The Harrison County Development Commission was created in 1958 for the promotion and development of harbors, seaports, industrial sites and other related facilities. Of the six South Mississippi counties, Harrison County has the largest population and the greatest number of cities. It is bordered on the east by industrialized Jackson County, on the west by Hancock County and the John C. Stennis Space Center, to the north by Stone County and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico. This strategic central position has been largely responsible for Harrison County’s business diversity. Part of the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula metropolitan statistical area, the County has a wide mix of business specialties: retail, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, healthcare research, composite technology and shipbuilding. Harrison County, MS is made up of five cities: Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi and D’Iberville with each city contributing its own industries, amenities and character.