Page 100 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2015

DOWNTOWNS cool small town
Tish Williams, Hancock Chamber of Commerce
A great pl
story by Tish Williams
photos courtesy of Hancock Chamber
For work. For play. For a growing family. For a wonderful retirement. For a week’s vacation. For a day’s excitement. Hancock County is a great place to be. Here you’ll find Bay St. Louis, one of the Coolest Small Towns in the Country, as
named by 10,000 voters in Budget Travel Magazine’s 2013 survey, along with fast-growing cities such as Kiln (pronounced “kil” by locals), Diamondhead and Waveland, the Hospitality City.
Hancock County is home to NASA’s Stennis Space Center, where Apollo Mission launch vehicles were tested and proven flight-worthy. And where rocket scientists and proud locals commonly said, “If you want to go to the moon, you first have to go through Hancock County, Miss.”
Today Stennis Space Center is home to more than 40 resident agencies working in the fields of space and environmental technologies, national defense, oceanographic and marine research.
In Hancock County, INFINITY Science Center is NASA’s newest visitor center to engage the next generation of explorers. Visitors explore deep space, the uncharted deep oceans and the mysterious layers of the Earth.
Then, of course, there are the beaches and the bays, the Gulf and the golf, and more than a few drives through spectacular scenery. There are stores, boutiques, galleries and craft shops to satisfy the most tenacious shoppers; dining and dancing and doing nothing at all if that suits you.
This year the Hancock Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 90th anniversary. Our goal, as always, is to support the nuts and bolts
of starting and doing business in Hancock County. More important, though, is our belief that businesses are community assets who make life more enjoyable for our residents and visitors. Businesses only succeed when they make you happy.
So I invite you to visit us. Stay for a day, a week, a month, or a lifetime. You’ll find that it’s great to be in Hancock County.
100 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • August 2015
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
County
ace to be