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#REDIRECT [[Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (film)]]
<!-- Don't add a particular image size to most images of this article, it will be reverted. The images need to be able to customize from personal preferences. -->
<!-- Infobox begins !-->
{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name = City of Mobile
|settlement_type = [[City]]
|nickname = The Port City ''or'' Azalea City ''or''&nbsp;The&nbsp;City&nbsp;of&nbsp;Six&nbsp;Flags
|motto =
|image_skyline = Mobile Skyline 2008 01.jpg
|imagesize = 270px
|image_caption = The skyline of downtown Mobile from the [[Battleship Parkway]].
|image_flag = Mobile_Flag.png
|image_seal = Seal_Mobile_Alabama.png
|image_map = Mobile_County_Alabama_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Mobile_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize = 200px
|map_caption =
|image_map1 =
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 =
|subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
|subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Alabama|County]]
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_name1 = [[Alabama]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile]]
|government_type =
|leader_title = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name = [[Sam Jones (mayor)|Sam Jones]]
|established_title = Founded
|established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date = 1702
|established_date2 = 1814
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_sq_mi = 159.4
|area_total_km2 = 412.9
|area_land_sq_mi = 117.9
|area_land_km2 = 305.3
|area_water_sq_mi = 41.5
|area_water_km2 = 107.6
|population_as_of = 2000
|population_note =
|population_footnotes =<ref name="2000 Census">{{cite web|title="2000 census for Mobile, Alabama"|work="U.S. Census Bureau"|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=16000US0150000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US01%7C16000US0150000&_street=&_county=mobile&_cityTown=mobile&_state=04000US01&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2006_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=|accessdate=2007-10-14}}</ref><ref name="2000Census2">{{cite web|title="Population of Metropolitan Statistical Areas"|work="U.S. Census Bureau 2000 MSA Populations"|url=http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t29/tab01a.csv|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref>
|population_total = 198915
|population_metro = 399843
|population_urban =
|population_density_sq_mi =
|population_density_km2 =
|timezone = [[North American Central Time Zone|CST]]
|utc_offset = -6
|timezone_DST = [[North American Central Time Zone|CDT]]
|utc_offset_DST = -5
|latd = 30 |latm = 41 |lats = 40 |latNS = N
|longd = 88 |longm = 02 |longs = 35 |longEW = W
|elevation_footnotes = (lowest)<ref name="gnis">{{cite web|title="Mobile Alabama"|work="GNIS Feature Query Results"|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref>
|elevation_m = 3
|elevation_ft = 10
|website = http://www.cityofmobile.org
|postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]s
|postal_code = 36601-36613, 36615-36619, 36621-36622, 36625, 36628, 36630, 36633, 36640-36641, 36644, 33652, 36660, 36663, 36670-36671, 36675, 36685, 36688-36691, 36693, 36695
|area_code = [[Area code 251|251]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 01-50000
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info = 0155153
|footnotes =
}} <!-- Infobox ends !-->

'''Mobile''' ({{IPAEng|moʊˈbiːl}}) is the third most populous city in the [[Southern United States|Southern]] [[United States|U.S.]] state of [[Alabama]] and is the [[county seat]] of [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile County]].<ref name="citypop">{{cite web|title=''USA: Alabama''|work=CityPopulation.de|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Alabama.html|accessdate=2007-04-23}}</ref> It is located on the central [[Gulf Coast of the United States]]. The population within the city limits was 198,915 during the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]].<ref name="2000 Census" /> Mobile is the principal municipality of the Mobile [[United States metropolitan area|Metropolitan Statistical Area]], a region of 399,843 residents which is composed solely of Mobile County and is the second largest MSA in the state.<ref name="2000Census2"/> Mobile is included in the Mobile-[[Daphne, Alabama|Daphne]]-[[Fairhope, Alabama|Fairhope]] [[Combined Statistical Area]] with a total population of 540,258, the second largest CSA in the state.<ref name="2000Census3">{{cite web|title="Population of Combined Statistical Areas"|work="U.S. Census Bureau 2000 CSA Populations"|url=http://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t29/tab06.pdf|accessdate=2007-12-01}}</ref>

Mobile began as the first capital of colonial [[Louisiana (New France)|French Louisiana]] in 1702, and during its first 100 years, Mobile was a colony for [[Early Modern France|France]], then [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]], and lastly [[Spain]]. The city gained its name from the [[Native American]] [[Mobilian]] tribe that the French colonists found in the area of [[Mobile Bay]].<ref name="maubilianind">{{cite web|title="The Old Mobile Project Newsletter"|work="University of South Alabama Center for Archaeological
Studies"|url=http://www.usouthal.edu/archaeology/pdf/issue-17.pdf|accessdate=2007-11-19}}</ref> Mobile first became a part of the [[United States|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.<ref>[http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2255.html U.S. History, Retrieved May 5, 2007]</ref>

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.<ref name="foundmob"|>{{cite web|title="Mobile Alabama"|work="Britannica Online"|url=http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9372340|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> 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<ref name="mobilianpid">Drechsel, Emanuel. ''Mobilian Jargon: Linguistic and Sociohistorical Aspects of a Native American Pidgin''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. ISBN 0198240333</ref> down to its current role as the 10th largest port in the United States.<ref name="ports1">{{cite web|title="Tonnage for Selected U.S. Ports in 2006"|work="U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Waterborne Commerce Statistics"|url=http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/portton06.htm|accessdate=2008-03-20}}</ref>

As one of the Gulf Coast's cultural centers, Mobile houses several art museums, a symphony [[orchestra]], a professional [[opera]], a professional [[ballet]] company, and a large concentration of historic [[architecture]].<ref name="mma2">{{cite web|title="General Information"|work="Mobile Museum of Art"|url=http://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/home.html|accessdate=2007-10-23}}</ref><ref name="srg-cultural">{{cite web|title=''Cultural''|work=SeniorsResourceGuide.com|url=http://www.seniorsresourceguide.com/directories/Mobile/about_region.html|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref> Mobile is known for having the oldest organized [[Carnival]] celebrations in the United States, dating to its early colonial period. It was also host to the first formally organized Carnival [[mystic society]] or [[krewe]] in the United States, dating to 1830.<ref name=MMtime>{{cite web|title="Mobile Mardi Gras Timeline"|work="The Museum of Mobile"|url=http://www.museumofmobile.com/html/mardi_gras_timeline.php|accessdate=2007-11-14}}</ref> People from Mobile are known as Mobilians.<ref name="mobilianpid"/>

==History==
{{See also|History of Mobile, Alabama}}

===Colonial===
The settlement of Mobile, then known as [[Old Mobile Site|''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 colonial empires|French colony]] of [[Louisiana (New France)|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]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec|Bishop of Quebec]].<ref name="oldmobile1">Higginbotham, Jay. ''Old Mobile: Fort Louis de la Louisiane, 1702-1711'',pages 106-107. Museum of the City of Mobile, 1977. ISBN 0914334034.</ref> The parish was the first established on the [[Gulf Coast of the United States]].<ref name="oldmobile1"/> 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]].<ref name="pelican">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'',pages 20-21. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> Though most of the "''Pélican'' girls" recovered, a large number of the existing colonists and the neighboring Native Americans died from the illness.<ref name="pelican"/> This early period also saw the arrival of the first [[African]] [[slaves]] aboard a French supply ship from [[Saint-Domingue]].<ref name="pelican"/> 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.<ref name="oldmobile1"/>

[[Image:Mobile1725.jpg|thumb|left|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.<ref>Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'',pages 17-27. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> A new earth and palisade ''Fort Louis'' was constructed at the new site during this time.<ref name=MoMfort>"Other Locations: Historic Fort Conde" (history), Museum of Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, 2006, webpage:[http://www.museumofmobile.com/html/other_museums.php MoM-Other]</ref> By 1712, when [[Antoine Crozat]] took over administration of the colony by royal appointment, the colony boasted a population of 400 persons. The capital of [[Louisiana (New France)|Louisiana]] was moved to [[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]] in 1720,<ref name=MoMfort/> leaving Mobile in role of military and trading center. In 1723 the construction of a new brick fort with a stone foundation began<ref name=MoMfort/> and it was renamed [[Fort Conde|Fort Condé]] in honor of [[Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon]] and [[Princes of Condé|prince of Condé]].<ref name="conde1"|>{{cite web|title="Historic Fort Conde"|work="Museum of Mobile"|url=http://www.museumofmobile.com/html/other_museums.php|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref>

In 1763, the [[Treaty of Paris (1763)|Treaty of Paris]] was signed, ending the [[French and Indian War]]. The treaty [[ceded]] Mobile and the surrounding territory to the [[Kingdom of Great Britain]], and it was made a part of the expanded British [[West Florida]] colony.<ref name="setmob1">{{cite web|title="Early European Conquests and the Settlement of Mobile"|work="Alabama Department of Archives and History"|url=http://www.alabamamoments.state.al.us/sec02qs.html|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> The British changed the name of Fort Condé to Fort Charlotte, after [[Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz]], [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III's]] queen.<ref name="setmob2">{{cite web|title="Mobile: Alabama's Tricentennial City"|work="Alabama Department of Archives and History"|url=http://www.archives.state.al.us/mobile/mobile3.html|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> 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.<ref name="britmob1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile: the new history of Alabama's first city'',pages 44-45. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> 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.<ref name="britmob1"/> During the [[American Revolutionary War]], West Florida and Mobile became a refuge for [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|loyalists]] fleeing the other colonies.<ref name=storymobile1>Delaney, Caldwell. ''The Story of Mobile'', page 45. Mobile, Alabama: Gill Press, 1953. ISBN 0940882140</ref>

The Spanish captured Mobile during the [[Battle of Fort Charlotte]] in 1780. They wished to eliminate any British threat to their Louisiana colony, which they had received from France in 1763s Treaty of Paris.<ref name=storymobile1/> Their actions were also condoned by the revolting American colonies due to the fact that [[West Florida]], for the most part, remained loyal to the [[British Crown]].<ref name=storymobile1/> The fort was renamed [[Fort Conde|Fortaleza Carlota]], with the Spanish holding Mobile as a part of Spanish [[West Florida]] until 1813, when it was seized by the U.S. General [[James Wilkinson]] during the [[War of 1812]].<ref name="wilkinson">{{cite web|title="James Wilkinson"|work="War of 1812"|url=http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/people/wilkinson.html|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref>

===19th century===
[[Image:Southern Hotel Water Street.jpg|thumb|left|[[Historic American Buildings Survey|HABS]] photo of the Southern Hotel (built c.1837) on Water Street.]]
When Mobile was made a part of the [[Mississippi Territory]] in 1813, the population had dwindled to roughly 300 people.<ref name="antebellum1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', page 65. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> 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.<ref name="antebellum1"/> As the inland areas of Alabama and Mississippi were settled by farmers and the [[plantation]] economy became established, Mobile's population exploded. It came to be settled by merchants, attorneys, mechanics, doctors and others seeking to capitalize on trade with these upriver areas.<ref name="antebellum1"/> 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.<ref name="antebellum1"/>

From the 1830s onward Mobile expanded into a city of commerce with a primary focus on the cotton trade.<ref name="antebellum1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', page 69-71. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> The waterfront was developed with wharves, terminal facilities, and fire-proof brick warehouses.<ref name="antebellum1"/> The exports of cotton grew in proportion to the amounts being produced in the [[Black Belt (region of Alabama)|Black Belt]] and by 1840 Mobile was second only to New Orleans in cotton exports in the nation.<ref name="antebellum1"/> 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.<ref name="antebellum1"/> 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, Alabama|Montgomery]] in the 1850s.<ref name="antebellum2">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', pages 79-80. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> 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]].<ref name="1860cen">{{cite web|title="Population of the 100 Largest Urban Places: 1860"|work="U.S. Bureau of the Census
"|url=http://www.census.gov/population/documentation/twps0027/tab09.txt|accessdate=2007-11-02}}</ref> The population in the whole of Mobile County, including the city, consisted of 29,754 free citizens, of which 1195 were African American.<ref name="pop1860">{{cite web|title="Census Data for the Year 1860"|work="Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research"|url=http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/cgi-local/censusbin/census/cen.pl?year=860|accessdate=2007-11-13}}</ref> Additionally, there were 1785 slave owners, holding 11,376 slaves, for a total county population of 41,130 people.<ref name="pop1860"/>

[[Image:1005 Government Street.JPG|thumb|Rapelje House (built c. 1865) on Government Street.]]
During the [[American Civil War]], Mobile was a Confederate city. The first [[submarine]] to successfully sink an enemy ship, the [[Hunley|''H. L. Hunley'']], was built in Mobile.<ref name="Hunley">{{cite web|title="H. L. Hunley"|work="Naval Historical Center"|url=http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-3.htm|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> One of the most famous [[naval engagement]]s of the [[American Civil War|war]] was the [[Battle of Mobile Bay]], resulting in the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] taking possession of [[Mobile Bay]] on 5 August 1864.<ref name="newhist1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', page 113. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> On 12 April 1865, 3 days after the surrender of [[Robert E. Lee]] at [[Battle of Appomattox Courthouse|Appomattox Courthouse]], the city of Mobile surrendered to the [[Union army]] to avoid destruction following the Union victories at the [[Battle of Spanish Fort]] and the [[Battle of Fort Blakely]].<ref name="newhist1"/> Ironically, on 25 May 1865, the city suffered loss when some three hundred people died as a result of an [[Mobile magazine explosion|explosion]] at a [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] [[ammunition depot]] on Beauregard Street. The explosion left a {{convert|30|ft|m|0|sing=on}} 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.<ref>Delaney, Caldwell. ''The Story of Mobile'', pages 144-146. Mobile, Alabama: Gill Press, 1953. ISBN 0940882140 </ref>

Federal [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]] in Mobile began after the Civil War and effectively ended in 1874 when the local [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]s gained control of the city government.<ref name="reconstruction1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', page 153. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> 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&nbsp;million in 1882.<ref name="exports1878">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', page 145. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref>

===20th century===
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.<ref name="progress1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', pages 154-169. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> The population increased from around 40,000 in 1900 to 60,000 by 1920.<ref name="progress1"/> During this time the city received $3 million in federal grants for harbor improvements, which drastically deepened the shipping channels in the harbor.<ref name="progress1"/> 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.<ref name="progress1"/> During this time social equality and race relations in Mobile worsened, however.<ref name="progress1"/> In 1902 the city government passed Mobile's first [[racial segregation|segregation]] ordinance, one that segregated the city streetcars.<ref name="progress1"/> Mobile's African American population responded to this with a two-month boycott which was ultimately unsuccessful.<ref name="progress1"/> After this, Mobile's [[de facto]] segregation would increasingly be replaced with legislated segregation.<ref name="progress1"/>

[[Image:Dauphin Street Mobile Alabama.jpg|thumb|Dauphin Street looking east toward the [[RSA Battle House Tower]].]]
[[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 [[Mobile Downtown Airport|Brookley Army Air Field]].<ref name="thomason2">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', pages 213-217. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> Between 1940 and 1943, more than 89,000 people moved into Mobile to work for war effort industries.<ref name="thomason2"/> 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 of World War II|Axis powers]] could sink them.<ref name="thomason2"/> [[Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation]], a [[subsidiary]] of [[Waterman Steamship Corporation]], focused on building [[freighter]]s, [[Fletcher class destroyer]]s, and [[Minesweeper (ship)|minesweeper]]s.<ref name="thomason2"/>

The years after World War II brought about changes in Mobile's social structure and economy. 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 saw the end of racial segregation with the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. Though many in Mobile had considered the city to be tolerant and racially accommodating compared to other cities in the South, with the police force and one local college becoming integrated in the 1950s and the voluntary desegregation of buses and lunch counters by the early 1960s, Mobile's African American citizens were not nearly as content with the [[status quo]] as some believed. In 1963 three African American students brought a case against the Mobile County School Board for being denied admission to [[Murphy High School]].<ref name="murphy1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', pages 260-261. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> The court ordered that the three students be admitted to Murphy for the 1964 school year, leading to the desegregation of Mobile County's school system.<ref name="murphy1"/>

Mobile's economy took a large hit in late 1960s with the closing of [[Mobile Downtown Airport|Brookley Air Force Base]]. This and other factors ushered in a period of economic depression that lasted through the 1970s. Beginning in the late 1980s, the city council and mayor began an effort termed the "String of Pearls Initiative" to make Mobile into a competitive, urban city.<ref name="progress2">{{cite web|title="Mobile Wins Title of All American City"|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/mapsnfacts/all_america.php|accessdate=2007-11-15}}</ref> This effort would see the building of numerous new facilities and projects around the city and the restoration of hundreds of other historic downtown buildings and homes.<ref name="progress2"/> This period also saw a reduction in the rate of violent crime and a concerted effort by city and county leaders to attract new business ventures to the area.<ref name="progress3">{{cite web|title="2005 State of the City" "|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/news.php?view=full&news=679|accessdate=2007-11-15}}</ref> The effort continues into the present with new city government leadership.<ref name="progress3"/> Shipbuilding began to make a major comeback in Mobile with the founding in 1999 of [[Austal USA]], a joint venture of Australian shipbuilder, [[Austal Ships|Austal]], and Bender Shipbuilding.<ref name="colton1">{{cite web|title="Austal USA, Mobile AL Construction Record"|work="The Colton Company
"|url=http://www.coltoncompany.com/shipbldg/ussbldrs/postwwii/shipyards/active/aluminum/austal.htm|accessdate=2007-11-02}}</ref>

==Geography and climate==
===Geography===
Mobile is located at 30°40'46" North, 88°6'12" West (30.679523, -88.103280){{GR|1}}, 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 [[square mile|mi²]]). 305.4 km² (117.9 mi²) of it is land and 107.6 km² (41.5 mi²) of it is water.<ref name="census2000">{{cite web|title="Alabama: Place: Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density"|work="U.S. Census Bureau"|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=04000US01&-_box_head_nbr=GCT-PH1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-format=ST-7|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> The elevation in Mobile ranges from {{convert|10|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} on Water Street in downtown<ref name="gnis"/> to {{convert|211|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} at the Mobile Regional Airport.<ref name="elevationcham">{{cite web|title="Welcome to Mobile"|work="Mobile Chamber of Commerce"|url=http://www.mobilechamber.com/meet_neig.pdf|accessdate=2007-11-30}}</ref>

===Climate===
Mobile's&nbsp;geographical location on the [[Gulf of Mexico]] provides a mild [[subtropical]] [[climate]], with an average annual temperature of {{convert|67.5|°F|°C|0|lk=on}}. Normal average January through December temperatures range from {{convert|40|°F|°C|0}} minimum and {{convert|91|°F|°C|0}} maximum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20/ak/500352.pdf|title=Climate Normals|publisher=National Climatic Data Centre|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-12-04}}</ref> Mobile has hot, humid summers and mild, rainy winters. A 2007 study by [[Weatherbill|WeatherBill]], Inc. determined that Mobile is the wettest city in the contiguous 48 states, with {{convert|67|in|cm|0}} of average annual rainfall.<ref name="weatherbill">Thompsen, Andrea (May 22, 2007) [http://www.livescience.com/environment/070518_rainy_cities.html "Study Reveals Top 10 Wettest U.S. Cities."]</ref> Mobile averages 59 rainy days per year.<ref name="weatherbill"/> Snow is rare in Mobile, with the last snowfall being on 18 December 1996.<ref name="nws">{{cite web|title=Evolution of a Central Gulf Coast Heavy Snowband''|work=NOAA.gov|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/121896Snow/18Dec96main.html|accessdate=2007-11-09}}</ref>

Being on the Gulf, Mobile is occasionally affected by major [[tropical storm]]s and [[hurricanes]].<ref name="srg-climate">{{cite web|title=''Mobile's Climate''|work=SeniorsResourceGuide.com|url=http://www.seniorsresourceguide.com/directories/Mobile/about_region.html|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref> Mobile suffered a major natural disaster on the night of 12 September 1979 when [[Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale|Category 3]] [[Hurricane Frederic]] passed over the heart of the city. The storm caused tremendous damage to Mobile and the surrounding area.<ref name="hurricane1">{{cite web|title="Hurricane Frederic newspaper headlines courtesy of Hurricane City"|work="Hurricane City"|url=http://www.hurricanecity.com/Images/2-frederic.jpg|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> Mobile received moderate damage from [[Hurricane Opal]] on 4 October 1995 and [[Hurricane Ivan]] on 16 September 2004.<ref name="HurIvan"|>{{cite web|title=" Powerful Hurricane Ivan Slams the IS Central Gulf Coast as an Upper Category-3 Storm"|work="National Weather Service Forecast Office Mobile/Pensacola"|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/ivan_page/Ivan-main.htm|accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref> Mobile also received moderate damage from [[Hurricane Katrina]] on 29 August 2005. A storm surge of {{convert|11.45|ft|m|2}} damaged eastern sections of Mobile and caused extensive flooding in downtown.<ref name"HurKat">{{cite web|title="Extremely Powerful Hurricane Katrina leaves a Historic Mark on the Gulf Coast|work="National Weather Service Forecast Office Mobile/Pensacola" |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/0805Katrina|accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref>
<!--Infobox begins-->{{Infobox Weather
|metric_first= <!--Entering Yes will display metric first. Leave blank for imperial-->
|single_line= Yes
|location = Mobile, Alabama
|Jan_Hi_°F = 61
|Feb_Hi_°F = 65
|Mar_Hi_°F = 71
|Apr_Hi_°F = 77
|May_Hi_°F = 84
|Jun_Hi_°F = 89
|Jul_Hi_°F = 91
|Aug_Hi_°F = 91
|Sep_Hi_°F = 87
|Oct_Hi_°F = 79
|Nov_Hi_°F = 70
|Dec_Hi_°F = 63
|Jan_Lo_°F = 40
|Feb_Lo_°F = 42
|Mar_Lo_°F = 49
|Apr_Lo_°F = 55
|May_Lo_°F = 63
|Jun_Lo_°F = 69
|Jul_Lo_°F = 72
|Aug_Lo_°F = 72
|Sep_Lo_°F = 68
|Oct_Lo_°F = 56
|Nov_Lo_°F = 48
|Dec_Lo_°F = 42
|Jan_Precip_inch = 6
|Feb_Precip_inch = 5
|Mar_Precip_inch = 7
|Apr_Precip_inch = 5
|May_Precip_inch = 6
|Jun_Precip_inch = 5
|Jul_Precip_inch = 6
|Aug_Precip_inch = 6
|Sep_Precip_inch = 6
|Oct_Precip_inch = 3
|Nov_Precip_inch = 5
|Dec_Precip_inch = 5
|source = US Travel Weather<ref name=usweather>{{cite web
| url = http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-alabama/mobile-weather.asp| title = Mobile Weather | accessdate = 2007-12-03| publisher = US Travel Weather }}</ref> <!--All units above have been rounded to nearest whole number-->
|accessdate = 2007-12-03
}}<!--Infobox ends-->

==Culture==
Mobile is home to an array of cultural influences with its French, British, Spanish, African, Creole and Catholic heritage distinguishing it from all other cities in the state of Alabama. 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.<ref name="carnival4">{{cite web|title="History of Mardi Gras"|work="Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau"|url=http://www.mobile.org/vis_mardigras_history.php|accessdate=2007-11-29}}</ref>

===Carnival and Mardi Gras===
{{see also|Mardi Gras in Mobile}}
{{see also|Mystic society}}

[[Image:Mobmardigras1.jpg|thumb|A [[Carnival]] parade on Royal Street in Mobile.]]
Mobile's Carnival celebrations start as early as November with several [[Ball (dance)|balls]],<ref name="mgrasfaqs">{{cite web|title="Mardi Gras FAQS"|work="Mobile Carnival Museum"|url=http://www.mobilecarnivalmuseum.com/MardiGras.aspx|accessdate=2007-12-02}}</ref> with the [[parade]]s usually beginning after January 5.<ref name="carnivalterminology">{{cite web|title="Mardi Gras Terminology"|work="Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau"|url=http://www.mobile.org/vis_mardigras_terms.php|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> Carnival celebrations end promptly at the stroke of midnight on [[Mardi Gras]], signaling the beginning of [[Ash Wednesday]] and the first day of [[Lent]].<ref name="slacabamorinico">{{cite web|title="Mardi Gras - Mobile's Paradoxical Party"|work="The Wisdom of Chief Slacabamorinico"|url=http://jacksonsnyder.com/arc/slac/MardiGras/paradox.htm|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> Mardi Gras, though literally meaning [[Fat Tuesday]] and thus the last day of the Carnival season, is normally used locally to refer to the entire Carnival season. During this time Mobile's [[Mystic society|mystic societies]] build colorful Carnival floats and parade throughout downtown with masked society members tossing small gifts, known as ''throws'', to the parade spectators.<ref>{{cite news |first=Susan |last=Houston |authorlink= |title=Mobile; It Has History |work=The News & Observer |publisher=News & Observer Publishing Company, (Raleigh, NC) |date=2007-02-04 |accessdate=2007-05-22 }}</ref> Mobile's mystic societies also give formal [[masquerade ball]]s, which are almost always invitation only and are oriented to adults.<ref name="carnivalterminology"/>

Mobile first celebrated Carnival in 1703 when French settlers began the festivities at the [[Old Mobile Site]].<ref name=MMtime/> Mobile's first Carnival society began in 1711 with the ''Boeuf Gras Society'' (Fatted Ox Society).<ref name=CarnHist1>{{cite web|title="History"|work="Mobile Carnival Museum"|url=http://www.mobilecarnivalmuseum.com/History.aspx|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref> 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.<ref name=MMtime/><ref name="slacabamorinico"/> The ''Cowbellions'' got their start when a cotton factor from [[Pennsylvania]], Michael Krafft, began a parade with rakes, hoes, and cowbells.<ref name="slacabamorinico"/> The ''Cowbellians'' introduced horse-drawn floats to the parades in 1840 with a parade entitled, “Heathen Gods and Goddesses.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The ''[[Striker's Independent Society]]'' was formed in 1843 and is the oldest remaining mystic society in the United States.<ref name=CarnHist1/> Carnival celebrations in Mobile were canceled 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.<ref name=JChist>
"Joe Cain Articles" (newspaper story),
Joe Danborn & Cammie East, ''Mobile Register'', 2001, webpage:
[http://cainsmerrywidows.org/articles.html CMW-history].
</ref> The year 2002 saw Mobile's [[Tricentennial]] celebrated with parades that represented all of Mobile's mystic societies.<ref name=CarnHist1/>

===Archives and libraries===
[[Image:Mobile Public Library 2008.jpg|thumb|The Ben May Main Library on Government Street.]]
The [[National African American Archives and Museum]] features the history of "Colored Carnival", African American participation in Mobile's Mardi Gras, authentic artifacts from the era of slavery, and portraits and biographies of famous African Americans.<ref name="naaam"|>{{cite web|title="National African American Archives and Museum"|work="Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel"|url=http://www.800alabama.com/things-to-do/alabama-attractions/details.cfm?id=1296|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> 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 Spring Hill Campus and are open to the general public.<ref name="usa1">{{cite web|title="USA Archives"|work="University of South Alabama"|url=http://www.usouthal.edu/archives/|accessdate=2007-10-24}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="cmma1">{{cite web|title="Mobile Municipal Archives"|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/archives/|accessdate=2007-10-24}}</ref> 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 for use in genealogical research.<ref name="MGS library">{{cite web|title="MGS library"|work="The Mobile Genealogical Society
"|url=http://www.siteone.com/clubs/mgs/promo.htm|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> 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.<ref name="mpl1">{{cite web|title="Local History and Genealogy"|work="Mobile Public Library"|url=http://www.mplonline.org/lhg.htm|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="siamt1">{{cite web|title="St. Ignatius Archives and Museum"|work="PastPerfect Museum Software Newsletter January 2004"|url=http://www.museumsoftware.com/newsletter01_04.htm|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref>

===Entertainment and arts===
[[Image:Mobile Museum Of Art.jpg|thumb|Mobile Museum of Art.]]
The [[Mobile Museum of Art]] features European, Non-Western, American, and Decorative Arts collections.<ref name="mma2"/> The [[Saenger Theatre (Mobile, Alabama)|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.<ref>[http://www.mobilesaenger.com/history.php Mobile Saenger Theater History, Retrieved May 5, 2007]</ref> The [[Mobile Civic Center]] contains three facilities under one roof. The {{convert|400000|sqft|m2|0|abbr=on}} 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.<ref name="srg-cultural"/> The 60-year old [[Mobile Opera]] averages about 1,200 attendees per performance.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Setting the Stage: Mobile Opera offers a three show season for 2007-08''|work=Press Register|url=http://www.al.com/entertainment/press-register/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1179048222106610.xml&coll=3&thispage=1|accessdate 2007-05-16}}</ref> A wide variety of events are held at Mobile's Arthur C. Outlaw Convention Center. It contains a {{convert|100000|sqft|m2|0|abbr=on}} exhibit hall, a {{convert|15000|sqft|m2|0|abbr=on}} grand ballroom, and sixteen meeting rooms.<ref name="acocc1">{{cite web|title="Arthur C. Outlaw Convention Center"|work="www.mobile.org"|url=http://www.mobile.org/pdf/meet_convctr.pdf|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> Additionally, the city is host to [[Bayfest (Mobile)|BayFest]], an annual three day music festival with over 125 live musical acts on nine stages.<ref name="bayfest1">{{cite web|title="About BayFest"|work="Bayfest, Inc."|url=http://www.bayfest.com/about.php|accessdate=2008-01-12}}</ref>

==Tourism==
===Museums===
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)|USS ''Alabama'' (BB-60)]], the World War II era [[submarine]] [[USS Drum (SS-228)|USS ''Drum'' (SS-228)]], [[Korean War]] and [[Vietnam War]] Memorials, and a variety of historical military equipment.<ref name="battleship">{{cite web|title="See Courage Up Close"|work="USS Alabama Battleship Commission"|url=http://www.ussalabama.com/|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> The [[Museum of Mobile]] chronicles 300 years of Mobile history and material culture and is housed in the historic [[Old City Hall (Mobile, Alabama)|Old City Hall (1857)]].<ref name="southernmarket">{{cite web|title="About Us"|work="Museum of Mobile"|url=http://www.museumofmobile.com/html/about.php|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> The [[Oakleigh Historic Complex (Mobile, Alabama)|Oakleigh Historic Complex]] features three house museums that interpret the lives of people from three levels of Mobile society in the mid-19th century.<ref name="Oakleigh"|>{{cite web|title="OakleighMuseum"|work="Historic Mobile Preservation Society"|url=http://www.historicmobile.org/oakleigh.htm|accessdate=2007-09-26}}</ref> The [[Mobile Carnival Museum]], which houses the city's [[Mardi Gras in Mobile|Mardi Gras]] history and memorabilia, documents the variety of floats, costumes, and displays seen during the history of the festival season.<ref> Andrews, Casandra, ''"Master of make-Believe"'', Press Register, Mobile, Alabama: 28 January 2007.</ref> The [[Bragg-Mitchell Mansion]] (1855),<ref name="bmm1">{{cite web|title="Tour"|work="Bragg Mitchell Mansion"|url=http://www.braggmitchellmansion.com/tour.htm|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> Richards [[Daughters of the American Revolution|DAR]] House (1860),<ref name="rdarhm1">{{cite web|title="Welcome"|work="Richards DAR House Museum"|url=http://www.richardsdarhouse.com/index.html|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> and the [[Conde-Charlotte House]] (1822)<ref name="ccmh1">{{cite web|title="Conde"|work="Conde-Charlotte Museum House"|url=http://www.angelfire.com/al2/condecharlotte/|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> are historic [[antebellum]] house museums. [[Fort Morgan (Alabama)|Fort Morgan]], [[Fort Gaines (Alabama)|Fort Gaines]], and [[Blakeley, Alabama|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.<ref name="mmm1">{{cite web|title="Welcome to the Mobile Medical Museum"|work="Mobile Medical Museum"|url=http://www.mobilemedicalmuseum.com/|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> 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.<ref name="pfm1">{{cite web|title="Phoenix Fire Museum"|work="Museum of Mobile"|url=http://www.museumofmobile.com/html/other_museums.php|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> The Mobile Police Department Museum features exhibits that chronicle the history of law enforcement in Mobile.<ref name="mpdm1">{{cite web|title="Mobile Police Department Museum"|work="Mobile Police Department"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/mobilepd/html/divisions/museum.html|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Exploreum"|>{{cite web|title="About Us"|work="Gulf Coast Exploreum"|url=http://www.exploreum.net/|accessdate=2007-10-16}}</ref> 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 [[Mobile River|river delta]], [[Mobile Bay|bay]], [[Dauphin Island|barrier islands]] and [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref name="nytimes">{{cite web|title=''You Can Call It the Little Easy''|last=Motyka|first=John|work=New York Times|url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/travel/escapes/23American.html?ex=1175313600&en=f9db7486620e5d10&ei=5070&emc=eta1|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref>

===Parks and other attractions===
[[Image:Bienville.jpg|thumb|[[Bienville Square]] from Saint Joseph Street.]]
The [[Mobile Botanical Gardens]] feature a variety of flora spread over {{convert|100|acre|0}}. It contains the Millie McConnell [[Rhododendron]] Garden with 1,000 evergreen and native azaleas and the {{convert|30|acre|0|adj=on|abbr=on}} [[Longleaf Pine]] Habitat.<ref name="botanicalgard">{{cite web|title="Explore the Gardens"|work="Mobile Botanical Gardens"|url=http://www.mobilebotanicalgardens.org/explore.htm|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> The [[Bellingrath Gardens and Home]] are located on [[Fowl River]] and contain {{convert|65|acre|0|abbr=on}} of landscaped gardens and a {{convert|10500|sqft|m2|0|abbr=on|adj=on}} mansion dating to the 1930s.<ref name="bellingrathgard"|>{{cite web|title="About Us"|work="Bellingrath Gardens and Home Website"|url=http://www.bellingrath.org/about-us.html|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> The 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center is a new facility for exploring the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Appalachee, and Blakeley River delta.<ref name="5 Rivers"|>{{cite web|title="5 Rivers Delta Resource Center"|work="Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau"|url=http://www.mobile.org/pdf/5riversbrochure.pdf|accessdate=2007-10-16}}</ref>

Mobile has more than 45 public parks with some that are of special interest.<ref name="parksmob">{{cite web|title="Parks and Recreation"|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/parks/parklist.php|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> [[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.<ref>Delaney, Caldwell. ''The Story of Mobile'',page 79. Mobile, Alabama: Gill Press, 1953.</ref> This park was once a principle gathering place for the citizens of the city and remains popular today. [[Cathedral Square (Mobile, Alabama)|Cathedral Square]] is a performing arts park in the Lower Dauphin Street Historic District overlooking the [[Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile|Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]].<ref name="mainstreet"|>{{cite web|title="Main Street Mobile"|work="Dauphin Street Virtual Walking Tour"|url=http://www.mainstreetmobile.org/html/guide/walking.html|accessdate=2007-09-26}}</ref> [[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.<ref name=MoMfort> "Other Locations: Historic Fort Conde" (history), Museum of Mobile, [[Mobile, Alabama]], 2006, webpage:[http://www.museumofmobile.com/html/other_museums.php MoM-Other].</ref> 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.<ref name="spanplaza"|>{{cite web|title="Mobile Attractions"|work="www.al.com"|url=http://www.al.com/mobile/index.ssf?cityguide/attractions.html|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref> [[Langan (Municipal) Park|Langan Park]] is a {{convert|720|acre|0|abbr=on|adj=on}} municipal park that features lakes and natural spaces.<ref name="parksmob"/> It is home to the Mobile Museum of Art, Azalea City Golf Course, Mobile Botanical Gardens and Playhouse in the Park.<ref name="parksmob"/>

===Historic architecture===
[[Image:250 St. Anthony Street Mobile AL 01.JPG|thumb|A house within the [[De Tonti Square Historic District]].]]
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 Architecture|Victorian]] types, [[Shotgun house|shotgun]] types, [[Colonial Revival]], [[Tudor Revival]], [[Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture|Spanish Colonial Revival]], [[Beaux-Arts architecture|Beaux-Arts]] and many others. The city currently has nine major historic districts consisting of [[Old Dauphin Way Historic District|Old Dauphin Way]], [[Oakleigh Garden Historic District|Oakleigh Garden]], [[Lower Dauphin Street Historic District|Lower Dauphin Street]], [[Leinkauf Historic District|Leinkauf]], [[De Tonti Square Historic District|De Tonti Square]], [[Church Street East Historic District|Church Street East]], [[Ashland Place Historic District (Mobile, Alabama)|Ashland Place]], [[Campground Historic District|Campground]], and [[Midtown Historic District (Mobile, Alabama)|Midtown]].<ref name="altair1"|>{{cite web|title="Historic Districts Maps from the Mobile Historical Development Commission"|work="Alabama Historical Commission"|url=http://www.mobilehd.org/historic_maps.php|accessdate=2007-09-21}}</ref>

[[Image:Mobile Marine Hospital 02.JPG|thumb|The old [[United States Marine Hospital (Mobile, Alabama)|United States Marine Hospital]], restored and adapted for reuse by the Mobile County Health Department.]]
Mobile has a number of historic structures spread throughout the city. Some of Mobile's historic churches include [[Christ Church Cathedral (Mobile, Alabama)|Christ Church Cathedral]], the [[Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile|Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]], [[Government Street Presbyterian Church]], and [[Trinity Episcopal Church (Mobile, Alabama)|Trinity Episcopal Church]]. Two historic [[Roman Catholic]] convents survive, the [[Convent and Academy of the Visitation]] and the [[Convent of Mercy (Mobile, Alabama)|Convent of Mercy]]. The [[Stone Street Baptist Church]] is a historic African American church that was established in the 1840s. [[Barton Academy]] is a historic Greek Revival school building and local landmark on Government Street. The [[Bishop Portier House]] and the [[Carlen House]] are two of the many surviving examples of [[Creole cottage]]s in the city. The [[Mobile City Hospital]] and the [[United States Marine Hospital (Mobile, Alabama)|United States Marine Hospital]] are both restored [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]] hospital buildings that predate the Civil War. The [[Washington Firehouse No. 5]] is a Greek Revival [[fire station]], built in 1851. The [[Hunter House (Mobile, Alabama)|Hunter House]] is an example of the [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] style and was built by a successful 19th century African American businesswoman. The [[Monterey Place|Shepard House]] is a good example of the [[Queen Anne architecture|Queen Anne]] style. The [[Scottish Rite Temple (Mobile, Alabama)|Scottish Rite Temple]] is the only surviving example of [[Egyptian Revival architecture]] in the city. The [[Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Passenger Terminal]] is an example of the [[Mission Revival Style architecture|Mission Revival]] style.

The city has several historic cemeteries that were established after the colonial era. They replaced Mobile's colonial [[Campo Santo]], of which no traces remain. The [[Church Street Graveyard]] contains above-ground tombs and monuments spread over {{convert|4|acre|0|abbr=on}} and was founded in 1819, during the height of the yellow fever epidemics.<ref name="Sledge">{{Citation|last = Sledge|first = John|title = Church Street Graveyard|journal = The Alabama Review|volume = 55|pages = 96–105|date = April 2002|year = 2002}}</ref> The nearby {{convert|120|acre|0|adj=on|abbr=on}} [[Magnolia Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama)|Magnolia Cemetery]] was established in 1836 and was Mobile's primary burial site during the 19th century with approximately 80,000 burials.<ref name="magnoliacem">{{cite web|title="Welcome to the Magnolia Cemetery Website"|work="Magnolia Cemetery website"|url=http://www.magnoliacemetery.com/|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> It features tombs and many intricately carved monuments and statues.<ref name="magnoliamob">{{cite web|title="The Story of Magnolia Cemetery"|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/parks/magnoliacemetery.php|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref><ref name="sledge">Sledge, John Sturdivant. ''Cities of Silence: A Guide to Mobile's Historic Cemeteries'', pages 24-26. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2002.</ref> The [[Old Catholic Cemetery (Mobile, Alabama)|Old Catholic Cemetery]] was established in 1848 by the [[Archdiocese of Mobile]] and covers more than {{convert|150|acre|0|abbr=on}}. It contains plots for the [[Brothers of the Sacred Heart]], [[Little Sisters of the Poor]], [[Sisters of Charity]], and [[Sisters of Mercy]], in addition to many other historically significant burials.<ref name="sledge2">Sledge, John Sturdivant. ''Cities of Silence: A Guide to Mobile's Historic Cemeteries'', pages 66-79. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2002.</ref> Mobile's [[Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim|Jew]]ish community dates back to the 1820s and the city has two historic Jewish cemeteries, [[Ahavas Chesed Cemetery]] and [[Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery]].<ref name="SLEDGE3">Sledge, John Sturdivant. ''Cities of Silence: A Guide to Mobile's Historic Cemeteries'', pages 80-89. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2002.</ref>

==Demographics==
{{USCensusPop
|1830=3194
|1840=12672
|1850=20515
|1860=29258
|1870=32034
|1880=29132
|1890=31076
|1900=38469
|1910=51521
|1920=60777
|1930=68202
|1940=78720
|1950=129009
|1960=202779
|1970=190026
|1980=200452
|1990=196278
|2000=198915
|estyear=2006
|estimate=194822
}}
[[Image:Mobile US Census 20 miles.gif|left|thumb|Map showing the city's average number of inhabitants per [[square mile]] of land in 2000.]]
The 2000 census determined that there were 198,915 people residing within the city limits.<ref name="2000 Census"/> Mobile is the center of [[Alabama]]'s second-largest metropolitan area, which consists of all of Mobile County. [[Mobile metropolitan area|Metropolitan Mobile]] (MSA) had a population of 399,843 as of 2000 census.<ref name="2000Census2"/>

There were 73,057 households out of which 22,225 had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29,963 were [[Marriage|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.<ref name="2006census"/> 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.<ref name="2006census">{{cite web|title="2006 census estimates for Mobile, Alabama"|work="U.S. Census Bureau"| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=16000US0150000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US01%7C16000US0150000&_street=&_county=mobile&_cityTown=mobile&_state=04000US01&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=| accessdate=2007-10-14}}</ref> The racial makeup of the city was 48.2% [[Race (US Census)|White]], 47.9% [[Race (US Census)|Black]] or [[Race (US Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Race (US Census)|Native American]], 1.8% [[Race (US Census)|Asian]], 0.3% [[Race (US Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.5% from [[Race (US Census)|other races]], 0.9% from two or more races, and 1.2% of the population were [[Latino]].<ref name="2006census"/> The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.23.<ref name="2006census"/>

The population was spread out with 7.1% under the age of 5, 73.6% over 18, and 13.4% over 65.<ref name="2006census"/> The median age was 35.6 years.<ref name="2006census"/> The male population was 47.6% and the female population was 52.4%.<ref name="2006census"/> The median income for a household in the city was $37,439, and the median income for a family was $45,217.<ref name="2006census"/> 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]].<ref name="2006census"/>

==Government==
===City===
[[Image:Government Plaza Mobile.JPG|thumb|Government Plaza in Mobile, seat of government for the city and the county.]]
{{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]].<ref name="Cityofficials1"|>{{cite web|title="City Officials"|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/cityofficials/|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> 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''.<ref name="gov1">Thomason, Michael. ''Mobile : the new history of Alabama's first city'', pages 272-273. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2001. ISBN 0817310657</ref> Municipal elections are held every four years.

The current mayor, [[Sam Jones (mayor)|Sam Jones]], was elected in September 2005 and is the first African American mayor of Mobile.<ref name="democrats.org>{{cite web|title=''Dean Congratulates Sam Jones, First Black Mayor of Mobile, Alabama on Victory''|work="Democrats.org|url=http://www.democrats.org/a/2005/09/dean_congratula.php|date=2005-09-16|accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref> As of January 2006, the city council is composed of Fredrick Richardson, Jr. from District 1, William Carroll from District 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.<ref name="citycouncil">{{cite web|title="Elected Officials"|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/cityofficials/elected.php|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref>

In January 2008, the city hired EDSA, an [[urban design]] firm, to create a new comprehensive master plan for the downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods. The planning area is bordered on the east by the Mobile River, to the south by Interstate 10 and Duval Street, to the west by Houston Street and to the north by Three Mile Creek and the neighborhoods north of Martin Luther King Avenue.<ref name="edsa">{{cite web|title="New Master Plan Coming for Mobile"|date=10 January 2008|work="City of Mobile"|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/news.php?view=full&news=1230|accessdate=2008-01-28}}</ref>

===State===
Mobile is represented in the [[Alabama Legislature]] by three [[Alabama Senate|senators]] and nine [[Alabama House of Representatives|representatives]]. Mobile is represented in the [[Alabama Senate]] by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] [[Vivian Davis Figures]] from the 33rd district, by [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] [[Rusty Glover]] from the 34th district, and by Republican [[Ben Brooks]] from the 35th district.<ref name="alasenate">{{cite web|title="Roster of the Alabama State Senate"|work="Official Website Of The Alabama Legislature"|url=http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senators/senateroster_alpha.html|accessdate=2007-11-30}}</ref> Mobile is represented in the [[Alabama House of Representatives]] by Democrat Yvonne Kennedy from the 97th district, Democrat James O. Gordon from the 98th district, Democrat James Buskey from the 99th district, Republican Victor Gaston from the 100th district, Republican Jamie Ison from the 101st district, Republican Chad Fincher from the 102nd district, Democrat Joseph C. Mitchell from the 103rd district, Republican Jim Barton from the 104th district, and Republican Spencer Collier from the 105th district.<ref name="alarepresent">{{cite web|title="Roster of the Alabama House of Representatives"|work="Official Website Of The Alabama Legislature"|url=http://www.legislature.state.al.us/house/representatives/houseroster_alpha.html|accessdate=2007-11-30}}</ref>

==Education==
===Primary and secondary===
====Public facilities====
{{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.<ref name="mcpss"|>{{cite web|title="About Us"|work="Mobile County Public School System"|url=http://www.mcpss.com/Default.asp?PN='AboutUs'&ShowNav=''|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> 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.<ref name="asms"|>{{cite web|title="About ASMS"|work="Alabama School of Math and Science"|url=http://www.asms.net/about.htm|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref>

====Private facilities====
Mobile also has a large number of private schools, most of them being [[Parochial school|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).<ref name="mpsr1">{{cite web|title="Mobile's Private Schools"|work="Private Schools Report"|url=http://alabama.privateschoolsreport.com/schools/AL/Mobile.html|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref> The private Protestant institutions include St. Paul's Episcopal School (1947), Mobile Christian School (1961), St. Lukes Episcopal School (1961), [[Faith Academy (Mobile, Alabama)|Faith Academy]] (1967), and the Cottage Hill Baptist School System (1970), which operates Cottage Hill Baptist School and Cottage Hill Christian Academy.<ref name="mpsr1"/> [[UMS-Wright Preparatory School]] (1893) is an independent, non-religious, co-educational [[university-preparatory school|preparatory school]].<ref name="mpsr1"/>

===Tertiary===

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.<ref name="college1">{{cite web|title="Mobile Alabama Colleges and Universities"|work="U.S. College Search"|url=http://www.uscollegesearch.org/mobile-alabama-colleges.html|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref>

The [[University of South Alabama]] is a public, [[doctorate|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.<ref name="usa2">{{cite web|title="Schools, Colleges, Departments"|work="University of South Alabama"|url=http://www.southalabama.edu/departms.html|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref>

[[Image:Spring Hill College Quad 01.JPG|thumb|Spring Hill College]]
[[Spring Hill College]], chartered in 1830, was the first Catholic college in the southeastern U.S. and is the third oldest [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] college in the country.<ref name="springhill1">{{cite web|title="History of the College"|work="Spring Hill College"|url=http://www.shc.edu/about-shc/history-of-the-college|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref> This four-year private college offers graduate programs in Business Administration, Education, Liberal Arts, Nursing (MSN), and Theological Studies.<ref name="springhill2">{{cite web|title="Graduate Studies"|work="Spring Hill College"|url=http://www.shc.edu/graduate-and-adult-programs/graduate|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref> 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.<ref name="springhill3">{{cite web|title="Undergraduate Studies"|work="Spring Hill College"|url=http://www.shc.edu/academics/undergrad-programs/|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref>

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.<ref name="univmob1">{{cite web|title="About Us"|work="University of Mobile"|url=http://www.umobile.edu/aboutum/default.asp/|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref>

[[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.<ref name="faulkner1">{{cite web|title="Bachelor Degrees Mobile Campus"|work="Faulkner University"|url=http://www.faulkner.edu/admissions/mobile/bs.asp|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref> It also offers associate degrees in Business Administration, Business Information Systems, Computer & Information Science, Criminal Justice, Informatics, Legal Studies, Arts, and Science.<ref name="faulkner2">{{cite web|title="Associate Degrees Mobile Campus"|work="Faulkner University"|url=http://www.faulkner.edu/admissions/mobile/as.asp|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref>

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 degrees.<ref name="bishop1">{{cite web|title="Academic Programs"|work="Bishop State Community College"|url=http://www.bscc.cc.al.us/academic.htm|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref>

==Healthcare==
Mobile serves the central Gulf Coast as a regional center for medicine. The city is served by over 850 physicians and 175 dentists. There are four major [[hospital|medical centers]] within the city limits: Mobile Infirmary Medical Center with 704 beds, Springhill Medical Center with 252 beds, Providence Hospital with 349 beds, and the University of South Alabama Medical Center with 346 beds and a [[level I trauma center]].<ref name="mobchamber3">{{cite web|title="Healthcare"|work="Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce"|url=http://www.mobilechamber.com/healthcare.asp|accessdate=2008-01-28}}</ref> Additionally, the University of South Alabama also operates USA Children's & Women's Hospital with 219 beds, dedicated exclusively to the care of children and women, and Mobile Infirmary Medical Center operates Infirmary West with 100 acute care beds.<ref name="mobchamber3"/> BayPointe Hospital and Children’s Residential Services is a 94-bed psychiatric hospital that houses a residential unit for children, an acute unit for children and adolescents, and an involuntary hospital unit for adults undergoing evaluation ordered by the Mobile Probate Court.<ref name="baypointe">{{cite web|title="Children’s Hospital and Residential Services"|work="AltaPointe Health Systems"|url=http://www.altapointe.org/baypoint.htm|accessdate=2008-02-02}}</ref> The city has a broad array of outpatient surgical centers, emergency clinics, home health care services, assisted-living facilities and [[Nursing home|skilled nursing facilities]].<ref name="nursing homes">{{cite web|title="Nursing Homes in Mobile, Alabama"|work="Alabama Nursing Home Association"|url=http://www.anha.org/locator_display.cfm?ANHA_Region=7|accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref><ref name="mobchamber3"/>

==Economy==
[[Image:Mobile Alabama harbor aerial view.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of southern portion of the Port of Mobile.]]
[[Image:Port of Mobile.jpg|thumb|Cranes at the Port of Mobile.]]
Aerospace, retail, services, construction, medicine, and manufacturing are Mobile's major industries. After experiencing economic decline for several decades, Mobile's economy began to rebound in the late 1980s. Between 1993 and 2003 13,983 new jobs were created as 87 new companies were founded and 399 existing companies were expanded. 1,700 new jobs were created from February 2003 to February 2004.<ref name="MobEconomy">{{cite web|title="Mobile: Economy"|work="City-Data.com"|url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Mobile-Economy.html |accessdate=2007-12-28}}</ref> According to the [[U.S. Department of Labor]]'s Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mobile's unemployment rate is 4.2% as of May 2008.<ref name="labor1">{{cite web|title="Local Area Unemployment Statistics - Alabama"|work="Bureau of Labor Statistics"|url=http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?la+01|accessdate=2008-04-04}}</ref>

===Expansion===
Mobile's [[Port of Mobile|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%.<ref>{{web cite|title="ALABAMA SENATE APPROVES PORT FUNDING - ALABAMA STATE PORT AUTHORITY POISED TO LET NEW CONTAINER TERMINAL CONTRACTS"|work="Alabama State Port Authority|date=[[2005-05-17]]|url=http://www.asdd.com/Asd/news47.htm|accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref> As of 2006, the Port of Mobile was the 10th largest by tonnage in the United States.<ref name="ports1"/>

In 2005 [[Austal USA]], based in Mobile, expanded their production facility for US defense and commercial aluminium shipbuilding.<ref name="austal"|>{{cite web|title="New Shipbuilding Facility"|work="Austal USA"|url=http://www.austal.com/index.cfm?objectid=B0B75979-65BF-EBC1-2349C7A56C359198|accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> In 2007 [[Germany|German]] steel manufacturer [[ThyssenKrupp]] announced plans for a $3.7 billion steel mill.<ref name="thyssenkrupp">{{cite web|title="''Mobile County Wins ThyssenKrupp Plant"|work="Press Register"|url=http://blog.al.com/live/2007/05/mobile_county_wins_thyssenkrup.html|accessdate=2007-05-11}}</ref> 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.<ref name="thyssenkrupp"/>

On 29 February 2008, the [[United States Air Force]] announced that a partnership between [[Northrop Grumman]] and [[EADS]] had won the contract to produce the new [[Northrop Grumman KC-45|KC-45]] [[Aerial refueling|aerial refueling tanker]]. The contract is considered to be worth up to $40 billion with 179 planes to be delivered over the next ten to fifteen years. The production of these aircraft will be at Mobile's Brookley Complex.<ref name="eads">{{cite web|title="Northrop/EADS wins tanker contract"|work="al.com."|url=http://blog.al.com/live/2008/02/wsj_reports_northropeads_wins.html| accessdate=2008-02-29}}</ref><ref name="seatpi">{{cite web|title="Northrop beats out Boeing, wins tanker deal"|work="Seattle Post Intelligencer.com"|url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/353250_tanker01.html| accessdate=2008-02-29}}</ref><ref name="bbc">{{cite web|title="EADS wins $40bn US aircraft deal"|work="BBC news.com"|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7272129.stm| accessdate=2008-02-29}}</ref>

===Brookley Complex===
The [[Brookley Complex]], also known as the Mobile Downtown Airport, is an industrial complex and [[airport]] located {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} south of the [[central business district]] of the city. It is currently the largest industrial and transportation complex in the region with over 100 companies, many of which are [[aerospace]], and 4000 employees on {{convert|1700|acre|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="mmaw1">{{cite web|title="Mobile Airport Authority FAQs"|work="Mobile Airport Authority website"|url=http://www.mobairport.com/info/|accessdate=2007-12-06}}</ref> Brookley includes the largest private employer in Mobile County, [[ST Mobile Aerospace Engineering|Mobile Aerospace Engineering]], a [[subsidiary]] of [[Singapore Technologies Engineering]].<ref name="mmaw1"/>

==Transportation==
===Air===
Local airline passengers are served by the [[Mobile Regional Airport]] which directly connects to five major hub airports: [[Charlotte/Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]], [[Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas]], [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]], [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston]], and [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis]].<ref name="maa1">{{cite web|title="MAA Properties Overview"|work="Mobile Airport Authority"|url=http://www.mobileairportauthority.com/properties.php|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> It is served by [[American Airlines]], [[Continental Express]], [[Delta Air Lines]], [[Northwest Airlink]] and [[US Airways Express]].<ref name="maa1"/> The Brookley Complex serves corporate, cargo and private cargo aircraft.<ref name="maa1"/>

===Rail===
Mobile is served by six railroads.<ref name="rail1">{{cite web|title="Infrastructure: Rail Overview"|work="Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce"|url=http://www.mobilechamber.com/infrastructure.asp|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref> Five of these are [[Class I railroad]]s 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).<ref name="rail1"/> All five of these converge at the Port of Mobile, which provides [[intermodal freight transport]] service to companies engaged in importing and exporting.<ref name="rail1"/> The sixth railroad is the Central Gulf Railroad, which is a rail ship service to [[Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz]] in [[Mexico]].<ref name="rail1"/> The city was served by [[Amtrak]]'s [[Sunset Limited]] passenger train service until 2005, when the service was suspended due to the effects of [[Hurricane Katrina]].<ref name="Amtrak1">{{cite web| author=Amtrak| url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/News_Release_Page&c=am2Copy&cid=1093554015790&ssid=170| date=[[2005-09-02]]| title=Modified Amtrak Service to and from the Gulf Coast to be in Effect Until Further Notice| accessdate=2007-12-06}}</ref><ref name="Amtrak2">{{cite web| author=Amtrak| url=http://www.amtrak.com/timetable/apr07/P01.pdf| date=[[2007-04-02]]| title=Sunset Limited timetable| accessdate=2007-06-19}}</ref>

===Road===
[[Image:Interstate 10 Mobile Alabama.jpg|thumb|[[Interstate 10]] in Mobile.]]
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 (Alabama)|Interstate 165]] connects to Interstate 65 north of the city in [[Prichard, Alabama|Prichard]] and joins Interstate 10 in downtown Mobile.<ref name="roads1">{{cite web|title="Alabama Roads"|work="Milebymile.com"|url=http://www.milebymile.com/maps/Alabama_road_map.pdf|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> 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 [[Jubilee Parkway]] to [[Spanish Fort, Alabama|Spanish Fort]]/[[Daphne, Alabama|Daphne]]. US 98 leaves downtown through the [[Bankhead Tunnel]] under the river onto Blakeley Island and then over the bay across the [[Battleship Parkway]] 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.<ref name="roads1"/>

Mobile's public transportation is the Wave Transit System which features buses with 18 fixed routes and neighborhood service.<ref name="buses1"|>{{cite web|title="Wave Transit Buses"|work="The Wave Transit System"|url=http://www.metro-transit.com/RidingTheWave/buses.htm|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> The Wave Transit System also operates the Moda! electric trolley service in downtown Mobile with 22 stops Monday through Saturday.<ref name="buses2"|>{{cite web|title="Wave Transit moda!"|work="The Wave Transit System"|url=http://www.metro-transit.com/RidingTheWave/moda.htm|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> 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, Alabama|Baldwin County]] and downtown Mobile. Baylinc operates Monday through Friday.<ref name="baylinc"|>{{cite web|title="Baylinc Facts"|work="The Wave Transit System"|url=http://www.thewavetransit.com/files/BratSchedule.pdf|accessdate=2007-11-06}}</ref>
[[Greyhound Lines]] provides intercity bus service between Mobile and many locations throughout the United States. Mobile is served by several taxi and limousine services.<ref name="guide1"|>{{cite web|title="Mobile City Guide"|work="AL.com"|url=http://www.al.com/mobile/cityguide/?transportation.html|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref>

===Water===
[[Image:Alabama Cruise Terminal Mobile Alabama.jpg|thumb|The Alabama Cruise Terminal on Water Street.]]
The [[Port of Mobile]] has public, deepwater terminals with direct access to {{convert|1500|mi|km}} of inland and intracoastal waterways serving the [[Great Lakes]], the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Tennessee River|Tennessee]] river valleys (via the [[Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway]]), and the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref name="seaport1">{{cite web|title="Infrastructure: Seaport Transportation"|work="Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce"|url=http://www.mobilechamber.com/infrastructure.asp|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref> The Alabama State Port Authority owns and operates the public terminals at the Port of Mobile.<ref name="seaport1"/> The public terminals handle [[Containerization|containerized]], [[Bulk cargo|bulk]], breakbulk, [[roll-on/roll-off]], and heavy lift cargoes.<ref name="seaport1"/> 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.<ref name="seaport1"/>

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.<ref name="conde1"|>{{cite web|title="The Holiday"|work="Carnival Cruise Lines"|url=http://www.carnival.com/Ship_Detail.aspx?shipCode=HO|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref>

== Media ==
{{See also|Media in Mobile, Alabama}}
=== Print ===
Mobile's ''[[Press-Register]]'' is Alabama's oldest active newspaper, dating back to 1813.<ref name=NHreg> "Newhouse News Service - The Press-Register" (description), Newhouse News Service, 2007, webpage:[http://www.newhouse.com/the-press-register.html NH-Register].
</ref> The paper focuses on [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile]] and [[Baldwin County, Alabama|Baldwin]] counties and the city of Mobile, but also serves southwestern Alabama and southeastern Mississippi.<ref name=NHreg/> Mobile's alternative newspaper is the ''[[Lagniappe (pamphlet)|Lagniappe]]''.<ref name="lagniappe1">{{cite web|title="About us"|work="Lagniappe, Something Extra For Mobile"|url=http://www.lagniappemobile.com/about|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> The Mobile area's local magazine is ''Mobile Bay Monthly''.<ref name="mbmonthly1">{{cite web|title="Mobile Bay Monthly"|work="PMT Publishing"|url=http://www.pmtpublishing.com/default.aspx?id=42|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref>

=== Television ===
Mobile is served locally by four television stations: [[WPMI-TV|WPMI 15]] ([[NBC]]), [[WKRG|WKRG 5]] ([[CBS]]), [[WALA|WALA 10]] ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]]), and [[WBPG|WBPG 55]] ([[The CW Television Network|CW]]).<ref name="tv1">{{cite web|title="Television in Mobile"|work="www.thecityofmobile.com"|url=http://www.thecityofmobile.com/tv/index.html|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> The regional area is also served by [[WEAR-TV|WEAR 3]] ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]) and [[WJTC|WJTC 44]], an independent station. They are both based in [[Pensacola, Florida]]. Mobile is included in the Mobile-[[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]]-[[Fort Walton Beach, Florida|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.<ref name="tv2">{{cite web|title="Local Television Market Universe Estimates"|work="www.nielsenmedia.com"|url=http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/nmr_static/docs/2007-2008_DMA_Ranks.xls|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref>

===Radio===
Thirteen [[FM broadcasting|FM]] radio stations transmit from Mobile: [[WABB-FM]], [[WAVH]], [[WBHY-FM|WBHY]], [[WBLX-FM|WBLX]], [[WDLT-FM|WDLT]], [[WHIL-FM|WHIL]], [[WKSJ-FM|WKSJ]], WKSJ-HD2, [[WMXC]], [[WMXC]]-HD2, [[WQUA]], [[WRKH]], and [[WRKH]]-HD2. Nine [[AM broadcasting|AM]] radio stations transmit from Mobile: [[WABB (AM)|WABB]], [[WBHY (AM)|WBHY]], [[WGOK]], [[WIJD]], [[WLPR]], [[WLVV]], [[WMOB]], [[WNTM]], and [[WXQW]]. The content ranges from Christian Contemporary to [[Hip hop]] to [[Top 40]].<ref name="radio1">{{cite web |title=Radio in Mobile |work=TheCityOfMobile.com |url=http://www.thecityofmobile.com/radio/index.html |accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> [[Arbitron]] ranks Mobile's radio market as 93rd in the United States as of autumn 2007.<ref name="radio2">{{cite web |title=Arbitron Radio Market Rankings: Fall 2007 |work=Arbitron.com |url=http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/redbook_fa07.pdf |accessdate=2007-11-17 |format=PDF}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{see also|History of sports in Mobile, Alabama}}.
Mobile is the home of [[Ladd-Peebles Stadium]]. The [[American football|football]] stadium opened in 1948. With a current capacity of 40,646, Ladd-Peebles Stadium is the 4th largest stadium in the state.<ref name="ladd">{{cite web|title=''Ladd-Peebles Stadium''|work=LaddPeeblesStadium.com|url=http://www.laddpeeblesstadium.com/default.asp|accessdate=2007-04-23}}</ref> Ladd-Peebles Stadium has been home to the [[Senior Bowl]] since 1951, featuring the best college seniors in [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] football.<ref name="srbowl">{{cite web|title=''The Senior Bowl''|work=Seniorbowl.com|url=http://www.seniorbowl.com/2007/gamerecaps1950s.htm|accessdate=2007-04-23}}</ref> The [[GMAC Bowl]] has been played since 1999 featuring opponents from the [[Mid-American Conference]] and [[Conference USA]].<ref name="gmacbowl">{{cite web|title=''Game Recaps''|work=GMACbowl.com|url=http://www.gmacbowl.com/gamerecaps.asp|accessdate=2007-04-23}}</ref> 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.<ref name="AMall-star">{{cite web|title=''History of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic''|work=ahsaasports.com|url=http://www.ahsaasports.com/football/alms-allstar/history.asp|accessdate=2007-04-23}}</ref>
The public Mobile Tennis Center includes over 50 courts, all lighted and hard-court.<ref name="Tennis"|>{{cite web|title="Mobile Tennis Center"|work="Tennis in Mobile"|url=http://www.mobiletenniscenter.net/|accessdate=2007-10-15}}</ref>
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.<ref name="rtj">{{cite web|title=''Magnolia Grove''|work=RTJgolf.com|url=http://www.rtjgolf.com/courses/magnolia_grove/|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref> Since 1999, the [[LPGA]] Tournament of Champions has been played annually at Magnolia Grove. The Crossings course is home of this tournament. Beginning in 2008, the [[Bell Micro LPGA Classic]] will also be held in Mobile. 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.<ref name="com">{{cite web|title=''Event Calendar''|work=CityOfMObile.org|url=http://www.cityofmobile.org/calendar_events.php?category=&day=&month=01&year=2007|accessdate=2007-04-30}}</ref> The Azalea Trail Run is one of the premier 10k road races in the U.S., attracting runners from all over the world.<ref name="vulcan">{{cite web|title=''Azalea Trail Run''|work=VulcanTri.com|url=http://www.vulcantri.com/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=448&year=2006&month=03&day=25&Itemid=46|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref>
Mobile's [[Hank Aaron Stadium]] is the home of the [[Mobile BayBears]] [[minor league baseball]] team.<ref name="baybears1"|>{{cite web|title="Hank Aaron Stadium"|work="Mobile Bay Bears"|url=http://www.mobilebaybears.com/hank.asp|accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> As of December 2007, Mobile's University of South Alabama approved a NCAA Football program to be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.<ref name="football">{{cite web|title="Proposal for NCAA-Football at USA"|work="University of South Alabama"|url=http://www.southalabama.edu/footballproposal/|accessdate=2008-03-03}}</ref>

==International sister cities==
Mobile has international links with the following cities:<ref>{{cite web|title=Online Directory: Alabama, USA ''|work=SisterCities.org|url=http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/AL
|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=''Regional Overview''|work=MobileChamber.com|url=http://www.mobilechamber.com/regionaloverview.pdf
|accessdate=2007-10-15}}</ref>
{|
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|AUS}} [[City of Cockburn|Cockburn]], [[Australia]]
* {{flagicon|Cuba}} [[Havana]], [[Cuba]]
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Pau, France|Pau]], [[France]]
* {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Worms, Germany|Worms]], [[Germany]]
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Gaeta]], [[Italy]]
* {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Ichihara, Japan]]
* {{flagicon|Mexico}} [[Veracruz (city)|Veracruz]], [[Mexico]]
* {{flagicon|People's Republic of China}} Gianjin, [[People's Republic of China]]
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Bolinao, Pangasinan|Bolinao]], [[Philippines]]
* {{flagicon|Poland}} [[Katowice, Poland]]
* {{flagicon|Romania}} [[Constanţa]], [[Romania]]
* {{flagicon|Slovakia}} [[Košice]], [[Slovakia]]
|valign="top"|
* {{flagicon|South Africa}} King Shaka, [[South Africa]]
* {{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Pyongtaek, South Korea]]
* {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Málaga]], [[Spain]]
|}

== See also ==
* [[Mobile, Alabama in popular culture|Mobile in popular culture]]
* [[List of people from Mobile, Alabama|People from Mobile]]
* [[List of Registered Historic Places in Mobile County, Alabama#Mobile|Registered Historic Places in Mobile]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.cityofmobile.org/ City of Mobile]
*[http://www.mobilechamber.com/economicoverview.asp Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.mobile.org/ Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau]
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{{Mobile County, Alabama}}
{{Alabama}}

[[Category:Settlements established in 1702]]
[[Category:Cities in Alabama]]
[[Category:Mobile, Alabama| ]]
[[Category:Mobile County, Alabama]]
[[Category:United States colonial and territorial capitals]]
[[Category:County seats in Alabama]]
[[Category:Port settlements in the United States]]
[[Category:Gulf of Mexico]]

[[ar:موبايل، ألاباما]]
[[bg:Мобил]]
[[da:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[de:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[es:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[eo:Mobile]]
[[eu:Mobile]]
[[fa:موبیل]]
[[fr:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[ga:Mobile, Alabama]]
[[ko:모빌 (앨라배마 주)]]
[[id:Mobile, Alabama]]
[[ia:Mobile, Alabama]]
[[it:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[ht:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[lt:Mobilas]]
[[mr:मोबिल, अलाबामा]]
[[nl:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[ja:モービル (アラバマ州)]]
[[no:Mobile]]
[[pl:Mobile]]
[[pt:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[ru:Мобил (Алабама)]]
[[simple:Mobile, Alabama]]
[[fi:Mobile (Alabama)]]
[[sv:Mobile]]
[[uk:Мобіл]]
[[vo:Mobile]]
[[zh:莫比尔 (亚拉巴马州)]]

Revision as of 09:53, 11 October 2008

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