Active Lifestyles
South Alabama
Area Info
The character of South Alabama is largely determined by its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico: even the landlocked eastern three-quarters, cut off from the Gulf by the panhandle of Florida, is a region of gently-rising, sandy land drained by many winding, slow-moving streams. The area was not considered very good for agriculture, and so remained sparsely settled until late in the 19th century, by which time much of the native pine forest had been cut down. But the soil proved to be ideal for raising peanuts, and today the largest town in the region, Dothan, bills itself as the Peanut Capital of the World.
But it's the other corner of the region that is the best known: the area of Mobile Bay and the Gulf beaches. The city of Mobile was the first capital of French Louisiana, after its founding in 1702, and it shares much in common with the present state of Louisiana...including Mardi Gras. Mobile's first Mardi Gras "krewe" (a formally organized carnival club) dates to 1830--27 years before the first comparable organization in New Orleans.
Mobile shares much more in common with New Orleans, from its architecture (French, Spanish, and American) to its cuisine (heavily dependent on seafood) to its climate (hot and rainy in summer, but gloriously mild throughout most of the winter).
Articles
News from the Mobile Press-Register
St. Patrick's Day links: Ireland running out of shamrocks; Guinness mysteries solved
Mar 17, 2010 7:44 pm
Also: 10 great books about Ireland; the true origins of corned beef and cabbage, and how the day affects the beer industry. View full size(File)Ireland's clover cr...
Highway officials announce Baldwin County 32 to close Thursday
Mar 17, 2010 7:20 pm
The Baldwin County Highway Department will close county road 32 between Harry Jones Road and Dry Branch Road at 8 a.m. Thursday. The Baldwin County Highway&...
Energy companies submit nearly $1 billion in offshore oil lease bids
Mar 17, 2010 6:31 pm
With oil prices up $30 a barrel from last year, energy companies issued $949.3 million in high bids for federal offshore petroleum leases off the coasts of Louisiana, Missi...
Jury begins deliberations in trial of Mobile gun shop owner
Mar 17, 2010 6:01 pm
The McCoys are accused of evading federal regulations designed to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons and others who are barred by law from having firearms ...
NAS Pensacola names new commander to replace skipper ousted for inappropriate conduct
Mar 17, 2010 5:09 pm
PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Navy officials have named Capt. Chris Plummer to replace former Pensacola Naval Air Station commander Capt. William P. Reavey, who was relieved of comma...
Baldwin County listed among America's 'most conservative-friendly' counties
Mar 17, 2010 3:54 pm
Baldwin County has made a list of the top 100 "most conservative-friendly" counties in the United States by The Daily Caller, a Washington-based political news We...
Judge sticks to Monday bingo deadline for Alabama attorney general
Mar 17, 2010 3:10 pm
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A judge says Attorney General Troy King still must tell him by Monday where he stands on the electronic bingo investigation by the Governor's T...
Alabama girls do better in school than boys, says report
Mar 17, 2010 2:01 pm
Girls in Alabama's public schools are smarter than boys are, especially when it comes to reading, according to a new study being released today by the Center on Ed...
Artur Davis, Ron Sparks trade jabs over gambling
Mar 17, 2010 1:31 pm
State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks criticized U.S. Rep. Artur Davis of Birmingham for not saying whether he supports forms of gambling such as slot machines, card g...
Baldwin's beach cities eye surfside recycling
Mar 17, 2010 1:22 pm
GULF SHORES, Ala. -- Baldwin County's beach cities have teamed up in an effort to develop a surfside recycling program. "We've had such a hard time f...
