D’Iberville is the youngest city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, incorporated as a municipality in 1988. It has its own rich history and individual identity.
D’Iberville’s history goes all the way back to 1699 when Pierre LeMoyne D’Iberville explored the area, charged by France’s King Louis XIV to complete the failed final mission of the explorer LaSalle to find the Gulf outlet of the Mississippi River and establish French footholds – colonial settlements and outposts throughout the lower Mississippi Valley. The French were unable to sustain a continuous settlement there. It was the Spanish who had the most influence on D’Iberville’s early development and permanence as a settlement.
The town’s economic and agricultural base continued to sustain the community even through World War I and the Great Depression. Seafood, lumber and produce continued to be the town’s mainstay. World War II brought the construction of Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. With base expansion, D’Iberville experienced tremendous growth.
Today, with an explosion of retail development anchored by national chain stores, D’Iberville continues to thrive, maintaining its independent spirit.
For more information, visit the City of D’Iberville at www.diberville.ms.us.
