The Gulfport-Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region that covers three counties – Hancock, Harrison, and Stone. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 246,190. The area was significantly impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A July 1, 2006, estimate placed the population at 227,904. Prior to the hurricane, the area had experienced steady to moderate population growth. It is also part of the larger Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula Combined Statistical Area.