Mobile County, Alabama

This area was occupied for thousands of years by varying cultures of indigenous peoples. At the time of Spanish expeditions in the early 16th century, it was part of the territory of the Mississippian culture, which constructed major earthwork mounds. It was ruled by the paramount chief Tuskaloosa.

The historic Choctaw emerged somewhat later, and are believed to be descendants of those earlier peoples. They occupied this area along what early French traders and colonists called the Mobile River. They also founded the settlement of Mobile on the river and bay in the early eighteenth century.

The British took over the territory in 1763 (along with other French territories east of the Mississippi River) after defeating the French in the Seven Years' War. During the American Revolutionary War, it came under Spanish rule as part of Spanish Florida. Spain ceded the territory to the United States after the War of 1812.

In the 1830s, the United States forced the removal of most of the Native American tribes in the area under President Andrew Jackson's policy and an act of Congress to relocate them to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. Many of those who remained continued their culture, and took refuge in the swamps in the border area between Mobile and Washington counties. Since the late 20th century, several tribes have reorganized and gained state recognition. Among those is the MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians, which was recognized as a tribe in 1979 by the state. The people have long been based in this area of the former Choctaw homeland, along the northern border of Mobile County and the southern border of Washington County.

After more than a century of European settlement, beginning with French colonists, Mobile County was organized by the state legislature and the proclamation of Governor Holmes of the Mississippi Territory on December 18, 1812.{{cite web

| url = http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties/mobile.html

| title = Mobile County, Alabama history

| publisher = Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH)

| date = June 5, 2009

| access-date = June 14, 2009

| archive-date = February 3, 2013

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130203094148/http://www.archives.state.al.us/counties/mobile.html

| url-status = dead

}}

When Mississippi was separated and admitted as a state on December 10, 1817, after adopting its constitution on August 15, 1817, Mobile County became part of what was called the Alabama Territory. Two years later, the county became part of the state of Alabama, granted statehood on December 14, 1819.{{cite web

| url = http://www.tngenweb.org/tnland/intruders/claim-537.html

| title = An 1820 Claim to Congress: Alabama Territory : 1817

| work = The Intruders

| publisher = TNGenNet Inc.

| year = 2001

}}{{cite web

| url = http://www.50states.com/statehood.htm

| title = Statehood Dates

| publisher = 50states.com

| orig-year = 1998 | year=2009

}}

The city of Mobile, first settled by French colonists in the early 18th century as part of La Louisiane, was designated as the county seat from the early days of the county. Both the county and city derive their name from Fort Louis de la Mobile, a French fortification established (near present-day Axis, Alabama) in 1702. The word "Mobile" is believed to stem from a Choctaw word for "paddlers". The area was occupied by French colonists from 1702 to 1763, and their influence has been strong in the city. It was ruled by the British from 1763 to 1780, when more American colonists began to enter the territory; and controlled by the Spanish from 1780 to 1813.

At the end of the War of 1812, the United States took over the territory. At that time, new settlers were being attracted to the land, eager to develop short-staple cotton in the uplands area. Invention of the cotton gin made processing of this type of cotton profitable, stimulating wholesale development of new cotton plantations in the Black Belt during the antebellum years. Mobile developed as a major deepwater port; in the nineteenth century, cotton was its major export.

There were nine documented lynchings in Mobile from 1891 to 1981.

• March 31, 1891 — Zachariah Graham{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1891033101|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• October 2, 1906 — Roy Hoyle{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1906100201|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• October 2, 1906 — Willie Thompson{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1906100601|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• October 2, 1906 — Corneilius Robinson{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1906100602|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• September 22, 1907 — Mose Dossett{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1907092201|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• January 23, 1909 — Richard Robertson{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1909012301|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• July 31, 1910 — Bill Walker{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1910073101|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• June 6, 1919 — James E. Lewis{{Cite web|url=http://lynching.csde.washington.edu/#/search/AL1919060601|title=CSDE Lynching Database|website=lynching.csde.washington.edu|language=en|access-date=September 24, 2017 }}
• March 21, 1981 — Michael Donald

Courthouse fires occurred in the years 1823, 1840, and 1872.

File:Mobile River at Chickasaw Creek.jpg at its confluence with Chickasaw Creek. This photograph was taken around 1990, during construction of the Cochrane-Africatown bridge carrying U.S. Route 90 across the river.]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|1644|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1229|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|415|sqmi}} (25.2%) is water.{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_01.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 22, 2015|date=August 22, 2012|title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files}} It is the fourth-largest county in Alabama by land area and second-largest by total area. It includes several islands, including Dauphin Island, Gaillard Island and Mon Louis Island.

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• 20px Interstate 10
• 20px Interstate 65
• 25px Interstate 165
• 25px planned western bypass
• 20px U.S. Highway 43
• 20px U.S. Highway 45
• 20px U.S. Highway 90
• 20px U.S. Highway 98
• 20px State Route 158
• 20px State Route 163
• 20px State Route 188
• 20px State Route 193
• 20px State Route 213
• 20px State Route 217

{{div col end}}

• The Wave Transit System

• Washington County (north)
• Baldwin County (east)
• Jackson County, Mississippi (southwest)
• George County, Mississippi (west)
• Greene County, Mississippi (northwest)

• Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)

{{US Census population

|1820= 2672

|1830= 6267

|1840= 18741

|1850= 27600

|1860= 41131

|1870= 49311

|1880= 48653

|1890= 51587

|1900= 62740

|1910= 80854

|1920= 100117

|1930= 118363

|1940= 141974

|1950= 231105

|1960= 314301

|1970= 317308

|1980= 364980

|1990= 378643

|2000= 399843

|2010= 412992

|2020= 414809

|estyear=2023

|estimate=411640

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|access-date=March 14, 2024}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 22, 2015}}
1790–1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=August 22, 2015}} 1900–1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/al190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|date=March 24, 1995|access-date=August 22, 2015}}
1990–2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|date=April 2, 2001|access-date=August 22, 2015}} 2010–2020

}}

As of the 2020 census, there were 414,809 people, 163,750 households, and 107,701 families residing in the county.{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Mobile%20County,%20Alabama%20p16&y=2020 |access-date=March 14, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}} The population density was {{convert|337.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}} There were 184,441 housing units.

The county's largest city, Mobile (population 187,041 per the 2020 census) is majority minority with African-Americans making up 51.06% of its population.{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Mobile city, Alabama|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0150000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=United States Census Bureau}}

According to the 2010 census, the population of the county comprised the following racial and ethnic groups:

• 60.2% White
• 34.6% Black
• 0.9% Native American
• 1.8% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.5% Two or more races
• 2.4% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

As of the 2000 census, there were 399,843 people, 150,179 households, and 106,777 families residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|324|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people}}. There were 165,101 housing units at an average density of {{convert|134|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the county was 63.07% White, 33.38% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 1.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 150,179 households, out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.50% were married couples living together, 17.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.90% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the county, the population dispersal was 27.50% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $33,710, and the median income for a family was $40,378. Males had a median income of $32,329 versus $21,986 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,178. About 15.60% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.20% of those under age 18 and 14.60% of those age 65 or over.

File:Wallace Tunnel Mobile Alabama.jpg entering the Wallace Tunnel in Mobile, Alabama.]]

Mobile County has a limited form of home rule and is governed by a three-member county commission. Each commissioner represents a single-member district and is elected by the voters of that district to serve a four-year term. Each commissioner has an equal vote on the commission. During an elected term, each commissioner serves as President of the Mobile County Commission for 16 months, beginning with the District 1 Commissioner.

As of November 2024, Mobile County Commissioners are:

• District 1 (northern County) – Merceria L. Ludgood (D)
• District 2 (western and central County) – Connie Hudson (R)
• District 3 (southern County) – Randall Dueitt (R)

Under the state constitution, the legislature maintains considerable power over county affairs.

Mobile County is represented in the Alabama Legislature by four senators and nine representatives.

State Senators representing portions of Mobile County are:{{cite web

|url = https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/senate-leaders-members?tab=1

|title = Senate Leaders and Members

|access-date = May 25, 2025

}}

• Republican Greg Albritton (22nd District),
• Democrat Vivian Davis Figures (33rd District),
• Republican Jack W. Williams (34th District), and
• Republican David Sessions (35th District).

State Representatives representing portions of Mobile County are:{{cite web

|url = https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/house-leaders-members?tab=1

|title = House Leaders and Members

|access-date = May 25, 2025

}}

• Democrat Adline Clarke (97th District),
• Democrat Napoleon Bracy (98th District),
• Democrat Sam Jones (99th District),
• Republican Mark Shirey (100th District),
• Republican Chris Pringle (101st District),
• Republican Shane Stringer (102nd District),
• Democrat Barbara Drummond (103rd District),
• Republican Margie Wilcox (104th District), and
• Republican Chip Brown (105th District).

In most areas of Mobile County, schools are operated by the Mobile County Public School System. The cities of Chickasaw, Saraland, and Satsuma have separate school systems; served by Chickasaw City Schools, Saraland Board of Education, and Satsuma City School System, respectively.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st01_al/schooldistrict_maps/c01097_mobile/DC20SD_C01097.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Mobile County, AL|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 31, 2022}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st01_al/schooldistrict_maps/c01097_mobile/DC20SD_C01097_SD2MS.txt Text list]

Mobile County is the home of the University of South Alabama (USA), a public research university divided into ten colleges, including one of Alabama's two state-supported medical schools. USA has an enrollment of over 16,000 students and employs more than 6,000 faculty, administrators, and support staff. It is also home to two private institutions of higher learning. Spring Hill College, founded in 1830, is Catholic and the third-oldest Jesuit college or university in the U.S. Its enrollment is about 1,500 students and it offers 46 academic majors. The University of Mobile, established in 1961 and affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (the state convention of the Southern Baptist Convention), has an enrollment of about 2,000 and offers 90 academic majors.

Mobile County is very conservative for an urban county. The last Democrat to win the county was John F. Kennedy in 1960 and is one of only 5 counties to back Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter in 1976. Within the city of Mobile, the margins between the Republican and Democrat candidates are usually between 10 and 19 points. Since 1996, the Democrats have gotten 40-45% of the vote.

{{PresHead|place=Mobile County, Alabama|source={{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=June 24, 2018}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Republican|100,759|72,055|2,350|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|2020|Republican|101,243|79,474|2,447|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|2016|Republican|95,116|72,186|5,435|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|2012|Republican|94,893|78,760|1,487|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|2008|Republican|98,049|82,181|1,194|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|2004|Republican|92,014|63,732|1,025|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|2000|Republican|78,162|58,640|2,943|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1996|Republican|66,775|54,749|8,579|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1992|Republican|72,935|54,962|15,891|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1988|Republican|72,203|45,524|870|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|81,923|47,252|1,784|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|67,515|46,180|3,297|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|53,835|50,264|1,777|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|62,639|20,694|2,301|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|10,509|18,615|62,812|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1964|Republican|49,493|0|20,488|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|24,608|28,626|1,308|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|20,639|17,163|1,732|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|14,153|14,473|89|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|2,685|0|11,150|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|2,867|9,439|117|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|1,887|11,480|126|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|1,072|11,165|175|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|1,705|9,658|78|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|5,058|5,965|10|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|1,814|4,125|416|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|2,681|6,171|171|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|832|2,968|96|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|140|3,009|613|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|453|2,422|353|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|325|3,283|67|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|2,243|2,939|205|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|2,778|3,948|631|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|397|4,680|1,979|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|2,542|3,109|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|2,787|2,806|16|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1880|Democratic|3,239|3,784|201|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1876|Democratic|4,272|5,330|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1872|Democratic|5,946|6,522|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1868|Democratic|5,200|6,658|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1860|Democratic|0|1,823|3,170|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1856|Democratic|0|1,838|1,771|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1852|Democratic|1,123|1,380|94|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1848|Whig|1,319|1,073|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1844|Whig|1,403|1,347|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1840|Whig|1,481|1,121|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1836|Democratic|739|866|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1832|Democratic|0|331|0|Alabama}}

{{PresRow|1828|Democratic|178|396|0|Alabama}}

{{PresFoot|1824|Democratic|155|205|47|Alabama}}

{{div col}}

• Bayou La Batre
• Chickasaw
• Citronelle
• Creola
• Mobile (county seat)
• Prichard
• Saraland
• Satsuma
• Semmes

{{div col end}}

• Dauphin Island
• Mount Vernon

{{div col}}

• Axis
• Belle Fontaine
• Bucks
• Calvert (partly in Washington County)
• Chunchula
• Grand Bay
• Gulfcrest
• Movico
• Theodore
• Tillmans Corner

{{div col end}}

{{div col|colwidth=18em}}

• Alabama Port
• Churchill Downs
• Cloverdale
• Coden
• Crawford
• Eight Mile
• Fernland
• Heron Bay
• Irvington
• Kushla
• Le Moyne
• Lloyds
• Mauvilla
• Mon Louis
• Pennsylvania
• St. Elmo
• Tanner Williams
• Union Church
• Whistler
• Wilmer

{{div col end}}

• Beaver Mills

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mobile, Alabama
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mobile County, Alabama
• Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in Mobile County, Alabama

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Mobile County, Alabama}}

{{AmCyc Poster|Mobile (county)|Mobile County, Alabama}}

• [http://www.mobilecountyal.gov/ Mobile County, Alabama], official website
• [http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/contemporarymaps/alabama/counties/mobile.jpg Map of roads/towns in Mobile County] from University of Alabama
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110103154346/http://southal.net/ South Alabama Community Website]

{{Geographic Location

| Centre = Mobile County, Alabama

| North = Washington County

| Northeast =

| East = Baldwin County

| Southeast =

| South = Gulf of Mexico

| Southwest = Jackson County, Mississippi

| West = George County, Mississippi

| Northwest = Greene County, Mississippi

}}

{{Mobile County, Alabama}}

{{Alabama}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Alabama placenames of Native American origin

Category:1812 establishments in Mississippi Territory

Category:Populated places established in 1812

Category:Mobile metropolitan area