Mobile, Alabama

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City of Mobile
City
Mobile skyline 2007
Mobile skyline 2007
Flag of City of Mobile
Flag
Official seal of City of Mobile
Seal
Nickname: 
The Port City or Azalea City or The City of Six Flags
CountryUS
StateAlabama
CountyMobile
Founded1702
Incorporated1814
Government
 • MayorSam Jones
Area
 • City412.9 km2 (159.4 sq mi)
 • Land305.3 km2 (117.9 sq mi)
 • Water107.6 km2 (41.5 sq mi)
Elevation
(lowest) [1]
3 m (10 ft)
Population
 (2000)[2] [3]
 • City198,915
 • Metro
399,843
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code251
FIPS code01-50000
GNIS feature ID0155153
Websitehttp://www.cityofmobile.org

Mobile (/moʊˈbiːl/) (pronunciation) is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama.[4] The population within the city limits was 198,915 as of the 2000 census.[2] It is the county seat of Mobile County and is the principal municipality of the Mobile Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 399,843 residents.[3]

The earliest origins of Mobile began with a Muskhogean Native American people in the fortified Mississippian town of Mauvila, also spelled Maubila, which Hernando de Soto's Spanish expedition destroyed in 1540.[5] This earlier town is believed to have been further north than is the current city, but the later Mobilian tribe that the French colonists found in the area of Mobile Bay is theorized by scholars to have been descended from this earlier group of people.[5] It is from this latter tribe that Mobile gained its name.[5] The city began as the first capital of colonial French Louisiana in 1702 and during its first 100 years Mobile was a colony for France, then Britain, and lastly Spain. Mobile first became a part of the United States of America in 1813, left the United States with Alabama in 1861 to become a part of the Confederate States of America, and then back to the United States in 1865.[6]

Located at the junction of the Mobile River and Mobile Bay on the northern Gulf of Mexico, the city is the only seaport in Alabama.[7] The Port of Mobile has always played a key role in the economic health of the city beginning with the city as a key trading center between the French and Native Americans[8] down to its current role as the 11th largest port in the United States.[9]

Considered to be one of the Gulf Coast's cultural centers, Mobile houses several art museums, a professional opera, a professional ballet company, and a large concentration of historic architecture.[10][11] Mobile is best known for having the oldest organized Carnival celebrations in the United States, dating back to the 1700s, as well as the oldest Carnival mystic society, dating to 1830.[12] People from Mobile are described as Mobilians.[8]

History

See also: History of Mobile, Alabama

Colonial

The settlement of Mobile, then known as Fort Louis de la Louisiane, was first established in 1702, at Twenty-seven Mile Bluff on the Mobile River, as the first capital of the French colony of Louisiana. It was founded by French Canadian brothers Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville, in order to establish control over France's Louisiana claims with Bienville having been made governor of French Louisiana in 1701. Mobile’s Roman Catholic parish was established on 20 July 1703, by Jean-Baptiste de la Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier, Bishop of Quebec.[13] The parish was the first established on the Gulf Coast of the United States.[13] The year 1704 saw the arrival of 23 women to the colony aboard the Pélican, along with yellow fever introduced to the ship in Havana.[14] Though most of the "Pélican girls" recovered, a large number of the existing colonists and the neighboring Native Americans died from the dreaded illness.[14] This early period also saw the arrival of the first African slaves aboard a French supply ship from Saint-Domingue. [14] The population of the colony fluctuated over the next few years, growing to 279 persons by 1708 yet descending to 178 persons two years later due to disease.[13]

Mobile and Fort Condé in 1725.

These additional outbreaks of disease and a series of floods caused Bienville to order the town relocated several miles downriver to its present location at the confluence of the Mobile River and Mobile Bay in 1711.[15] A new earth and palisade Fort Louis was constructed at the new site during this time.[16] By 1712, when Antoine Crozat took over administration of the colony by royal appointment, the colony boasted a population of 400 persons. In 1713 a new governor was appointed by Crozat, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit.[17] He did not last long due to allegations of mismanagement and a lack of growth in the colony and he was recalled to France in 1716. Bienville again took the helm as governor, serving the office for less than a year until the new governor, Jean-Michel de Lepinay, arrived from France.[17] Lepinay, however, did not last long either due to Crozat's relinquishing control of the colony in 1717 and the shift in administration to John Law and his Company of the Indies.[17] Bienville found himself once again governor of Louisiana, and it was during this term that Bienville established the new town of New Orleans.[17]

The capital of Louisiana was moved to Biloxi in 1720,[16] leaving Mobile relegated to the role of military and trading outpost. In 1723 the construction of a new brick fort with a stone foundation began[16] and it was renamed Fort Condé in honor of Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon and prince of Condé.[18] Mobile would maintain the role of major trade center with the Native Americans throughout the French period, leading to the almost universal use of Mobilian Jargon as the simplified trade language with the Native Americans from present-day Florida to Texas.[8]

The expanded West Florida territory in 1767.

In 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the French and Indian War. The treaty ceded Mobile and the surrounding territory to Great Britain, and it was made a part of the expanded British West Florida colony.[19] The British changed the name of Fort Condé to Fort Charlotte, after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, King George III's queen.[20] The British were eager not to lose any useful inhabitants and promised religious tolerance to the French colonists, ultimately 112 French Mobilians remained in the colony.[21] In 1766 the population was estimated to be 860, though the town's borders were smaller than they had been during the French colonial efforts.[21] During the American Revolutionary War, West Florida and Mobile became a refuge for loyalists fleeing the other colonies. The Spanish captured the town in 1780 during the Battle of Fort Charlotte. The Spanish wished to eliminate any British threat to their Louisiana colony, which they had received from France in 1763's Treaty of Paris. Their actions were also condoned by the revolting American colonies due to the fact that West Florida remained loyal to the British Crown.[22] The fort was renamed Fortaleza Carlota, with the Spanish holding Mobile and the surrounding Mobile District as a part of Spanish West Florida until 1810 when the Mobile District became part of the briefly independent Republic of West Florida. The Spanish continued to hold onto the town of Mobile itself until 1813, when the weakly defended port was seized by the U.S. General James Wilkinson during the War of 1812.[23]

19th century

When Mobile was captured by the Americans in 1813 and made a part of the Mississippi Territory the population had dwindled to roughly 300 people. The city was included in the Alabama Territory in 1817, after Mississippi gained statehood. Alabama was granted statehood in 1819 and Mobile's population had increased to 809 by that time.[24] As the inland areas of Alabama and Mississippi were settled by farmers and the slave-based plantation economy became established, Mobile came to be settled by merchants, attorneys, mechanics, doctors and others seeking to capitalize on trade with these upriver areas.[24] With its location at the mouth of the Mobile River, a river system that served as the principal navigational access for most of Alabama and a large part of Mississippi, Mobile was well situated for this purpose. By 1822 the population was 2800.[24]

Old City Hall (1856) on Royal Street.
File:A543288759 2074a6e360 o.jpg
Mobile's Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (1835) as seen from Cathedral Plaza.

From the 1830s onward Mobile expanded into a city of commerce with a primary focus on the cotton trade.[24] The waterfront was developed with wharves, terminal facilities, and fire-proof brick warehouses.[24] The exports of cotton grew in proportion to the amounts being produced in the Black Belt and by 1840 Mobile was second only to New Orleans in cotton exports in the nation.[24] With the economy so focused on this one crop, Mobile's fortunes were always tied to those of cotton and the city weathered many financial crises during this period.[24] Though Mobile had a relatively small slave owning population itself compared to the inland areas, it was the slave-trading center of the state until surpassed by Montgomery in the 1850s.[25] By 1860 Mobile's population within the city limits had reached 29,258 people, it was the 27th largest city in the United States and 4th largest in what would soon be the Confederate States of America.[26] The population in the whole of Mobile County, including the city, consisted of 29,754 free citizens, of which 1195 were African American.[27] Additionally, there were 1785 slave owners, holding 11,376 slaves, for a total county population of 41,130 people.[27]

During the American Civil War, Mobile was a Confederate city. The first submarine to successfully sink an enemy ship, the H. L. Hunley, was built in Mobile.[28] One of the most famous naval engagements of the war was the Battle of Mobile Bay, resulting in the Union taking possession of Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864.[29] On 12 April 1865, the city surrendered to the Union army to avoid destruction following the Union victories at the Battle of Spanish Fort and the Battle of Fort Blakely.[29] Ironically, on 25 May 1865, the city suffered loss when some three hundred people died as a result of an explosion at a federal ammunition depot on Beauregard Street. The explosion left a 30-foot (9 m) deep hole at the depot's location, sunk ships docked on the Mobile River, and the resulting fires destroyed the northern portion of the city.[30]

Federal Reconstruction after the war saw the economy in near total ruin and widespread racial and class resentment develop.[31] Reconstruction in Mobile effectively ended in 1874 when the local Democrats gained control of the city government.[31] The last quarter of the 19th century was a time of economic depression and municipal insolvency for Mobile. One example can be provided by the value of Mobile's exports during this period of depression. The value of exports leaving the city fell from $9 million in 1878 to $3 million in 1882.[32] The aftermath of the war left Mobile with a spirit of governmental and economic caution that would limit it for a large part of the next century.[31]

20th century

The Mobile waterfront in 1909.

The turn of the century brought the Progressive Era to Mobile and saw Mobile's economic structure evolve along with a significant increase in population.[33] The population increased from around 40,000 in 1900 to 60,000 by 1920.[33] During this time the city received $3 million in federal grants for harbor improvements, which drastically deepened the shipping channels in the harbor.[33] During and after World War I manufacturing became increasingly vital to Mobile's economic health with shipbuilding and steel production being two of the most important.[33] During the Progressive Era social equality and race relations in Mobile worsened.[33] In 1902 the city government passed Mobile's first segregation ordinance, one that segregated the city streetcars.[33] Mobile's African American population responded to this with a two-month boycott which was ultimately unsuccessful.[33] After this, Mobile's de facto segregation would increasingly be replaced with legislated segregation.[33]

World War II led to a massive military effort causing a considerable increase in Mobile's population, largely due to the huge influx of workers coming into Mobile to work in the shipyards and at the Brookley Army Air Field.[34] Between 1940 and 1943, over 89,000 people moved into Mobile to work for war effort industries.[34] Mobile was one of eighteen U.S. cities producing Liberty ships at its Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company to support the war effort by producing ships faster than the Axis powers could sink them.[34] Gulf Shipbuilding focused on building freighters, Fletcher class destroyers, and minesweepers.[34]

The 1950s through the 1970s brought about changes in Mobile's economy. Mobile's downtown was the recipient of urban renewal and saw the demolition of some of the city's oldest buildings. Instead of shipbuilding being a primary economic force, the paper and chemical industries began to take over and most of the old military bases were converted to civilian uses. This period also saw the end of racial segregation with some racial equality issues and hate crimes continuing into the 1980s and 1990s.[35] Two of the most notable instances were the 1981 random lynching of Michael Donald by Ku Klux Klan members on Herndon Avenue and the 1992 fatal shooting of an African American man by the police.[35] The perpetrators of the lynching were both convicted of murder with one receiving life in prison and the other being executed in 1997. This and the subsequent civil lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of Michael Donald's mother effectively put the Ku Klux Klan out of business in Alabama.[35] The 1992 police shooting sparked violence and racial unrest in Mobile's African American community.[35] This outcry caused the city to form a Human Relations Commission in 1994.[35]

The restored Gulf, Mobile, & Ohio Rail Station from Water Street.

Beginning in the late 1980s, the city council and former mayor, Mike Dow, began an effort termed the "string of pearls" to make Mobile into a competitive, urban city. This effort would continue into the next millennium under the new mayor, Sam Jones, and see the construction of the performing arts park in Cathedral Plaza, the construction of the Arthur C. Outlaw Convention Center and neighboring Riverside Park, numerous new restaurant and entertainment facilities on and around Dauphin Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue redevelopment projects, the construction of the Gulf Coast Exploreum science center and Imax theatre, the renovation of Battle House Hotel, the restoration and repurposing of the GM&O terminal, the renovation of the Saenger Theatre, the construction of the RSA Battle House Tower, and the restoration of hundreds of other historic downtown buildings and homes.[36][37] This period also saw a 50% reduction in the rate of violent crime and a concerted effort by city and county leaders to attract new business ventures to the area.[37] Shipbuilding began to make a major comeback in Mobile with the founding in 1999 of Austal USA, a joint venture of Australian shipbuilder, Austal, and Bender Shipbuilding.[38]

Geography and climate

Geography

Mobile is located at 30°40'46" North, 88°6'12" West (30.679523, -88.103280).Template:GR This is in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 412.9 km² (159.4 mi²). 305.4 km² (117.9 mi²) of it is land and 107.6 km² (41.5 mi²) of it is water.[39] The total area is 26.05% water.

Climate

Monthly Normal and Record High/Low Temperatures & Precipitation
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Norm High °F 60.7 64.5 71.2 77.4 84.2 89.4 91.2 90.8 86.8 79.2 70.1 62.9
Rec High °F 84 82 90 94 100 102 104 105 99 93 87 81
Norm Low °F 39.5 42.4 49.2 54.8 62.8 69.2 71.8 71.7 67.6 56.3 47.8 41.6
Rec Low °F 3 11 21 32 43 49 60 59 42 30 22 8
Precipitation
(inches) 		5.75 5.1 7.2 5.06 6.1 5.01 6.54 6.2 6.01 3.25 5.41 4.66
Source: USTravelWeather.com[40]

Mobile's geographical location on the Gulf of Mexico provides a mild subtropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 67.5 °F. January through December temperatures range from 40 °F min. and 91 °F max. The average annual precipitation of 66.29 inches benefits the lush vegetation of the region.[41][42] Mobile has warm summers with Gulf breezes and mild, wet winters. Being on the Gulf, Mobile is occasionally affected by major tropical storms and hurricanes.[43] A 2007 study by WeatherBill, Inc. determined that Mobile is the wettest city in the United States, with more than 5 feet of rainfall annually. [44] Snow is rare in Mobile, with the last non-trace snowfall being December 18, 1996.[45]

Tropical weather

Mobile suffered its worst natural disaster on the night of September 12, 1979 when Category 3 Hurricane Frederic passed over the heart of the city. The storm caused tremendous damage to Mobile and to nearby Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores.[46] Mobile received moderate damage from Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004. It made landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama about 30 miles (48 km) away. Maximum winds were observed at Battleship Park at 105 miles per hour. The recording equipment then stopped working. The city received 8 inches of rain in the 48 hours of Ivan's approach and passage.[47] Mobile received moderate damage from Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. A storm surge of 11.45 feet (3.49 m) damaged eastern parts of Mobile. The surge may have been the highest recorded in Mobile in over 85 years.[48] Mobile has also been affected by other hurricanes: Camille, Elena, Georges, Erin, Opal, Florence, Cindy and Danny.[46]

Culture

Mobile's French, British, Spanish, African, Creole and Catholic heritage distinguish it from all others in the state of Alabama. The city is home to an array of cultural influences. The annual Carnival celebration is perhaps the best illustration of this. Carnival in Mobile has evolved over the course of 300 years from a sedate French Catholic tradition into a mainstream multi-week celebration across the spectrum of cultures present in the city.

Carnival and Mardi Gras

See also: Mardi Gras in Mobile
See also: Mystic society
Joe Cain costumed as Chief Slacabamorinico.

Carnival celebrations in Mobile, of which Mardi Gras is the final day, usually begin after Twelfth Night[49], on January 6th, and end promptly at the stroke of midnight on Mardi Gras, signalling the beginning of Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent.[50] Mobile's mystic societies build colorful Carnival floats and parade throughout downtown during the Carnival season with masked society members tossing small gifts, known as throws, to the parade spectators.[51]

Mobile first celebrated Carnival in 1703 when French settlers began the festivities at the Old Mobile Site.[12] Mobile's first Carnival society was organized in 1711 with the Boeuf Gras Society (Fatted Ox Society).[52] Mobile's Cowbellion de Rakin Society was the first formally organized and masked mystic society in the United States to celebrate with a parade in 1830.[12][50] The Cowbellions got their start when a cotton factor from Pennsylvania, Michael Krafft, began a parade with rakes, hoes, and cowbells.[50] The Cowbellians introduced horse-drawn floats to the parades in 1840 with a parade entitled, “Heathen Gods and Goddesses.[52] The Striker's Independent Society was formed in 1843 and is the oldest remaining mystic society in the United States.[52] Carnival celebrations in Mobile were cancelled during the American Civil War.

Mardi Gras parades were revived by Joe Cain in 1866 when he paraded through the city streets on Fat Tuesday while costumed as a fictional Chickasaw chief named Slacabamorinico, irreverently celebrating the day in front of the occupying Union Army troops.[53] The Order of Myths, Mobile's oldest mystic society which continues to parade, was founded in 1867 and held its first parade on Mardi Gras night in 1868.[52] The Infant Mystics also begin to parade on Mardi Gras night in 1868, but later moved their parade to Lundi Gras (Fat Monday).[52] The Mobile Carnival Association was formed in 1871 to coordinate the events of Mardi Gras, this year also saw the first Royal Court held with the first king of Carnival, Emperor Felix I.[52] The Comic Cowboys of Wragg Swamp were established in 1884, along with their mission of satire and free expression.[52] The Continental Mystic Crew mystic society was founded in 1890, it was Mobile's first Jewish mystic society.[12] The Order of Doves mystic society was founded in 1894 and held its first Mardi Gras ball. It was the first organized African American mystic society in Mobile.[12]

The Infant Mystics, the second oldest society that continues to parade, introduced the first electric floats to Mobile in 1929.[52] The Colored Carnival Association was founded and had its first parade in 1939, it would later be renamed the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association.[12] The Mobile Colored Carnival Association installed the first African American Mardi Gras court in 1940 with the coronation of King Elexis I and his queen.[54] The Order of Osiris, the first gay and lesbian mystic society in Mobile, held its first ball in 1980.[52] The Mobile International Carnival Ball was first held in 1995 with every known Mobile mystic society in attendance.[52] The year 2002 saw Mobile's Tricentennial celebrated with parades that represented all of Mobile's mystic societies.[52]

Archives and libraries

The National African American Archives & Museum features portraits and biographies of famous African Americans as well as the history of Colored Carnival, African American participation in Mobile's Mardi Gras, and authentic artifacts from the era of slavery.[55] The University of South Alabama Archives houses primary source material relating to the history of Mobile and southern Alabama as well as the university's history. The archives are located on the ground floor of the USA Springhill Campus and are open to the general public.[56] The Mobile Municipal Archives contains the extant records of the City of Mobile, dating from the city's creation as a municipality by the Mississippi Territory in 1814. The majority of the original records of Mobile's colonial history (1702-1813) are housed in Paris, London, Seville, and Madrid.[57] The Mobile Genealogical Society Library and Media Center is located at the Holy Family Catholic Church and School complex and features written and published materials, microfilm, microfiche and CD-ROMs for use in genealogical research.[58] The Mobile Public Library system serves Mobile and consists of eight branches across Mobile County, featuring its own large local history and genealogy division housed in a facility next to the newly restored and enlarged Ben May Main Library on Government Street.[59] The Saint Ignatius Archives, Museum and Theological Research Library contains primary sources, artifacts, documents, photographs and publications that pertain to the history of Saint Ignatius Church and School, the Catholic history of the city, and the history of the Roman Catholic Church.[60]

Entertainment and arts

The Mobile Museum of Art features European, Non-Western, American, and Decorative Arts collections.[10] The Saenger Theatre of Mobile was opened in 1927 and is a modern dynamic performing arts center. It is home to the Mobile Symphony and Space 301, a contemporary art gallery. It also serves as a small concert venue for the city.[61] The Mobile Civic Center contains three facilities under one roof. The 400,000-square-foot (40,000 m2) building has an arena, a theater and an exposition hall. It is the primary concert venue for the city and hosts a wide variety of events. It is home to the Mobile Opera and the Mobile Ballet. [11] The 60-year old Mobile Opera averages about 1,200 attendees per performance.[62] A wide variety of events are held at Mobile's Arthur C. Outlaw Convention Center. It contains a 100,000-square-foot (10,000 m2) exhibit hall, a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) grand ballroom, and sixteen meeting rooms.[63]

Tourism

Bellingrath Gardens and Home.

Mobile is home to a variety of museums. Battleship Memorial Park is a military park on the shore of Mobile Bay and features the World War II era battleship USS Alabama (BB-60), the World War II era submarine USS Drum (SS-228), Korean War and Vietnam War Memorials, and a variety of historical military equipment.[64] The Museum of Mobile chronicles 300 years of Mobile history and material culture.[65] The Oakleigh Historic Complex features three house museums that interpret the lives of people from three levels of Mobile society in the mid-19th century.[66] The Mobile Carnival Museum, which houses the city's Mardi Gras history and memorabilia, documents the variety of floats, costumes, and displays seen during the history of the festival season.[67] The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion (1855)[68], Richards DAR House (1860)[69], and the Conde-Charlotte House (1822)[70] are historic antebellum house museums. Fort Morgan, Fort Gaines, and Historic Blakeley State Park figure into local American Civil War history. The Mobile Medical Museum is housed in the historic Vincent-Doan House (1827) and features artifacts and resources that chronicle the history of medicine in Mobile.[71] The Phoenix Fire Museum is located in the restored Phoenix Volunteer Fire Company Number 6 building and features the history of fire companies in Mobile from their organization in 1838.[72] The Mobile Police Department Museum features exhibits that chronicle the history of law enforcement in Mobile.[73] The Gulf Coast Exploreum is a non-profit science center located in downtown. It features permanent and traveling exhibits, an IMAX dome theater, a digital 3D virtual theater, and a hands-on chemistry laboratory.[74] The Dauphin Island Sea Lab is located south of the city near the mouth of Mobile Bay. It houses the Estuarium, an aquarium which illustrates the four habitats of the Mobile Bay ecosystem: the river delta, bay, barrier islands and Gulf of Mexico.[75]

Parks and outdoor attractions

The Mobile Botanical Gardens feature a variety of flora spread over 100 acres (40 hectares). It contains the Millie McConnell Rhododendron Garden with 1,000 evergreen and native azaleas and the 30 acre (12 hectare) Longleaf Pine Habitat.[76] The Bellingrath Gardens and Home are located on Fowl River and contains 65 acres (26 hectares) of landscaped gardens and a 10,500-square-foot (1,000 m2) mansion dating to the 1930s.[77] For those interested in historic cemeteries, Mobile's Church Street Graveyard contains above-ground tombs and monuments spread over 4 acres (1.6 hectares) and was founded in 1819, during the height of the yellow fever epidemics.[78] The nearby 120 acre (49 hectare) Magnolia Cemetery was established in 1836 and was Mobile's primary burial site during the 19th century with approximately 80,000 burials.[79] It features tombs and many intricately carved monuments and statues.[80][81] The 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center is a new facility for exploring the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Appalachee, and Blakeley River delta.[82]

Bienville Square from Dauphin Street.

Mobile has more than 45 public parks with some that are of special interest.[83] Bienville Square is a historic park dating to 1850 in the Lower Dauphin Street Historic District and is named for Mobile’s founder, Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville.[84] This park was once a principle gathering place for the citizens of the city and remains popular today. Cathedral Plaza is a performing arts park in the Lower Dauphin Street Historic District overlooking the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.[85] Fort Condé is a reconstruction of the original Fort Condé, built on the old fort's footprint. It is the city’s official welcome center and living history museum.[16] Spanish Plaza is a downtown park that honors the Spanish occupation of the city between 1780 and 1813. It features the "Arches of Friendship", a fountain presented to Mobile by the city of Málaga, Spain.[86]

Historic districts

Oakleigh House (1833), part of the Oakleigh Historic Complex.

A fire in October of 1827 destroyed most of the old city from the Mobile River to Saint Emanuel Street and from Saint Francis to Government Street.[87] The city experienced another fire in 1839 that burned part of city between Conti and Government Street from Royal to Saint Emanuel Street and also both sides of Dauphin to Franklin Street.[87] Nothing from the Mobile's colonial past survives. The earliest surviving structures today date to the 1820s and 1830s,with many examples remaining. The colonial era buildings were primarily wooden construction, their replacements were primarily brick and stone.[87]

Mobile has antebellum architectural examples of Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, and Creole Cottage. Later architectural styles found in the city include the various Victorian types, shotgun types, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Beaux-Arts and many others. The city currently has nine historic districts consisting of Old Dauphin Way, Oakleigh Garden, Lower Dauphin Street, Leinkauf, Detonti Square, Church Street East, Ashland Place, Campground, and Midtown.[88]

In popular culture

See also: Mobile, Alabama in popular culture

Mobile has been the location or subject for several films. Under Siege (1992) was filmed on the USS Alabama in Battleship Memorial Park.[89] Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) was filmed in various Mobile locations.[90] Mobile features prominently in the PBS documentary The War (2007) by Ken Burns. The documentary focuses on the experiences of soldiers from Mobile as well as Mobile's WWII industrial output and the effects of segregation during the war.[91]

Native Mobilian Jimmy Buffett's song "Stars Fell on Alabama" and Bob Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" were both inspired by Mobile. Richard Bradford's novel Red Sky at Morning is partially set in Mobile. Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump, is a native of Mobile and uses Mobile and the surrounding area as the setting in many of his novels.

Demographics

The 2000 census determined that there were 198,915 people residing within the city limits.[2] Mobile is the center of Alabama's second-largest metropolitan area, which consists of all of Mobile county. Metropolitan Mobile (MSA) had a population of 399,843 as of 2000 census.[3] As of the 2006 census estimates there were 87,297 total housing units in the city of Mobile.[92] The racial makeup of the city was 48.2% White, 47.9% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, 0.9% from two or more races, and 1.2% of the population were Latino.[92] There were 73,057 households out of which 22,225 had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29,963 were married couples living together, 15,360 had a female householder with no husband present, 3,488 had a male householder with no wife present, and 24,246 were non-families.[92] 20,957 of all households were made up of individuals and 7,994 had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older.[92] The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.23.[92] The population was spread out with 7.1% under the age of 5, 73.6% over 18, and 13.4% over 65.[92] The median age was 35.6 years.[92] The male population was 47.6% and the female population was 52.4%.[92] The median income for a household in the city was $37,439, and the median income for a family was $45,217.[92] The per capita income for the city was $21,612. 21.3% of the population and 17.6% of families were below the poverty line.[92]

Government

Mayor and city council

See also: List of mayors of Mobile, Alabama

Since 1985 the government of Mobile has consisted of a mayor and a seven member city council. [93] The mayor is elected at-large and the council members are elected from each of the seven city council districts. A supermajority of five votes is required to conduct council business. This form of city government was chosen by the voters after the previous form of government, which used three city commissioners who were elected at-large, was ruled to substantially dilute the African American vote in the 1975 case Bolden v. City of Mobile.[94] Municipal elections are held every 4 years. The current mayor, Sam Jones, was elected in September of 2005 and is the first African American mayor of Mobile.[95] As of January 2006, the city council is composed of Fredrick Richardson, Jr. from District 1, William Carroll from Discrict 2, Clinton Johnson from District 3, John C. Williams from District 4, Reggie Copeland, Sr. from District 5, Connie Hudson from District 6, and Gina Gregory from District 7. Reggie Copeland, Sr. is currently serving as Council President with Fredrick Richardson, Jr. serving as Council Vice President.[96]

Major departments

The Municipal Court has jurisdiction of all prosecutions for the breach of the ordinances of the municipality of Mobile and has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court of all acts constituting violations of the state law committed within the police jurisdiction of the city of Mobile. It is composed of a presiding judge, an associate court judge, 2 part-time court judges, and an assistant judge.[97] The Mobile Police Department serves as primary law-enforcement in the city of Mobile and is divided into the main headquarters, 5 precincts, and 3 mini-stations.[98] The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department provides fire protection, fire investigation, hazardous materials assessment and clean-up, and back-up emergency ambulance service in the city of Mobile.[99]

Education

Public primary and secondary

See also: Mobile County Public School System

Public schools in Mobile are operated by the Mobile County Public School System. The Mobile County Public School System has an enrollment of over 65,000 students, employs approximately 8,500 public school employees, and had a budget in 2005-2006 of $617,162,616.[100] Mobile County schools remained racially segregated after 1954's Brown v. Board of Education.[101] The first steps to integration occurred after 1963 when three African American students brought a case against the Mobile County School Board for being denied admission to the then all-white Murphy High School.[101] The three students were then admitted to Murphy High for the 1964 school year.[101]

The State of Alabama operates the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science on Dauphin Street in Mobile, which boards advanced Alabama high school students. It was founded in 1989 to identify, challenge, and educate future leaders.[102]

Private primary and secondary

Mobile also has a large number of private schools, most of them being parochial in nature. Many of these belong to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile. The private Catholic institutions include McGill-Toolen Catholic High School (1896), Corpus Christi School, Little Flower Catholic School (1934), Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic School (1900), Saint Dominic School (1961), Saint Ignatius School (1952), Saint Mary Catholic School (1867), Saint Pius X Catholic School (1957), and Saint Vincent DePaul Catholic School (1976).[103] The private Protestant institutions include St. Paul's Episcopal School (1947), Mobile Christian School (1961), Faith Academy (1967), and the Cottage Hill Baptist School System (1970), which operates Cottage Hill Baptist School and Cottage Hill Christian Academy.[103] UMS-Wright Preparatory School (1893) is an independent, non-religious, co-educational preparatory school.[103]

Higher

Colleges and universities in Mobile include the University of South Alabama, Spring Hill College, the University of Mobile, Faulkner University, and Bishop State Community College.[104] The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university established in 1963. The university is composed of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Mitchell College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Engineering, the College of Medicine, the Doctor of Pharmacy Program, the College of Nursing, the School of Computer and Information Sciences, and the School of Continuing Education and Special Programs.[105] Spring Hill College, chartered in 1836, was the first Catholic college in the southeastern U.S. and is the third oldest Jesuit college in the country.[106] This four-year private college offers graduate programs in Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts, Nursing (MSN), and Theological Studies. [107] Undergraduate divisions and programs include the Division of Business, the Communications/Arts Division, International Studies, Interdivisional Studies, the Language and Literature Division, Nursing (BSN), Philosophy and Theology, Political Science, the Sciences Division, the Social Sciences Division, and the Teacher Education Division.[108] The University of Mobile is a four-year private Baptist-affiliated university that was founded in 1961. It consists of the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Christian Studies, School of Education, the School of Leadership Development, and the School of Nursing.[109] Faulkner University is a four-year private Church of Christ-affiliated university based in Montgomery, Alabama. The Mobile campus was established in 1975 and offers bachelor's degrees in Business Administration, Management of Human Resources, and Criminal Justice.[110] It also offers associate's degrees in Business Administration, Business Information Systems, Computer & Information Science, Criminal Justice, Informatics, Legal Studies, Arts, and Science.[111] Bishop State Community College, founded in 1927, is a two-year public institution with four campuses in Mobile and offers a wide array of associate's degrees.[112]

Economy

Aerial view of southern portion of the Port of Mobile.

Mobile's economy has experienced significant expansion since 2000. Mobile's Alabama State Docks is currently undergoing the largest expansion in its history by expanding its container processing and storage facility and increasing container storage at the docks by over 1,000%. [113] As of 2005, the Port of Mobile is the 11th largest by cargo volume in the United States.[9] In 2005 Austal USA, based in Mobile, expanded their production facility for US defense and commercial aluminium shipbuilding.[114] In 2007 German steel manufacturer ThyssenKrupp announced plans for a $3.7 billion steel mill.[115] The new plant is currently under construction in northern Mobile County. Company officials state that 2,700 permanent jobs will be added to the local economy.[115] Mobile is also in competition with Boeing to become home to the nation's largest military contract in history, an aerial refueling tanker project for the armed forces which would generate over 5,000 high paying jobs in Mobile.[116] The project would be with EADS North America, based out of the Brookley Industrial Complex.[116] According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mobile's unemployment rate is 3.7% as of September 2007.[117]

20 largest manufacturers in Mobile 2006[118]
Company Country of Origin Products Total Employees
Singapore Technologies Mobile Aerospace Engineering Singapore Aircraft Refurbishing 1,202
Austal USA Australia Shipbuilding 800
Kimberly-Clark Corp. United States Paper Products 777
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Switzerland Chemicals 739
Atlantic Marine, Inc. United States Ship Repair 700
Degussa Germany Chemicals 700
Computer Programs and Systems, Inc. (CPSI) United States Healthcare Information Software 653
Bender Shipbuilding and Repair United States Shipbuilding and Repair 650
Press-Register United States Newspaper Publishing 550
Teledyne Continental Motors United States Aircraft Piston Engines 450
Universal Oil Products United States Chemicals 344
IPSCO Steel Canada Steel 330
Barnett Millworks United States Wood Products 300
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United States Soft Drinks 300
Olin Corp. United States Chemicals 275
Masland United States Carpet 256
Huntsman Corp. United States Chemicals 220
DuPont United States Chemicals 200
Xanté United States Printer Manufacturing 200
Arkema France Chemicals 181

Transportation

Air

Local airline passengers are served by the Mobile Regional Airport which directly connects to five major hub airports: Charlotte, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, and Memphis.[119] It is served by Continental Express, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlink and US Airways Express.[119] The Mobile Downtown Airport is part of the Brookley Industrial Complex and serves corporate, cargo and private cargo aircraft.[119]

Rail

Mobile is served by 6 railroads.[120] Five of these are Class I railroads and include the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN), the Canadian National Railway (CNR), CSX Transportation (CSX), the Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS), and the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS).[120] All 5 of these converge at the Port of Mobile, which provides intermodal freight transport service to companies engaged in importing and exporting.[120] The sixth railroad is the Central Gulf Railroad, which is a rail ship service to Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz in Mexico.[120]

Road

Interstate 10 eastbound in downtown approaching the Wallace Tunnel underneath the Mobile River.

Two major interstate highways and a spur converge in Mobile. Interstate 10 runs northeast to southwest across the city while Interstate 65 starts in Mobile at Interstate 10 and runs north. Interstate 165 connects to Interstate 65 north of the city in Prichard and joins Interstate 10 in downtown Mobile.[121] Mobile is well served by many major highway systems. United States Highways US 31, US 43, US 45, US 90 and US 98 radiate from Mobile traveling east, west, and north. Mobile has three routes east across the Mobile River and Mobile Bay into neighboring Baldwin County, Alabama. Interstate 10 leaves downtown through the George Wallace Tunnel under the river and then over the bay across the Mobile Bayway Bridge to Daphne, Alabama. US 98 leaves downtown through the Bankhead Tunnel under the river onto Blakeley Island and then over the bay across the Causeway into Spanish Fort, Alabama. US 90 travels over the Cochrane-Africatown USA Bridge to the north of downtown onto Blakeley Island where it becomes co-routed with US 98.[121]

Mobile's public transportation is the Wave Transit System which features buses with 18 fixed routes and neighborhood service.[122] The Wave Transit System also operates the Moda! electric trolley service in downtown Mobile with 22 stops Monday through Saturday.[123] Baylinc is a public transportation bus service provided by the Baldwin Rural Transit System in cooperation with the Wave Transit System that provides service between eastern Baldwin County and downtown Mobile. Baylinc operates Monday through Friday.[124] Greyhound Lines provides intercity bus service between Mobile and many locations throughout the United States. Mobile is served by several taxi and limousine services.[125]

Water

The city is home port for Carnival Cruise Lines' MS Holiday cruise ship which sails on four and five day itineraries through the Western Caribbean from the Alabama Cruise Terminal on Water Street.[18]

The Port of Mobile has public, deepwater terminals with direct access to 1,500 miles of inland and intracoastal waterways serving the Great Lakes, the Ohio and Tennessee river valleys (via the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway), and the Gulf of Mexico.[126] The Alabama State Port Authority owns and operates the public terminals at the Port of Mobile.[126] The public terminals handle containerized, bulk, breakbulk, roll-on/roll-off, and heavy lift cargoes.[126] The port is also home to private bulk terminal operators, as well as a number of highly specialized shipbuilding and repair companies with two of the largest floating dry docks on the Gulf Coast.[126]

Media

Print

Mobile's Press-Register is Alabama's oldest active newspaper, dating back to 1813.[127] The paper focuses on Mobile and Baldwin counties and the city of Mobile, but also serves southwestern Alabama and southeastern Mississippi.[127] Mobile's alternative newspaper is the Lagniappe.[128] The Mobile area's local magazine is Mobile Bay Monthly.[129]

Television

Mobile is served locally by four television stations: WPMI 15 (NBC), WKRG 5 (CBS), WALA 10 (FOX), and WBPG 55 (The CW Television Network).[130] The regional area is also served by WEAR 3 (ABC) and WJTC 44, an independent station. They are both based in Pensacola, Florida. Mobile is included in the Mobile-Pensacola-Fort Walton Beach designated market area, as defined by Nielsen Media Research, and is ranked 61st in the United States for the 2007-08 television season.[131]

Radio

See also: List of radio stations in Mobile

Twelve FM radio stations transmit from Mobile: WBHY-FM, WHIL, WBLX, WKSJ, WKSJ-HD2, WRKH, WRKH-HD2, WABB, WDLT, WMXC, WMXC-HD2, and WQUA. Eight AM radio stations transmit from Mobile: WNTM, WBHY, WGOK, WLPR, WIJD, WMOB, WLVV, and WABB. The content ranges from Christian Contemporary to Hip hop to Top 40.[132] Arbitron ranks Mobile's radio market as 93rd in the United States as of autumn 2007.[133]

Sports

See also: History of sports in Mobile, Alabama

.

Mobile is the home of Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The football stadium opened in 1948 with Alabama and Vanderbilt battling to a 14-14 tie. With a capacity of 40,646, Ladd-Peebles Stadium is the 4th largest stadium in the state. [134] Ladd-Peebles Stadium has been home to the Senior Bowl since 1951, featuring the best college seniors in NCAA football.[135] The GMAC Bowl has been played since 1999 featuring opponents from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA.[136] Since 1988, Ladd-Peebles Stadium has hosted the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic. The top graduating high school seniors from their respective states compete each June. [137] The public Mobile Tennis Center includes over 50 courts, all lighted and hard-court.[138] For golfers, Magnolia Grove, part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, has 36 holes. The Falls course was recently named the best par 3 course in America. [139] Since 1999, the LPGA Tournament of Champions has been played annually at Magnolia Grove. The Crossings course is home of this tournament. Mobile is also home to the Azalea Trail Run, which races through historic midtown and downtown Mobile. This 10k run has been an annual event since 1978.[140] The Azalea Trail Run is one of the premier 10k road races in the U.S., attracting runners from all over the world. [141] Mobile's Hank Aaron Stadium is the home of the Mobile BayBears minor league baseball team.[142]

International sister cities

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Further reading

External links

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

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