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Continuing-Care Communities (CCRC)
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
Stephen Nodine attorney asks judge to put gun case on hold
Jul 30, 2010 1:04 am
Federal prosecutors have said they plan to hold Nodine accountable for the homicide at sentencing if they win conviction on the gun charge. That would likely mean h...
Republican attorney general candidate in Georgia admits affair with former staffer
Jul 30, 2010 12:12 am
ATLANTA -- A Republican candidate for Georgia attorney general today acknowledged an extramarital affair with a former staffer, but said the relationship began afte...
Alabama waters may be reopened for fishing in a week
Jul 29, 2010 11:02 pm
Alabama officials today sent samples of fish, shrimp and oysters from the Mississippi Sound to a Pascagoula, Miss., lab for testing to determine whether the waters ...
Tomorrow's forecast today: Forecasters watching two Atlantic systems
Jul 29, 2010 9:59 pm
Friday: Partly cloudy, heat index near 108. Highs in the upper 90s to low 100s. Lows in the mid-70s to low 80s. Chance of rain 20 percent. Satellite...
Alzheimer's patient found safe after driving truck into pond
Jul 29, 2010 9:59 pm
A 66-year-old Alzheimer's patient was found safe Thursday after his truck was discovered partially submerged in a west Mobile County pond, the Mobile Count...
Less oil on surface means less work for fishermen
Jul 29, 2010 9:40 pm
Even when the oily sheen starts fading from the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, it manages to become bad news for fishermen. View full sizeA skimming ...
Sandra Bullock retreats from Restore the Gulf petition, website says
Jul 29, 2010 9:33 pm
A Sandra Bullock representative has told the website ThinkProgress that the Oscar-winning actress has asked that her participation in the "Be the One" pub...
Incoming BP CEO appears ready to recommit company to deepwater drilling
Jul 29, 2010 9:31 pm
Robert Dudley, the man charged with rebuilding the reputation of BP Plc after the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, will slim the company to its core stre...
Politics links: Richard Shelby accused of steering earmarks to former aides
Jul 29, 2010 9:00 pm
The sum includes $175 million for the University of Alabama system, which employs to Ray Cole, a former Shelby campaign manager, as a lobbyist. View...
What you're saying: Fairhope girl attends amputee camp
Jul 29, 2010 8:40 pm
FAIRHOPE, Ala. -- Last month, campers at a church camp took 11-year-old Fairhope amputee Whitney Hemphill's prosthetic leg while she was showering and hid ...
