Latest news with #Pascagoula
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
The six most affordable US beach towns for homebuyers in 2025
'Beach home' is a term that most would equate with unaffordability. But, there are a number of under-the-radar spots where ocean side homes are considered affordable. From the shores of Mississippi to the cool waters of the Pacific Northwest, these are the best-value beach towns in America for 2025. A dozen US beach towns still offer median home prices well below the national average — with some starting as low as $165,000, reports All of the median sale prices are as of April 2025. 1. Pascagoula, Mississippi The number one budget-friendly seaside escape this year is Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the median list price is $165,610. A two-bedroom home just blocks from Buffett Beach — named after the late singer Jimmy Buffett, who was born here — is listed at $139,900. The city even named its main public beach after the 'Margaritaville' singer, and hosted him in 2015 for a concert and bridge dedication. In addition to Buffet Beach and Buffet Bridge, Pascagoula features plenty of other attractions including a public fishing pier and a nine-hole regulation golf course. Known as 'Mississippi's Flagship City,' this Gulf Coast town has the Pascagoula Country Club, Petit Bois Island, and the famed La Pointe-Krebs House. A short ride away is Petit Bois Island, a federally protected wilderness area. 'Pascagoula has made a concerted effort to revive its downtown district over the last decade. We're seeing the payoff at work,' says local realtor Jacqueline Ready. 'There are gorgeous waterfront and water-view homes, both historic and new build. The ancient oaks are just stunning, rivaling Savannah. It's absolutely a success story.' 2. Deerfield Beach, Florida The second most affordable town is Deerfield Beach, Florida, where the median list price is $211,000. Just north of Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach gives its 87,000 residents easy access to an award-winning 'Blue Wave' beach and a massive fishing pier. A two-bedroom condo minutes from the surf is currently listed at $214,900. The famed Florida Renaissance Festival takes place here annually. The coastal location boasts a wide range of water sports and activities, and is also home to an impressive fishing pier, boardwalk and arboretum. There is also Deerfield Island Park, a county-run nature refuge accessible only by free boat rides from the mainland, available every weekend. The town ranked well primarily due to the city's abundance of moderately priced condos. 3. Atlantic City, New Jersey New Jersey's shores made the list, with Atlantic City coming in at number three. It's not all smoky casinos and gambling — Atlantic City is also one of the most affordable spots to buy a beachfront home on the East Coast with an average home price of $242,000. One brand-new two-bedroom condo is listed for $235,000, steps from the city's iconic wooden boardwalk and public beaches. Flanked by the city's boardwalk, the beach is among the region's best in the summer, and often plays venue to concerts and other gatherings year-round. The city's famous footpath is also filled with dining and shopping options — making it a crown jewel of the Jersey Shore. 4. Port Richey, Florida Port Richey, Florida, is number four, with a median list price of $255,000. With just 3,500 residents, this suburb of Tampa offers low property taxes, affordable homes (like a two-bedroom home for $254,900), and proximity to parks and nature preserves. Filled with marinas, docks and parks, there's shopping, golfing and waterfront restaurants. The town's historic Main Street gives it a small town feel. Johnny Cash owned a home in the town until 2002. 5. Port Lavaca, Texas Port Lavaca, Texas, is number five with an average home price of $292,000. Halfway along the Texas Gulf Coast, Port Lavaca draws nature lovers and bird watchers thanks to its location along a major migratory bird flight path. A waterfront, fully furnished, four-bedroom house is currently listed for $324,000. History lovers can visit the La Salle Monument or Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse, while others relax at Magnolia Beach or enjoy the parks. Port Lacava, Texas is filled with natural wildlife and white sandy beaches 6. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina The median list price of a home in Myrtle Beach is $299,000. Myrtle Beach has an abundance of affordable condos and cottages. A two-bedroom cottage near the beach is on the market for $299,950. Set in the midst of an uninterrupted 60-mile stretch of beaches, the town also offers an abundance of amusements like Ripley's Aquarium, the Hollywood Wax Museum, and a 187-foot tall Ferris wheel known as the SkyWheel. Myrtle Beach also boasts a board walk, one that offers impressive views of this scenic segment of South Carolina's Grand Strand. More affordable beach towns across the US 7. Ocean Springs, MS – $302,500 8. Corpus Christi, TX – $310,000 9. Surfside Beach, SC – $310,925 10. Long Beach, WA – $403,188 11. Ocean Shores, WA – $409,900 12. Ocean City, MD – $454,500 (Median list price in April 2025) Meanwhile, elsewhere across the US, people are ditching their vacation homes at a rapid rate. Fresh fears of a housing market crash — and a shrinking pool of renters — are making sellers uneasy. The number of people buying second homes has plunged to its lowest level since records began, and is under a third of what it was during the pandemic boom. A toxic mix of sky-high mortgage rates, soaring maintenance costs, and a widespread return-to-office push is fueling the trend. In 2024, just 86,604 mortgages were issued for second homes across the United States. That's a 5 percent drop from the year before and down dramatically from 258,289 in 2021. At the height of the pandemic, remote workers who could afford it were fleeing big cities in droves and buying up homes in sunny spots like Florida and California. Those days are over. Vacation homes (second homes) made up just 2.6 percent of all US mortgages last year, according to Redfin. That's half what it was in 2020. Redfin began keeping records in 2018, when there were 175,644 second home mortgages in the US. They rose after that steadily until 2021 and have been falling since. 'Most people aren't buying vacation homes at all because mortgage rates and insurance costs — especially for waterfront properties — have skyrocketed,' said Lindsay Garcia, a Redfin Premier agent in Fort Lauderdale.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
US Coast Guard unveils first polar icebreaker in more than 25 years
PASCAGOULA, Miss. - The U.S. Coast Guard's newest polar icebreaker is officially operational, which the agency says will bolster its Arctic operations. The 360-foot-long icebreaker departed from its assembly port in Pascagoula, Mississippi and was headed to Seattle, where it will be based until renovations are completed at its homeport in Juneau, Alaska. Icebreakers clear passages through icy waterways in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and are known to aid in search and rescue missions as well as support scientific research operations. Similar-sized ships are known to break up ice that is upwards of 21 feet thick, due to their reinforced hulls and bows, with engines capable of producing a significant amount of horsepower. "The vessel is manned with a hybrid crew consisting of military cuttermen and civilian mariners. This is the second vessel in Coast Guard history to bear the name Storis. The original Storis, known as the 'Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast,' had a storied history conducting 64 years of icebreaking operations in Alaska and the Arctic before being decommissioned in 2007," the agency said in a statement. Antarctica's 'Doomsday Glacier' Is Melting Away Differently Than Scientists First Thought The USCGC Storis will join the USCGC Polar Star and the USCGC Healy as part of the Polar Security Cutter Program. Both of the other icebreakers have faced challenges due to their age, with the Healy recently experiencing a significant fire, while the 50-year-old Polar Star was taken out of service for necessary repairs. "Our national security interests in the Arctic have also never been more critical, demonstrated by the joint Russian and Chinese naval and air task forces that have operated off Alaska's coastline these past two years. Since coming to the Senate, I've been working relentlessly to wake up our federal government to the strategic importance of this region," Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan previously said in a statement. World's Largest Iceberg On Possible Collision Course With Island In South Atlantic Ocean The Coast Guard says its fleet of large icebreakers must double or even triple in size to meet growing operational demands. "Russia has 55 icebreakers and is in the process of building more. By 2025, China, which has no sovereignty over any Arctic waters, is set to surpass the United States' icebreaker fleet. The Alaska congressional delegation has long since recognized this as a competitive disadvantage in the Arctic and advocated for additional resources to bolster the USCG icebreaker fleet," Alaskan legislators previously stated. The newly acquired vessel is expected to support missions later in the year, although a specific deployment schedule was not article source: US Coast Guard unveils first polar icebreaker in more than 25 years
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
General elections are on Tuesday. See who's running in your MS Coast city
Voters in most Mississippi Coast cities will elect another round of new leaders next Tuesday, ending a busy election season that has already ousted some incumbents and led to tight party runoffs across the region. The general elections will decide mayor's races in Gulfport, Biloxi, Gautier and Moss Point. City council and board of alderman candidates are also on ballots in several cities. The elections follow party primaries and runoffs this spring. The most contentious race may come in Gulfport, where attorney Hugh Keating, a Republican, and former state Rep. Sonya Williams Barnes, a Democrat, are running for mayor. The race is attracting some attention from national political leaders. Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who in 2018 nearly defeated Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, has contributed to Barnes' campaign and said Gulfport would be 'well-served' by her leadership. Keating is advertising a rally this week with Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican of South Carolina who campaigned for President Donald Trump and was once floated as his possible running mate. In Biloxi, Incumbent Mayor Andrew 'FoFo' Gilich is facing Andy Linville, an Independent, and Farren Santibanez, a Libertarian. Linville has worked in the healthcare and real estate businesses, and Farren Santibanez is a sixth generation Biloxi resident. Voters in Gautier will decide between Incumbent Mayor Casey Vaughan, an Independent, and Phil Torjusen, a Republican who served one term as mayor before Vaughan defeated him four years ago. Moss Point's Incumbent Mayor Billy Knight Sr. is facing Richard McBride, a Republican who also ran for mayor in 2017 and 2021. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 3. New four-year terms start July 1. Bay St. Louis Ward 2: Incumbent Eugene 'Gene' Hoffman IV (R) and Nancy Moynan (D) Biloxi Mayor: Andrew 'FoFo' Gilich (R), Andy Linville (I) and Farren Santibanez (L) Ward 1: Wayne Gray (R), Corey Christy (D) and Stephan Santibanez (L) Ward 2: Incumbent Felix O. Gines (R), Anthony L. Marshall (D) and Sonya C. White (I) D'Iberville Council At Large: Incumbent Joey Bosarge (R) and Crystal Wingo (I) Gautier Mayor: Incumbent Mayor Casey Vaughan (I) and Phil Torjusen (R) Ward 4: Lorenzo L. Fuller Sr. (I) and Joshua 'Josh' Ward (I) Ward 5: Incumbent Dante L. Elbin (R) and Anthony K. Snow (I) Gulfport Mayor: Sonya Williams Barnes (D) and Hugh Keating (R) Ward 2: Valerie Ewing (D) and Incumbent Ron Roland (R) Ward 4: Incumbent F.B. 'Rusty' Walker (R) and Dalaney Lee Mecham (I) Ward 5: Craig Elliott Raybon (D) and B.J. Sellers (R) Ward 6: Carrissa Corbett (D) and Incumbent Robert ' Flowers (R) Moss Point Mayor: Incumbent Billy Knight Sr. (D) and Richard McBride (R) Ocean Springs Alderman At Large: Matthew Hinton (R) and Oren Zweig (I) Ward 1: Greg Gipson (I) and Steve Tillis (R) Ward 5: Incumbent Robert Blackman (R) and James E. Lewis (I) Pascagoula Ward 1: Carlos R. Stallworth Sr. (I) and Michael Rodgers (D) Pass Christian Ward 1: Barry Dreyfus (R) and Incumbent Betty Sparkman (I) will both appear on the ballot. Sparkman withdrew from the race in May. The city said her name will still appear on ballots because they were printed before her withdrawal. Ward 2: Incumbent Regina Charlot (D) and Joseph Piernas (I) Anita Lee, Mary Perez and Margaret Baker contributed reporting.
