The Go Zone is a hot market right now. Bolstered by a strong military base presence; casino-driven tourism; and housing that’s springing up thanks to the Go Zone Act, its economy is recovering quickly.

Gross state product measurements indicate that the Go Zone is performing better economically than it was before the hurricane hit. Many local companies are growing, too, and need employees badly. Examples of such companies include Northrop Grumman Ingalls Shipyard, Dupont, Triton Systems, Chevron, and GE Plastics. Keasler Air Force Base is a major employer, as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Losing a family home — a place to call one’s own – can be devastating. The primary aim of the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 is to help the people affected by Hurricane Katrina to get back on their feet.

Recovery in the Go Zone has been amazingly rapid — conservative estimates state that about 5,000 people still live in tents, and 30,000 still live in trailers. Unfortunately, the FEMA programs are approaching their government-mandated deadlines, and thousands of people must find housing in the Go Zone, and quickly. Read the rest of this entry »

After Hurricane Katrina, the famous casinos of the Gulf Opportunity Zone were shut down, out of necessity. Almost all of these casinos have since re-opened – and there are plans to build many more, thanks to a change in Mississippi state law. Now, casinos can be built on dry land as well as on barges within the Gulf Opportunity Zone.

Billions of dollars from the casino industry have spurred construction on some pretty big names for the GO Zone: Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, for example. Not just for tourists, casinos are great for Biloxi residents, too: The average casino will employ over 2,000 workers. Read the rest of this entry »

Because Biloxi, Mississippi was essentially washed away by Hurricane Katrina, it is a city that had to be re-built almost from scratch. That’s one reason the Gulf Opportunity Act was implemented, and one reason why the Go Zone market is a guaranteed-growth market.
Estimates project that the Gulf Opportunity Zone will require about 55,000 new homes to accommodate its residents. 10,000 of those homes have been built already, mandating the arrival of many new properties in the Go Zone. Read the rest of this entry »