Bay Minette, Alabama

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 and delivered them to the city of Bay Minette, where the Baldwin County seat remains to this day. Bay Minette was not incorporated as a city until 1907. A mural for the new post office built in 1937 was commissioned by the WPA and painted by Hilton Leech to commemorate this event.

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. However, this program was challenged due to violating separation of church and state, and the program's start was delayed for judicial review. It appears to have been scrapped.

Geography

Bay Minette is located near the center of Baldwin County in southern Alabama. It is sited on high ground 5 mi east of the Mobile River/Tensaw River valley and 6 mi west of the Florida border formed by the Perdido River. U.S. Route 31 passes through the center of the city.

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

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.

|Jan record high F = 85 |Feb record high F = 84 |Mar record high F = 89 |Apr record high F = 94 |May record high F = 100 |Jun record high F = 105 |Jul record high F = 103 |Aug record high F = 104 |Sep record high F = 106 |Oct record high F = 97 |Nov record high F = 88 |Dec record high F = 84

|Jan avg record high F = 75.5 |Feb avg record high F = 77.4 |Mar avg record high F = 82.6 |Apr avg record high F = 85.4 |May avg record high F = 91.2 |Jun avg record high F = 94.3 |Jul avg record high F = 95.3 |Aug avg record high F = 94.9 |Sep avg record high F = 93.1 |Oct avg record high F = 88.3 |Nov avg record high F = 81.4 |Dec avg record high F = 76.7 |year avg record high F = 96.6

|Jan avg record low F = 22.2 |Feb avg record low F = 26.9 |Mar avg record low F = 32.1 |Apr avg record low F = 40.3 |May avg record low F = 50.6 |Jun avg record low F = 63.1 |Jul avg record low F = 67.7 |Aug avg record low F = 66.5 |Sep avg record low F = 57.2 |Oct avg record low F = 41.1 |Nov avg record low F = 30.7 |Dec avg record low F = 26.9 |year avg record low F = 20.2

|Jan record low F = 2 |Feb record low F = 10 |Mar record low F = 16 |Apr record low F = 28 |May record low F = 37 |Jun record low F = 51 |Jul record low F = 54 |Aug record low F = 56 |Sep record low F = 41 |Oct record low F = 31 |Nov record low F = 19 |Dec record low F = 7

|access-date = March 4, 2023 |access-date = March 4, 2023

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2013 Estimate Bay Minette is part of the Daphne–Fairhope–Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area.

2020 Census data

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 of 2010, there were 8,040 people, 2,744 households, and 1,884 families residing in the city. The population density was 930 PD/sqmi . There were 3,586 housing units at an average density of 417 sqmi . 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.

Education

Public schools

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

High schools:

• Baldwin County High School (grades 9 through 12, BCHS, new)
• North Baldwin Center for Technology (grades 9 through 12)

Middle school:

• Bay Minette Middle School (grades 7 and 8, BMMS)

Elementary school:

• Bay Minette Elementary School (grades K through 6, BMES)

Higher education

• Coastal Alabama Community College

Media

Portions of the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind were filmed near the town's Louisville and Nashville Railroad depot, and Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood was filmed in rural portions of Baldwin County near Bay Minette.

Infrastructure

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. Countywide dial-a-ride transit service is provided by BRATS, the Baldwin Regional Area Transit System.

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

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.

Notable people

• Wallace Gilberry, defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Todd Grisham, sports announcer for ESPN
• Ellis Hooks, soul blues singer and songwriter was born here
• John McMillan, State Treasurer of Alabama
• Anthony Mix, former wide receiver for Auburn University and NFL player
• Joe M. Rodgers, United States Ambassador to France

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2403825
3. John C. Lewis and Harriet Brill Outlaw. (2009). "Images of America: Baldwin County". Arcadia Publishing.
4. (2009). "Various Historical Compilations about Baldwin County, Alabama". Baldwin County, AL.
5. "Bay Minette".
6. (September 23, 2011). "Ala. town's criminals get choice: Jail or church". CBS News.
7. Cox, Carmen. (September 27, 2011) [http://abcnewsradioonline.com/national-news/church-or-jail-alabama-alternative-to-incarceration-program.html Church or Jail? Alabama Alternative to Incarceration Program on Hold - National News - ABC News Radio]. Abcnewsradioonline.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-21.
8. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Bay Minette city, Alabama". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
9. [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]
10. "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov.
11. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013".
12. "Explore Census Data".
13. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
14. "Bay Minette Municipal Government". City of Bay Minette.
15. (2010). "Baldwin County Public Schools".
16. (December 14, 1977). "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
17. "#DNBLandings".
18. [http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/alabama/bay-minette/bus-station-420134 Bay Minette, AL Greyhound Station] Intercity bus service
19. "BRATS".
20. Thom Jurek. "Ellis Hooks | Biography".