U.S.S. Cole departs Northrop Grumman Ship Systems in Jackson County, following repairs April 2002. |
Gautier contains an area of 32 square miles and water frontage of 76 miles along the Mississippi Sound and bayous of the Singing River basin. Gautier is strategically located in the center of Jackson County, Mississippi’s number one county in manufacturing jobs. Major industry lies just east of the Gautier city limits, while Mississippi’s premier tourism and gaming industry is to the west in Harrison County.
Suburban Lodge is one of the newest establishments in Gautier to accommodate both tourists as well as our growing area workforce. |
At the crossroads of Gautier’s city
center on U.S. Hwy. 90 and Gautier-Vancleave Road are the Singing
River Mall and the campus of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community
College and University of Southern Mississippi (with a combined
enrollment of over 3,750 students in the fall of 2004). The Mall
and the College are the commercial and academic “heart”
of the city, and set the tone for the high quality of life and amenities
enjoyed by our citizens.
Thousands of students and shoppers are drawn to the city each day, while many residents who work in the major industrial, medical and tourism-related entities nearby choose to call Gautier “home.” New subdivisions and upscale gated communities are growing briskly. Financial and service-oriented businesses are attracted to Gautier to meet increased demand of the rising population.
Coast Guard Deepwater Cutter – to be built at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems |
Area Economic Drivers
- Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (NGSS), located five miles east of Gautier, employs over 10,000 people, and has been recently awarded federal contracts to design and build the new stage of vessels for the U.S. Navy such as the DDX, and the new Deepwater vessel for the U.S. Coast Guard. This is in addition to contracts for the LHD 8 and 9, as well as international contracts.
- NGSS expects to hire 200-300 degreed engineers in 2003, as well as a buildup of approximately 2,000 additional workforce for construction thereafter.
- The U.S. Naval Station Pascagoula – with approximately 2,400 military personnel and civilian employees—will build a new military housing complex for 188 households within Gautier in 2003.
- Halter Marine expects to hire an additional 1,000 employees in Jackson County by the end of 2002 for construction of commercial and research vessels.
- New water/wastewater infrastructure planned in 2003 along Hwy. 90 and Hwy. 57 will enhance commercial development along those major corridors.
- Light Industrial Park served by rail is available in Gautier.
- Several Commercial Buildings suited for retail, call centers or other uses are available for quick start-up opportunities.
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