The Alabama description takes note of Fairhope, a neat city flying under most folks radar. We discovered it in 04 and decided that was the place for us. Then enter Katrina..While not directly affecting Fairhope, the area seemed to become a magnet for Katrina survivors. The house we had our eye on jumped 50K over night, then after that they took their own hurricane hit.
That did it..So long Fairhope.
Ms G and I were considering Ocean Springs MS, before Katrina. We were surprised it was still on the map!
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Biloxi. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 census. As of the 2010 census, the city of Ocean Springs had a population of 23,161.
The town has a reputation as an "arts community." Its historic and secluded downtown area, with streets lined by live oak trees, is home to several art galleries and shops. It is also home to a number of ethnic restaurants relatively uncommon in surrounding communities.
Ocean Springs was the hometown of the late Walter Inglis Anderson, a nationally renowned painter and muralist who died in 1965 from lung cancer. The town plays host to several festivals, including its Peter Anderson Festival and The Herb Festival.
Ocean Springs was severely damaged on August 29, 2005, by Hurricane Katrina, which destroyed many buildings along the shoreline, including the Ocean Springs Yacht Club, and the historic wooden Fort Maurepas, and gutted or flooded other buildings. Katrina's 25 ft (7.6 m) storm surge also destroyed the Biloxi Bay Bridge, which connected Biloxi to Ocean Springs.