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Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is a city located
in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2004 U.S. Census
estimate, the city had a population of 192,759.
Mobile is the center of Alabama's
second-largest metropolitan area, which consists all of Mobile County.
Metropolitan Mobile has a population of 400,526. Its name is derived
from the presence of the Mobile (Mauvile or Maubila) Indians in the
area at the time of founding. The city is the county seat of Mobile
County. The city is the only saltwater port in Alabama. Mobile is home
to the second largest and oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the United
States.
| Founded |
1702 |
| Incorporated |
1814 |
| County |
Mobile County
|
| Mayor (2006) |
Sam Jones |
| Area |
|
| Total |
412.9 km²
(159.4 mi²) |
| Water |
107.6 km²
(41.5 mi²) 26.05% |
| Population |
|
| City (2004) |
193,759 |
| Density |
651.4/km²
|
| Metropolitan |
401,526 |
| Time zone |
Central (UTC
–6) |
| Coordinates |
WGS-84 (GPS)
30.679523° N 88.103280° W |
Geography and climate
Mobile is
located at 30°40'46" North, 88°6'12" West (30.679523,
-88.103280)GR1. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a
total area of 412.9 km² (159.4 mi²). 305.4 km² (117.9
mi²) of it is land and 107.6 km² (41.5 mi²) of it is
water. The total area is 26.05% water.
Mobile, as a central
Gulf Coast city has a subtropical climate, which consists of mild, wet
winters and hot, wet summers. Mobile is also very vulnerable to storm
surge from hurricanes, which the area frequently experiences.
Mobile suffered
its worst disaster ever on September 12, 1979 when a strong Category
3 hurricane named Frederic slammed right into the heart of the city.
The storm all but destroyed nearby Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores. The
city took over 5 years to fully recover from the devastating hurricane.
On September 16,
2004, the city of Mobile received a glancing blow from the former-Category
5 Hurricane Ivan which made landfall in Gulf Shores as a powerful Category
3 hurricane. Mobile was caught in Ivan's western eyewall. Ivan's destruction
was eerily similar to 1979's Frederic.
In August of 2005,
Mobile once again received yet another glancing blow from former-Category
5 Hurricane Katrina. Mobile however suffered more damage from Katrina
than with Ivan as the city was caught on the stronger eastern side of
the storm. The massive surge of Katrina sent a storm surge of over 12
feet into eastern parts of downtown Mobile. The surge was the highest
recorded in Mobile in over 85 years.
Mobile has also
received glancing blows from the following hurricanes in recent history
as well: Camille, Elena, Georges, Erin, Opal, Florence, Cindy and Danny.
Law and government
The elected
government of Mobile consists of a Mayor and a seven member City Council,
which in theory operate on a weak Mayor/strong Council format. Municipal
Elections are held every 4 years, and are non-partisan. The last elections
were held on September 13, 2005.
Economy
Mobile's
Alabama State Docks is currently undergoing the largest expansion in
its history by expanding its container processing and storage facility
and increasing container storage at the docks by over 1,000%. The rapidly
growing auto industry in Alabama has resulted in over a thousand new
jobs created in Mobile, which has led to aerospace manufacturers to
locate to Mobile in 2005, thus bringing in additional thousands of new
high paying jobs to the city.
Mobile also has
benefited greatly economically from the Hurricane Katrina disaster with
thousands of evacuees relocating to Mobile. In addition, hurricane relief
workers and contractors which all have been based out of Mobile since
September of 2005 have resulted in Mobile's economy soaring to record
levels including sales tax revenues which soared over 70% in the 4th
quarter of 2005.
Battle House project and
downtown rebirth
Since 1852, the
Battle House hotel has been a fixture of the Mobile landscape. Although
the original hotel was destroyed in a fire in 1905, it was rebuilt and
has remained a Mobile area landmark. It was the location of President
Woodrow Wilson's famous speech in 1913 where he declared that the United
States would never again fight in a foreign war of aggression. In 1974,
the hotel went vacant, as much of downtown was doing at the time.
In 2001, the Mobile
City Council approved a deal with the Retirement Systems of Alabama
for a complete restoration of the historic hotel, as well as construction
of the Battle House Tower, a 35 Story, 745 foot (227 m) tall skyscraper
that will not only be the tallest building in Alabama, but also one
of the ten tallest buildings on the Gulf Coast.
The Battle House
Project is the crowning achievement of the "String of Pearls"
initiative undertaken by the administration of former Mayor Mike Dow
(1989-2005), which saw the construction of the Arthur Outlaw Convention
Center and the Cruise Ship Terminal, the approval of the soon to be
constructed Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, and the complete
rebirth of Dauphin Street, Mobile's historic commercial corridor.
Other projects in
the works include a proposed high-rise condominium tower on Water Street
in the heart of the downtown waterfront, as well as the construction
of a historic Mardi Gras themed city park in downtown and a brand new
state of the art federal courthouse. Large commercial ventures are in
the works for the metropolitan area.
Transportation, media, and
education
Transportation
The city's
airlines are served by Mobile Regional Airport, which also serves Pascagoula,
Mississippi. Additionally, Mobile Downtown Airport serves corporate,
private and cargo aircraft and is home to a major maintenance, overhaul
and repair facility.
The city also has
a remarkable highway network. Highways linking Mobile to the rest of
the country include Interstate 10, Interstate 65, US 31, US 45, US 90
and US 98.
Mobile is also served
by the Wave Tranist Bus System. Also, Mobile has several taxi services
which can be called or generally picked up in the downtown area.
Media
Mobile is served
by WPMI (NBC), WKRG (CBS), and WALA (FOX) television stations. The area
is also served by WEAR (ABC) based in Pensacola, Florida. The largest
paper in the region is the Press-Register.
Education
Public schools
in Mobile are operated by the Mobile County Public School System. The
State of Alabama operates the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science,
which boards advanced Alabama high school students. There is also a
large number of private institutions, most of them belonging to the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile. Mobile is home to the University
of South Alabama, Bishop State Community College, Spring Hill College
and the University of Mobile.
Sports
Mobile is
home of Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Originally named Ladd Stadium, opened
in 1948 with the University of Alabama and Vanderbilt playing a football
game to a 14-14 tie. With a capacity of 40,646, Ladd-Peebles Stadium
is the 4th largest stadium in the state.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium has been home to the Senior Bowl
since 1951, featuring the best college seniors in NCAA football. The
GMAC Bowl has been played since 1999 featuring opponents from the Mid-American
Conference and Conference USA. In 1988, the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star
game was founded. Each June, the top graduating high school seniors
from their respective states clash in this event.
For golfers, Magnolia Grove, part of the Robert Trent
Jones Golf Trail, has some of the best courses to play. There are 36
holes, The Crossings and The Falls, of championship golf and an 18-hole
short course, which was recently named the best par 3 course in America.
For the past 7 years, the LPGA Tournament of Champions
has been played annually at Magnolia Grove. The Crossings is home of
this Tournament.
According to Golf Digest, Mobile is a top ten golf area
that offers year-round golfing.
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. The Azalea Trail Run is one of the premier
10k road races in the U.S., attracting runners from all over the world.
Mobile has been home to many different teams over the
past century. Here is a look at some of those teams.
Mobile Admirals
The Mobile Admirals played during the 1999 season in
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, which was the only season for the ill-fated RFL.
Mobile sold 6,000 season tickets for their only season. Mobile finished
the shortened season 6-2. The Admirals Defeated the Ohio Cannon in the
first playoff game, then defeated the Houston Outlaws 14-12 to win the
only RFL championship.
Mobile Bears
Originally known as the Sea Gulls, Mobile changed its
name to the Bears in 1918. In just two seasons, the Bears won the Southern
Association Championship and the Dixie Series Championship over the
Fort Worth Panthers, the Texas League Champions. The Bears relocated
to Knoxville in 1931. In 1944, the Southern Association's Knoxville
Smokies moved to Mobile and were renamed the Mobile Bears. The Mobile
Bears won the 1947 Southern League Championship. After the 1961 season,
the team was dissolved.
Mobile BayBears
On April 17, 1997, baseball returned to Mobile in the
new Hank Aaron Stadium. In just the 2nd year, the Mobile BayBears won
the Southern League Championship over the Jacksonville Suns 3 games
to 1. The BayBears were also named 1998 Minor League Team of the Year.
The BayBears were awarded their 2nd Southern League
Championship in 2004 when the Southern League cancelled the Championship
Series due to Hurricane Ivan. Both the BayBears and The Tennessee Smokies
were named Co-Champions.
Mobile Bay Sharks
After 30 years, baseball returned to Mobile in the
form of The Mobile Bay Sharks of the Texas-Louisiana League. The Bay
Sharks played at Eddie Stanky Field at the University of South Alabama.
This team played from 1994-1995. The team folded after the announcement
was made that Southern League baseball was returning to Mobile.
Mobile Mysticks
The Mobile Mysticks played 7 season in the East Coast
Hockey League (ECHL) from 1995-2002 in the Mobile Civic Center. The
Mysticks averaged 33 wins per season and made the playoffs 5 out of
7 seasons. The team ceased operations for the 02-03 season, then began
play as the Gwinnett Gladiators in the 03-04 Season. Jason Elders holds
the record for most career goals in Mysticks history. Jason Elders was
also the 1999 MVP of the ECHL All-Star game. Jason Clarke is the all-time
PIM record holder in ECHL history. Dave Van Drunen played in one game
in the NHL (Ottawa Senators).
Mobile Revelers
The Mobile Revelers of the NBDL played in the 2001-2002
and 2002-2003 seasons in the Mobile Civic Center. The Mobile Revelers
won the NBDL Championship of the 2002-2003 season defeating the Fayetteville
Patriots 2 games to 1. The team folded after the season suffering from
very poor attendance. The name was originally used for a minor league
soccer team based in Mobile.
Mobile Seagulls
The Mobile Seagulls played two seasons in Mobile: the
2000 season in the Indoor Professional Football League (IPFL) in the
Mobile Civic Center, and the 2001 season in the National Indoor Football
League(NIFL) at the Mitchell Center. The team folded after the AFL2
announced it was coming to town.
Mobile Wizards
The Mobile Wizards played in AFL2 during the 2002 season
in the Mobile Civic Center. The Wizards failed to win one game, finishing
0-16.
Port City Monarchs
They are the NAFL football team in Mobile. Their rival
is the Alabama Lightning based in Orange Beach in Baldwin County.
Notable Mobilians
3 Doors Down, rock band
from surrounding areas, some now living in Mobile
Hank Aaron, baseball player, retired, member of baseball Hall of Fame
Terry Adams, baseball player, Pittsburgh Pirates
Tommie Agee, baseball player, retired
Willie Anderson, football player, tackle for Cincinnati Bengals, went
to Vigor High School
Paul Bearer, Pro Wrestling SuperStar "Percy Pringle III"
Killer Beaz, comedian
Gregory Benford, science fiction author
Bubba Blackwell, motorcycle stuntman
Jimmy Buffett, songwriter
Jason Caffey, NBA basketball player
Vice Cooler, artist, musician
A. J. Cooper, Civil Rights Lawyer; A founder and first President Ala.
Lawyers Association; First Black mayor of a large city (Prichard) in
Alabama and the first black to defeat a white incumbent in Alabama.
Founder and Pres., Nat. Conf. of Black Mayors.
Jeremiah Denton Admiral, Vietnam POW and first Catholic to represent
Alabama in the U.S. Senate
Vince Dooley, football coach
Courtney "CoCo" Duncan, baseball player
James Reese Europe, musician and son of Reconstruction era Alderman
William C. Gorgas General involved in the construction of the Panama
Canal
Urbie Green, trombonist
Winston Groom, author, FORREST GUMP
Alexis Herman, former US Secretary of Labor
Bob "Hardcore" Holly, WWE wrestler
Cleon Jones, baseball player, retired
Antonio Lang, basketball player (member of Duke's two championship teams
from 1991-92)
William March, author of The Bad Seed
Willie McCovey, baseball player, retired, member of baseball Hall of
Fame
Bryant H. McGill, poet and reference author
Albert Murray, author
Amos Otis, baseball player, retired
Satchel Paige, baseball player, deceased, member of baseball Hall of
Fame
Jake Peavy, baseball player, San Diego Padres
William Pryor, former Alabama Attorney General, and current federal
appelate judge
JaMarcus Russell, LSU quarterback
Chris Samuels, NFL football player
Don Siegelman, Alabama Democratic politician
Ozzie Smith, baseball player, retired, member of baseball Hall of Fame
Steve Touchstone, musician
Richard Tyson, actor
Fred Wesley, trombonist
Wet Willie, Southern rock band
Cootie Williams, trumpeter
Billy Williams, baseball player, retired, member of baseball Hall of
Fame
XBXRX, an influential hardcore band credited for the late-'90s no wave
revival; started in Mobile but now reside in Oakland, CA
Awards
In 1995,
Mobile received the All-America City Award. In 2005, Mobile was designated
a Preserve America City.
Surrounding Suburbs
Axis
Chickasaw
Eight Mile (outside of Prichard city limits)
Prichard
Saraland
Satsuma
Theodore
Daphne
Fairhope
Gulf Shores
Foley
Citronelle
Bayou La Batre
Grand Bay
Belle Fontaine
Mon Louis
Dauphin Island
Orange Beach
Mount Vernon
Irvington
Semmes
West Mobile
Sister cities
According
to Sister City International, Mobile has the following sister cities
Ichihara, Japan
Katowice, Poland
Košice, (Cassovia) Slovakia
Worms, Germany
Constanta, Romania
Pyongtaek, South Korea
Veracruz, Mexico
Havana, Cuba
Gianjin, China
King Shaka, South Africa
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