Pass Christian is situated on a peninsula like many of the other Gulf coast resorts. The town has essentially contained itself within its current city limits for more than a hundred years, having a six-mile frontage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. On the west is the Bay of St. Louis and at its north are the bayous of Bois d'Ore, Portage, DeLisle, and Riviere des Loups; as they were named by early French explorers in 1699. Pass Christian was named for Nicholas Christian Ladnier, who settled at nearby Cat Island in 1745, naming the channel pass for himself and by which the town followed suit. "The Pass," as the city is often called, became one of the early port towns to have schooner access to New Orleans. As years passed, New Orleanians adopted the Pass and its surrounding areas as resort spas for second residences. That lifestyle custom has prevailed for the past 150 years. The Pass is famous for its 300-year-heritage through French, English, and Spanish domination until the American flag was raised in 1811. Following its incorporation in 1848, hundreds of cottages were built along its coastline - many still remain with architectural styles consisting of Greek Revival, Queen Anne, and local vernacular Creole. Before the Civil War, architects were hired to redesign and convert many of the homes to Colonial Revival architecture. Pass Christian is noted as the birthplace of Southern Yachting when in 1849, the second yacht club in the nation was organized.