Picayune is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi. The population was 10,878 at the 2010 census. Picayune was added to the New Orleans metropolitan area in 2014. Picayune is located approximately 45mi from New Orleans, Hattiesburg and Gulfport-Biloxi. The Stennis Space Center is 10mi away.HistoryPicayune was founded in 1904, named by Eliza Jane Poitevent Nicholson, the owner and publisher of the New Orleans Daily Picayune, a newspaper named for the Spanish coin.Hurricane KatrinaWhile Picayune received extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina, it was not as severe as in other nearby cities. This has caused it to become the permanent home for many who relocated from the New Orleans area and from the Mississippi Gulf Coast - who were seeking a safer home site with easy commuting to those areas.The bulk of the Katrina damage in Picayune was caused by high winds. This resulted in widespread roof, window, and fence damage. The wind also caused hundreds, if not thousands, of downed trees - and power outages of up to several months.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.8sqmi, of which 11.8sqmi is land and 0.04sqmi (7.34%) is water.