228 Area Code – Gulfport, Mississippi: Location, Time Zone & History

Along Mississippi's southeastern shoreline, the 228 area code carries a regional identity shaped as much by geography as by telephone numbering history. It was carved out of the statewide 601 code on September 15, 1997, to give the Gulf Coast its own numbering plan, and it has remained intact ever since, even as 601 itself was later split further north with the creation of 662. Beyond Gulfport, it serves Biloxi, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis, and Moss Point, communities tied together by the Gulf of Mexico.

The region has long been known as the "Riviera of the South," with Biloxi in particular earning a reputation as the "Vegas of the South" thanks to its concentration of casino resorts. That identity as a gaming and tourism destination sits alongside a working coastline economy built on fishing, shipbuilding, and military installations, including Keesler Air Force Base and Naval facilities. Together these industries give the 228 area a mix of leisure-driven and industrial character in one numbering region.

• Casino gaming and tourism
• Seafood and commercial fishing
• Shipbuilding and marine industry
• Military installations
• Port and maritime shipping

Beyond its economic base, the 228 area's cultural identity is deeply connected to resilience. The Gulfport-Biloxi coastline was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and recovery from that storm has become a defining part of how the region sees itself, woven into the same coastal communities the area code has served since 1997.