Gulfport, city, seat of Harrison County, southeastern Mississippi, a deepwater port on the Gulf of Mexico (from which its name is derived); incorporated as a city 1904. Manufactures include forest products, processed cotton and seafood, metal goods, and chemicals. The city is also a tourist resort, with numerous inlets and bayous and extensive constructed beaches. Gulfport was founded about 1890 as a railroad terminus. Population 39,676 (1980); 40,775 (1990); 71,127 (2000).
