Bay Minette, Alabama Explained

Bay Minette, Alabama
Settlement Type:City
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Name1:Alabama
Subdivision Name2:Baldwin
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Robert "Bob" Wills
Area Total Km2:44.91
Area Total Sq Mi:17.34
Area Land Km2:44.71
Area Land Sq Mi:17.26
Area Water Km2:0.20
Area Water Sq Mi:0.08
Elevation Ft:269
Elevation M:82
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:8107
Population Density Sq Mi:469.64
Population Density Km2:181.33
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Coordinates:30.8833°N -87.7769°W
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:36507
Area Code:251
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:01-04660
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0113588
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]

Bay Minette is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,044.[2]

History

In the first days of Baldwin County, the town of McIntosh Bluff (now in Mobile County, west of Baldwin County) on the Tombigbee River was the county seat. After being transferred to the town of Blakeley in 1810, the county seat was later moved to the city of Daphne in 1868. In 1900, by an act of the legislature of Alabama, the county seat was authorized for relocation to the city of Bay Minette; however, the city of Daphne resisted relocation. The citizens of Bay Minette moved the county records from Daphne in the middle of the night on October 11–12, 1901[3] and delivered them to the city of Bay Minette, where the Baldwin County seat remains to this day.[4] A mural for the new post office built in 1937 was commissioned by the WPA and painted by Hilton Leech to commemorate this event.[3]

In September 2011, the town attempted to enact a program called "Operation Restore Our Community". It would have allowed those convicted of a misdemeanor to substitute imprisonment with mandatory church attendance for one year.[5] However, this program was challenged due to violating separation of church and state, and the program's start was delayed for judicial review.[6] It appears to have been scrapped.

Geography

Bay Minette is located near the center of Baldwin County in southern Alabama at (30.883446, -87.777183).[7] It is sited on high ground 5miles east of the Mobile River/Tensaw River valley and 6miles west of the Florida border formed by the Perdido River. U.S. Route 31 passes through the center of the city, leading south to Spanish Fort and northeast to Atmore. Interstate 65 passes about 5miles north of the city, with access from exit 34 (State Route 59) and exit 37 (State Route 287).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.4sqkm, of which 22.2sqkm is land and 0.2sqkm, or 0.75%, is water.[2]

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bay Minette has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. [8]

Demographics

Bay Minette is part of the Daphne - Fairhope - Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area.

2020 Census data

Bay Minette racial composition[9] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)4,55156.14%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)2,86235.3%
Native American891.1%
Asian440.54%
Other/Mixed3774.65%
Hispanic or Latino1844.8%
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,107 people, 2,812 households, and 1,690 families residing in the city.

2010 Census data

As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 8,040 people, 2,744 households, and 1,884 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,586 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 60.4% White, 35.3% Black or African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,744 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 21.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was 23.6% under the age of 18, 13.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,389, and the median income for a family was $44,573. Males had a median income of $37,623 versus $23,125 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,897. About 17.1% of families and 26.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.9% of those under age 18 and 18.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Bay Minette uses a mayor council government. The mayor is elected at large. The city council consists of five members who are elected from one of five districts.[11]

Emergency Services

Fire protection is provided by the Bay Minette Fire Department.

Emergency Medical Services are provided by MedStar.

Law enforcement agency is the Bay Minette Police Department.

Education

Public schools

Bay Minette is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system.[12]

High schools

Middle school

Intermediate school

Elementary school

Higher education

Culture

Portions of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind were filmed near the town's Louisville and Nashville Railroad depot,[13] and was filmed in rural portions of Baldwin County near Bay Minette.[14]

Transportation

Bay Minette Municipal Airport (1R8) is located 3 nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Bay Minette.

Intercity bus service is provided by Greyhound Lines.[15]

Routes passing through the city include US 31 and Alabama State Route 59.

Notable people

External links

U.S.Census . gov / quick facts

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. October 29, 2021.
  2. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bay Minette city, Alabama. https://archive.today/20200212164458/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0104660. dead. February 12, 2020. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. September 9, 2013.
  3. Book: Images of America: Baldwin County . John C. Lewis and Harriet Brill Outlaw . 2009 . Arcadia Publishing . 978-0-7385-6834-8 . 14–16.
  4. Web site: Various Historical Compilations about Baldwin County, Alabama . Baldwin County, Alabama . Baldwin County, AL . 2009 . January 5, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070828012023/http://www.co.baldwin.al.us/PageView.asp?PageType=R&edit_id=156 . August 28, 2007 .
  5. News: Ala. town's criminals get choice: Jail or church. September 24, 2011. CBS News. September 23, 2011.
  6. Cox, Carmen. (September 27, 2011) Church or Jail? Alabama Alternative to Incarceration Program on Hold - National News - ABC News Radio. Abcnewsradioonline.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-21.
  7. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  8. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=385010&cityname=Bay+Minette%2C+Alabama%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Bay Minette, Alabama
  9. Web site: Explore Census Data. December 14, 2021. data.census.gov.
  10. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. July 7, 2015.
  11. Web site: Bay Minette Municipal Government . City of Bay Minette . January 5, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091010172658/http://www.cityofbayminette.org/PageView.aspx?ID=2 . October 10, 2009 .
  12. Web site: Baldwin County Public Schools . SchoolInSites.com . 2010 . January 5, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100111201524/http://www.bcbe.org/. January 11, 2010 . live.
  13. Web site: Spielberg. Steven. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. IMDb. December 14, 1977.
  14. Web site:
    1. DNBLandings
    . www.northbaldwinchamber.com. June 9, 2018. June 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220624232524/http://www.northbaldwinchamber.com/DNBLandings. dead.
  15. http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/alabama/bay-minette/bus-station-420134 Bay Minette, AL Greyhound Station
  16. Web site: Alton Moore - Football.
  17. Web site: Thom Jurek . Ellis Hooks | Biography . AllMusic . February 16, 2014.