts have been made in recent years to revive Coleman Avenue. The latest is a plan by the city in conjunction with the Waveland Civic Association and other volunteers to renovate and reopen the civic center.
Waveland is where the Krewe of Nereids, the Coast’s first all-female Carnival krewe, was formed, and the city plays host to the Coast’s oldest St. Patrick’s parade.
In 1969, a hurricane called Camille destroyed more than 90 percent of the residences along Waveland’s beach. But like the rest of the Coast, the city has shown a remarkable ability to snap back.
Waveland also is the home of Ruccaneer State Park, which features a wave pool and is one of the most popular state parks in Mississippi.
Waveland’s City Hall itself stands as a tribute to southern style and architecture
i