Stennisville, Mississippi
Stennisville is a shanty town within the Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi. Stennisville was named for the nearby Stennis Space Center and John C. Stennis, originally in 1964, when NASA announced formation of the Mississippi Test Facility (now known as Stennis Space Center) on Oct. 25.[1] The selected area was thinly populated and met all other requirements; however before construction began, five small communities (Gainesville, Logtown, Napoleon, Santa Rosa, and Westonia), plus the northern portion of a sixth (Pearlington), and a combined population of 700 families had to be completely relocated off the facility.[1] The effort acquired more than 3,200 parcels of privately owned land â 786 residences, 16 churches, 19 stores, three schools and a wide assortment of commercial buildings, including nightclubs and community centers. Remnants of the communities, including city streets and a one-room school house, still exist within the facility, forming a technically homeless population.[2] Although no census is taken for populated "Tent city" areas, it is estimated that the population is well over 800 people, due to concentrated workflow and un-permitted development. Although former establishments in the area have become ramshackle and lopsided, due to Hurricane Katrina, residents continue to dwell in them, using portable generators and extension cords to create a steady source of electricity. Most residents have modern technology such as television, computers and Internet service, but there is little to no cellular coverage in the area, due to the fact that Stennis Space Center, as an active launching test facility, uses radio sensitive rocket technology. A cellular tower being built in Stennisville could trigger a misfire to the tower, or to an individual cell phone, causing harm. The land acreage of Stennisville, no longer privately owned, is owned by the state of Mississippi, which allows residents to stay, despite maintaining a permanent homeless status.