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50-573: Bayou La Batre ( / ˌ b aɪ . oʊ l ə ˈ b æ t r i / or locally / ˌ b aɪ l ə ˈ b æ t r i / ) is a city in Mobile County , Alabama , United States. It is part of the Mobile metropolitan area . As of the 2020 census , the population was 2,204, down from 2,558 at the 2010 census. Bayou La Batre is a fishing village with a seafood-processing harbor for fishing boats and shrimp boats. The local chamber of commerce has described

100-525: 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

150-473: A dump truck, street sweepers, a riding lawnmower, and six chainsaws. The equipment was used to help remove debris and fishing boats from downtown. Bayou La Batre is a center for shipbuilding . The shipyards are owned and operated mainly by local families such as Gazzier Marine Services, Metal Shark (formerly Horizon Shipbuilding), Steiner Ship Yard, Rodriguez Boat Builders, Master Boat Builders, Williams Fabrication, and Landry Boat Works. People from all over

200-473: 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

250-622: A household in the city was $ 24,539, and the median income for a family was $ 27,580. Males had a median income of $ 22,847 versus $ 14,042 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 9,928. About 22.9% of families and 28.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 35.9% of those under age 18 and 17.7% of those age 65 or over. Bayou La Batre is served by the Mobile County Public School System . The city includes Booth (formerly Alba) Elementary School, Alba Middle School, and Alma Bryant High School , where all

300-548: A major deepwater port; in the nineteenth century, cotton was its major export. There were nine documented lynchings in Mobile from 1891 to 1981. Courthouse fires occurred in the years 1823, 1840, and 1872. According to the United States Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,644 square miles (4,260 km ), of which 1,229 square miles (3,180 km ) is land and 415 square miles (1,070 km ) (25.2%)

350-480: A new library was opened to serve the area's Asian-American community. The library is located on Wintzell Avenue in the Bayou La Batre office of Boat People SOS, a national group that assists Vietnamese-Americans. The Mobile County Commission gave $ 2,500. The library will be used as a place where elderly immigrants can master computer skills, children can practice their Vietnamese after school, and day laborers can surf

400-431: A pen pal program with the students of the nearby school in Bayou La Batre. In October 2005, seven weeks after Hurricane Katrina, Bayou La Batre was adopted by the city of Santa Monica, California (see: " Santa Monica Pier ") to assist in clean-up activities. The Santa Monica City Council approved loaning Bayou La Batre 18 vehicles, including six pickups, two trucks with large cranes, utility vehicles with smaller cranes,

450-545: Is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Alabama . It is the third-most populous county in the state after Jefferson and Madison counties. As of the 2020 census , its population was 414,809. Its county seat is Mobile , which was founded as a deepwater port on the Mobile River. The only such port in Alabama, it has long been integral to the economy for providing access to inland waterways as well as

500-512: Is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bayou La Batre has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 2,204 people, 837 households, and 638 families residing in the city. As of the 2010 Census, Bayou La Batre had a population of 2,558. The racial and ethnic composition of

550-402: Is now Alba Middle School further south in Bayou La Batre. Alba High School first combined with Grand Bay High School in 1998 in the newly built, centrally located Alma Bryant High School , located on 16th Section land (land dedicated for school purposes). Alba Middle (which was in great part located in portable classrooms and was a part of the high School campus, as was Grand Bay Middle) took over

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600-465: 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

650-539: Is water. 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 . As of the 2020 census , there were 414,809 people, 163,750 households, and 107,701 families residing in the county. The population density was 337.4 inhabitants per square mile (130.3/km ) There were 184,441 housing units. The county's largest city, Mobile (population 187,041 per

700-467: The Gulf of Mexico . The city, river, and county were named in honor of Maubila , a village of the paramount chief Tuskaloosa of the regional Mississippian culture . In 1540 he arranged an ambush of soldiers of Hernando de Soto 's expedition in an effort to expel them from the territory. The Spaniards were armed with guns and killed many of the tribe . Mobile County and Washington County, Alabama make up

750-667: The Hurricane Katrina Update for libraries affected by the storm indicated that the Bayou La Batre Public Library (then known as Mose Hudson Tapia Public Library) had been destroyed. Students from the Alba Middle School documented the destruction through a series of photos that were exhibited at various venues in Alabama and the Chicago , Illinois region. Some of these were published in a book titled Eyes of

800-446: The poverty line , including 26.20% of those under age 18 and 14.60% of those age 65 or over. 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

850-546: The 101st District, Republican Shane Stringer from the 102nd District, Democrat Barbara Drummond from the 103rd District, Republican Margie Wilcox from the 104th District, and Republican Chip Brown from the 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. Mobile County

900-534: The 2020 census) is majority minority with African-Americans making up 51.06% of its population. According to the 2010 census , the population of the county comprised the following racial and ethnic groups: 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 324 people per square mile (125 people/km ). There were 165,101 housing units at an average density of 134 units per square mile (52 units/km ). The racial makeup of

950-490: The 33rd District, by Republican Jack W. Williams from the 34th District, and by Republican David Sessions from the 35th District. The county is represented in the Alabama House of Representatives by Democrat Adline Clarke from the 97th District, Democrat Napoleon Bracy from the 98th District, Democrat Sam Jones from the 99th District, Republican Mark Shirey from the 100th District, Republican Chris Pringle from

1000-645: The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl". Another ship, the FV Cornelia Marie from the Deadliest Catch series, was built in Bayou La Batre in 1989. Bayou La Batre is located in southern Mobile County at 30°24′12″N 88°14′53″W  /  30.40333°N 88.24806°W  / 30.40333; -88.24806 (30.403253, -88.248117). The waterway Bayou La Batre passes through the center of

1050-854: 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

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1100-518: 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

1150-668: The Mobile County Commission for 16 months, beginning with the District 1 Commissioner. As of November 2020, Mobile County Commissioners are: Under the state constitution, the legislature maintains considerable power over county affairs. Mobile County is represented in the Alabama Legislature by three senators and nine representatives . It is represented in the Alabama Senate by Democrat Vivian Davis Figures from

1200-536: The Mobile Metropolitan Statistical Area with a 2020 population of 430,197. The Mobile, AL MSA and Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL MSA make up the much larger Mobile-Daphne-Fairhope CSA with a 2020 population of 661,964. The northern border of Mobile County and southern area of neighboring Washington County constitute the homeland of the state-recognized tribe of MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians , descendants of Choctaw and Creek who stayed in this area during

1250-577: The Storm: A Community Survives after Katrina ( ISBN   978-0-9789362-0-4 ). Immediately following the hurricane a group of high school students from Sierra High School in Truckee, California adopted the city of Bayou La Batre. They sent roughly $ 15,000, supplies, and 15 students to help rebuild homes. Students gathered donations, sold raffle tickets, and filled their school's gym with supplies from bedding and clothes to basic household items. The school also set up

1300-619: The Web after work. Bayou La Batre is mentioned in the 1994 film Forrest Gump and in Winston Groom 's book of the same name on which the movie is based as the home of Forrest's army buddy Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue, and later as the home of Forrest Gump himself during his time as a shrimp boat captain. Shrimping scenes in the film were filmed in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina , primarily in

1350-427: The area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina , with a local storm surge of nearly 16-foot (5 m) and higher waves that engulfed Bayou La Batre and pushed over 23 shrimp boats and the cargo ship M/V Caribbean Clipper onto shore. The captain rode out Katrina on the 179-foot (55 m) cargo ship, owned by Caribbean Shipping Inc., and the ship was returned to sea six months later, using a large crane. On September 7,

1400-543: The city and leads southwest 2 miles (3 km) to Portersville Bay, an arm of Mississippi Sound in the Gulf of Mexico . The city is 27 miles (43 km) by road south-southwest of Mobile and 12 miles (19 km) east of the Mississippi border. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (19.7 km),of which 7.5 square miles (19.4 km) are land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km), or 1.87%, are water. The climate in this area

1450-499: The city as the "Seafood Capitol of Alabama" for packaging seafood from hundreds of fishing boats. Bayou La Batre was founded in 1786, when French-born Joseph Bouzage (or Bosarge) [1733-1795] was awarded a 1,259-acre (509 ha) Spanish land grant on the West Bank of the bayou (see history below). The modern city of Bayou La Batre was incorporated in 1955. On August 29, 2005, the area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina , which produced

1500-530: The city was 52.44% White , 10.25% Black or African American , 0.26% Native American , 33.29% Asian , 0.43% Pacific Islander , 0.95% from other races , and 2.38% from two or more races. 1.90% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The large Asian population is attributable to a large influx of Vietnamese American shrimpers as immigrants following the Vietnam War as well as Cambodian and Laotian refugees and their children. Bayou la Batre

1550-704: The communities of Beaufort and Port Royal . In April 2005, Disney Studios launched a secretly built pirate ship, the Black Pearl , out of Bayou La Batre for filming sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl . Bayou La Batre's seafood industry also serves as a centerpiece for the History channel's reality documentary series Big Shrimpin' . 30°24′12″N 88°14′53″W  /  30.403253°N 88.248117°W  / 30.403253; -88.248117 Mobile County, Alabama Mobile County ( / m oʊ ˈ b iː l / moh- BEEL )

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1600-421: 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

1650-497: 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

1700-575: 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. 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

1750-490: The franchise after passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act , they tended to support the national Democratic Party. Today the population of Mobile County is majority white; at the time of the Civil War, it was majority black. In 2004, the incumbent Republican president George W. Bush won 59 percent of the vote and 92,014 votes. Democrat John F. Kerry won 40 percent of the vote and 63,732 votes. Other candidates won one percent of

1800-503: The high school building, greatly relieving overcrowding. Similarly, the Alba Elementary Campus which shared land with the middle school, while being mostly autonomous, also became part of Alba Middle School. Alba and Grand Bay Middle are the focal point of bus routes for all school buses for Bryant High, those buses shared in grades 6-12 as a cost-saving effort to avoid overlapping routes for the separate schools. In December 2007,

1850-481: The high school students attend. Additionally, a small number of city residents' children attend Dixon Elementary in Irvington. Both Alma Bryant and Booth Elementary are located on the northernmost edge of the city. Bryant, built in 1998, slightly delayed by Hurricane Georges , and Booth, built in 2006, delayed by Hurricane Katrina , are located on Hurricane Boulevard. Both schools' students were (in part) located in what

1900-527: The largest storm surge ever recorded in the area, reaching nearly 16 ft (5 m) and pushing many shrimp boats and the cargo ship M/V Caribbean Clipper onto shore. As part of the French settlement of the Gulf Coast, the bayou was originally called "Riviere D'Erbane" and acquired the present name from the French-maintained battery of artillery on the west bank ("bayou of the battery"). Bayou La Batre

1950-473: The period of Indian Removal . They have organized to preserve their culture and language. They were the first of nine tribes to be recognized by the state. 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

2000-540: The population was 60.3% white, 12.3% black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 22.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from some other race, 3.2% from two or more races and 2.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,313 people, 769 households, and 599 families residing in the city. The population density was 573.9 people per square mile (221.6 people/km). There were 845 housing units at an average density of 209.7 units per square mile (81.0 units/km). The racial makeup of

2050-592: 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 Alabama Baptist Convention, has an enrollment of about 2,000 and offers 90 academic majors. During the late 20th century, white conservatives left the Democratic Party for the Republican Party. In that same period, as African Americans regained their ability to exercise

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2100-604: The vote and 102,043 votes. His challenger, Democrat Vivian Figures , won 43 percent of the vote and 77,292 votes. 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. Cornelia Marie Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

2150-511: The vote. In the 2008 presidential election, Mobile County cast the majority of its votes for the Republican candidate John McCain . He won 54% of the vote and 98,049 votes. Democrat Barack Obama received 45% of the vote and 82,181 votes. Other candidates won 1% of the vote. In the Senate off-year election in 2008, Republican Jeff Sessions did better than John McCain. Sessions won 57 percent of

2200-492: The world including the United States, South America, and Africa have boats built in Bayou La Batre frequently. In 2005, Steiner Ship Yard was asked by Walt Disney Studios to build a pirate ship, the Black Pearl; the pitch-black ship was actually a huge wooden prop built on top of a modern 96-foot-long steel utility boat. Crews sailed the ship out of the bayou to the Caribbean for the filming of sequels to Disney's 2003 film "Pirates of

2250-414: 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

2300-428: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01, and the average family size was 3.40. The age distribution was 29.9% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males. The median income for

2350-459: Was a popular destination for such immigrants because it fostered and continues to foster a similar shrimping industry to that of Vietnam. There were 769 households, out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who

2400-459: Was called the Alabama Territory . Two years later, the county became part of the state of Alabama, granted statehood on December 14, 1819. 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 ,

2450-443: 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

2500-535: Was the first permanent settlement on the south Mobile County mainland and was founded in 1786, when Joseph Bouzage (Bosarge) [1733-95] moved into the area and was awarded a 1,259-acre (509 ha) Spanish land grant on the bayou's west bank. Born in Poitiers, France , Joseph Bouzage came to the Gulf Coast circa 1760, married Catherine Louise Baudreau (Boudreau) on June 5, 1762, and was the father of seven children, including one son, Jean Baptiste . On August 29, 2005,

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