Mobile

Mobile, Alabama 

In the U.S. state of Alabama, Mobile County has its county seat in the city of Mobile. In the municipal limits, there were 187,041 people as of the 2020 census, down from 195,111 in the 2010 census. In terms of population, it is Alabama's fourth-most populated city, behind Huntsville, Birmingham, and Montgomery. 

Mobile, on the Mobile River at the head of Mobile Bay on the northern Gulf Coast, is the only saltwater port in Alabama. From its early days as a significant commercial hub for Native Americans and French colonists to its current status as the 12th-largest port in the US, the Port of Mobile has always been crucial to the city's economic well-being. 

The main municipality in the Mobile metropolitan region is Mobile. This area, which has 430,197 persons and is made up of Mobile and Washington counties, is the third-largest MSA in the state. With a total population of 661,964, Mobile is the largest city in the Mobile-Daphne-Fairhope Combined Statistical Area, which is the second-largest such area overall in the state. 

The French established Mobile as the first capital of Louisiana in 1702. Mobile was a colony of France for the first 100 years of its existence, then of Great Britain, then of Spain. After the conquest of West Florida from Spanish by President James Madison in 1813, Mobile became a part of the United States. 

After Union successes at the city's two forts, the city submitted to Federal forces on April 12, 1865, during the American Civil War. This prompted General Richard Taylor to request a conference with his Union counterpart, Maj. Gen. Edward R. S. Canby, along with the information of Johnston's discussions with Sherman for his surrender. On May 2, the two generals got together a few miles north of Mobile. The generals agreed to a 48-hour truce and then ate, drank, and danced outside while having lunch. Canby presented Taylor with the identical conditions that Lee and Grant had agreed upon at Appomattox. The terms were agreed, and on May 4 at Citronelle, Alabama, Taylor gave up leadership. 

Mobile, which is regarded as one of the cultural hubs of the Gulf Coast, is home to a number of art museums, a symphony orchestra, a professional opera company, a professional ballet company, and a significant amount of historic buildings. The oldest organized Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States are said to have originated in Mobile. This celebration was observed by the French Creole community in Alabama starting in the first decade of the 18th century. The first officially established Carnival mystic society in the United States held its parades in Mobile beginning in 1830. A krewe is the name given to such a group in New Orleans. 

Etymology 

The Mobile tribe, which the French colonists came upon dwelling around Mobile Bay, gave the city its name. They might have been descended from the Native American tribe whose tiny fortress town, Mabila, was used to hide thousands of native warriors prior to an attack in 1540 on the expedition of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, although Alabama historians disagree this. The Mobile tribe and the Tohomé were given permission by the colonists to reside close to the fort about seven years after the French Mobile town was established. 

Geography 

The American state of Alabama's southwest region is where Mobile is situated. It is 168 miles (270 km) by vehicle southwest of Pensacola, Florida, 58 miles (93 km) by highway west of Montgomery, the state capital, and 144 miles (232 km) by highway northeast of New Orleans. 

The city has a total area of 180.1 square miles (466 km2), with 139.5 square miles (361 km2) being land and 40.6 square miles (105.2 km2), or 22.5% of the total, being covered by water, according to the United States Census Bureau. At the Mobile Regional Airport, the elevation is 211 feet (64 meters), compared to 10 feet (3 meters) on Water Street in the downtown area. 

Climate 

With hot, muggy summers and moderate, rainy winters, Mobile's location on the Gulf of Mexico results in a mild subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). On February 13, 1899, the temperature reached a record low of 1 °F (18 °C), while on August 29, 2000, it reached a record high of 105 °F (41 °C). 

With an average yearly rainfall of 66.3 inches (1,680 mm) during a 30-year period, Mobile is the wettest city in the contiguous 48 states, according to a 2007 analysis by WeatherBill, Inc. Every year, there is at least 0.01 inches (0.3 mm) of rain in Mobile on 120 days on average. It rains a lot all year round. The wettest months are often July and August, with regular and frequently heavy showers and thunderstorm activity. The month of October stands out as being marginally drier than the others. Mobile rarely receives snow; the most recent snowfall there was on December 8, 2017, and the last one was on January 27, 2014, almost four years earlier. 

Major hurricanes and tropical storms occasionally hit Mobile. On the evening of September 12, 1979, when category-3 Hurricane Frederic passed over the center of the city, the city experienced a significant natural disaster. Massive damage was done to Mobile and the surrounding area by the storm. Hurricane Opal on October 4, 1995, and Hurricane Ivan on September 16, 2004, both caused substantial damage in Mobile. 

Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, caused millions of dollars' worth of damage to Mobile. A storm surge of 11.45 feet (3.49 m), topped by larger waves, severely flooded downtown, the Battleship Parkway, and the elevated Jubilee Parkway, causing devastation to eastern parts of the city. Floodwaters inundated the stairs leading up to the Federal Courthouse, which is three blocks from the waterfront, as shown in the 2005 image above. 

Culture 

In addition to later British and American influences, Mobile's French and Spanish colonial history has given rise to a culture that is characterized by French, Spanish, Creole, African, and Catholic roots. It is unique compared to all other cities in Alabama. The yearly Carnival celebration is possibly the clearest illustration of how they differ. The first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States began in Mobile and is still going strong today. It dates back to the French colonial era in the early 18th century. 

During the course of 300 years, Mobile's Carnival changed from an understated French Catholic custom to a widely celebrated multi-week event that today unites a variety of ethnicities. The Azalea Trail Maids are Mobile's designated cultural representatives and are designed to represent the best of Southern hospitality. 

Both Back Roads (1981) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) were filmed in Mobile. 

Entertainment and the Arts 

Permanent displays at the Mobile Museum of Art cover several centuries of art and culture. In 2002, the museum's space was increased by about 95,000 square feet (8,826 m2). The African and Asian Collection Gallery, the Altmayer Gallery (American art), the Katharine C. Cochrane Gallery of American Fine Art, the Maisel European Gallery, the Riddick Glass Gallery, the Smith Crafts Gallery, and the Ann B. Hearin Gallery are just a few of the galleries with ongoing exhibits (contemporary works). 

The Saenger Theatre, a landmark, and Space 301, a gallery of modern art, are both run by the Centre for the Living Arts. The Saenger Theatre debuted as a movie palace in 1927. It now doubles as the city's little music venue and a performing arts center. The Mobile Symphony Orchestra, led by Maestro Scott Speck, resides there. The Space 301 Gallery and Studio moved to its own location in 2008 after being housed initially next to the Saenger. The Press-Register gave the 93,000 square foot (8,640 square meter) structure to the center after moving into a new, more contemporary building. The building received a $5.2 million refurbishment and makeover before it was made operational. Since 2008, the Crescent Theater in the heart of Mobile has been exhibiting independent movies. 

Three institutions are housed under one roof at the Mobile Civic Center. An arena, a theater, and an exposition hall are included in the 400,000 square foot (37,161 m2) structure. It holds a range of events and serves as the city's main concert venue. The Mobile Ballet and Mobile Opera call it home. Each performance of the 60-year-old Mobile Opera typically draws around 1,200 people. The Arthur C. Outlaw Convention Center in Mobile hosts a wide range of events. It has a 15,000 square foot (1,394 square meter) grand ballroom, a 100,000 square foot (9,290 square meter), exposition hall, and sixteen meeting rooms. 

Since 1955, the city has served as the host location for the Greater Gulf State Fair. In addition, the city held BayFest, a yearly three-day music festival that included over 125 live musical performers on numerous stages dispersed around downtown; it now hosts Ten Sixty Five festival, a free music festival. 

Since 1947, the city has been served by the nonprofit community theater known as the Mobile Theatre Guild. It belongs to the American Association of Community Theatres, the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the Alabama Conference of Theatre and Speech, and the Mobile Arts Council. The Joe Jefferson Players, Alabama's longest continuously operating community theater, is also located in Mobile. Joe Jefferson, a well-known humorous actor who spent some of his teenage years in Mobile, is honored by the name of the ensemble. On December 17, 1947, The Players debuted their first performance. Children's theater and entertainment are centered in Mobile at Drama Camp Productions and Sunny Side Theater. The organization started offering summer programs in 2002, grew to include a year-round facility in 2008, and most recently relocated to the Azalea City Center for the Arts, a gathering place for teachers of dance, theater, music, and visual arts. Broadway productions by this company include "Honk," "Fame," "Hairspray," and "Miracle on 34th Street." 

An umbrella organization for the arts in Mobile is the Mobile Arts Council. It was established in 1955 as a Junior League of Mobile project with the goals of fostering collaboration between local artistic and cultural institutions and serving as a platform for issues pertaining to literature, music, theater, and visual arts. 

Government 

In Mobile, there has been a mayor and a seven-member city council since 1985. The council members are chosen from each of the seven single-member districts, while the mayor is chosen at-large (SMDs). Conducting council business requires a supermajority of five votes. 

The voters chose this form of municipal government after Bolden v. City of Mobile, which was decided in 1975, found that the previous form, which had three city commissioners who were each elected at-large, significantly diluted the minority vote and violated the Voting Rights Act. A majority vote was necessary to elect each of the three at-large commissioners. It took some time for the matter to be resolved and a new electoral system to be established due to appeals. Municipal elections are nonpartisan and held every four years. 

Arthur R. Outlaw, who was elected to office for the first time under the new single-member district (SMD) voting system, presided over the city from 1985 until 1989. He served his first term from 1967 to 1968 while it was still the old system. In the 1989 election, Mike Dow defeated Outlaw; he was re-elected, and from 1989 until 2005, he was mayor for four terms. He is recognized with revitalizing most of downtown Mobile with his "The String of Pearls" campaign, a string of projects meant to encourage rebuilding of the city's core. Sam Jones was recommended by Dow as his replacement after he retired. 

As Mobile's first African-American mayor, Sam Jones was chosen in 2005. In 2009, he was easily re-elected to a second term. The emphasis on revitalizing the city's downtown and luring businesses to the area remained during his administration. In 2013, he attempted to run for a third term, but Sandy Stimpson defeated him. Stimpson took office on November 4, 2013, and on August 22, 2017, he was re-elected. 

The seven-member city council is made up of Cory Penn from District 1, William Carroll from District 2, C.J. Small from District 3, Ben Reynolds from District 4, Joel Daves from District 5, Scott Jones from District 6, and Gina Gregory from District 7. As of January 2022, the council will consist of these members. 

Population 

Alabama's Mobile County is home to the city of Mobile. It serves as Mobile County's county seat as well. It is the 148th-largest city in the United States and the fourth-largest city in Alabama with a population of 184,620 in 2023. The population of Mobile has declined by -1.29% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 187,041 in 2020, and is now falling at a pace of -0.44% annually. Mobile has a population density of 1,324 persons per square mile, spanning more than 180 miles. 

With a poverty rate of 23.7% and an average household income of $62,345 in Mobile, Alabama The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. In Mobile, the median age is 37.3 years, with 35.4 years for men and 38.8 years for women. 

Mobile, the most populous city in Mobile County and the county seat, is situated there. Mobile is third in terms of population in Alabama when compared to the rest of the state. 

The Port of Mobile has made a substantial economic contribution to the city over its history and is most well-known for being the only saltwater port in the state. The city had 195,111 people living there as of the 2010 Census.