Mobile: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

The Mobile County Public School System is the oldest in the state and encompasses five separate school districts. The system educates 65,000 students and employs more than 7,000 people. The school system completed the largest building program in its history with the opening of Spencer Elementary School in the fall of 1999. Spencer Elementary was the last project in the Phase I Building Program that consisted of one high school, two middle schools, five elementary schools, and six additions to existing elementary schools. The school system then began another aggressive building program that includes several new elementary schools. In 2001, voters passed a bond to increase funding for the school system.; currently the systems' budget exceeds $400 million yearly.

The school system, the Mobile Chamber of Commerce, and area businesses and training organizations work together to provide vocational training for Mobile students. Programs include Family and Consumer Sciences Education; Health Science; Agriscience and Technology; Business/Marketing Education; Career/Technical Cooperative Education; Career Technology; and the School-to-Work program. One of the few of its kind, the Environmental Studies Center offers more than 500 acres of woodlands and teaches students and the community about the natural environment.

The following is a summary of data regarding Mobile's public schools as of the 2002–2003 fiscal year.

Total enrollment: 65,000

Number of facilities

elementary schools: 55

middle schools: 16

senior high schools: 14

other: 15 magnet, vocational and other

Student/teacher ratio: 16:1

Teacher salaries (2004-05)

minimum: $29,538

maximum: $48,832

Funding per pupil: $3,955

In addition to the many parochial and private schools in Mobile county, the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science is a residential high school educating sophomores, juniors, and seniors in advanced studies of math, science, and technology.

Public Schools Information: Mobile County Schools, PO Box 1327, Mobile, AL 36633; telephone (251)221-4000

Colleges and Universities

Two private institutions and one state-supported school offer college degrees in the Mobile area. The University of South Alabama is a state school that offers bachelor's and master's degrees and enrolls more than 13,000 students. The University of Mobile, a private institution, is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Church. Spring Hill College is a private Catholic institution. Mobile is also served by three technical and trade schools, including an aviation school; a branch of Montgomery's Faulkner University offering 2-year degrees; and four campuses of Bishop State Community College.

Libraries and Research Centers

The Mobile Public Library maintains seven branches, bookmobiles, and a collection of more than 400,000 volumes, as well as CDs, films, and tapes. In 2005 major renovations were underway of the library's main branch, bringing about a temporary location move to the Mobile Civic Center's Expo Hall. Much of the material in the library's special collections focuses on regional history. The system's specialized libraries in the area maintain holdings on fine arts, banking and finance, law, sports, and health sciences.

Research centers in the Mobile area include mineralization and primate research laboratories at the University of South Alabama, which also supports a Center for Business and Economic Research. On nearby Dauphin Island, 22 Alabama universities and colleges maintain a Sea Lab research complex for marine studies. Paper and pollution are among the subjects studied at the Erling Riis Research Laboratory. When completed in 2006, the University of South Alabama's new USA Cancer Research Institute (USACRI) is expected to serve an estimated 2.5 million people in 42 Gulf Coast counties of Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.

Public Library Information: Mobile Public Library, 700 Government St., Mobile, AL 36602-1403; telephone (251)208-7106

Mobile: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1980: 444,000

1990: 476,923

2000: 540,258

Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.3%

U.S. rank in 1980: 74th

U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported

U.S. rank in 2000: 78th

City Residents

1980: 200,452

1990: 199,973

2000: 198,915

2003 estimate: 193,464

Percent change, 1990–2000: -.3%

U.S. rank in 1980: 72nd

U.S. rank in 1990: 79th (State rank: 2nd)

U.S. rank in 2000: 105th (State rank: 3rd)

Density: 1,687.1 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 100,251

Black or African American: 92,068

American Indian and Alaska Native: 487

Asian: 3,022

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 52

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 2,828

Other: 1,046

Percent of residents born in state: 72.7% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 14,480

Population 5 to 9 years old: 15,100

Population 10 to 14 years old: 14,495

Population 15 to 19 years old: 14,754

Population 20 to 24 years old: 15,387

Population 25 to 34 years old: 27,076

Population 35 to 44 years old: 28,613

Population 45 to 54 years old: 25,207

Population 55 to 59 years old: 8,830

Population 60 to 64 years old: 7,700

Population 65 to 74 years old: 13,778

Population 75 to 84 years old: 9,968

Population 85 years and older: 3,527

Median age: 34.3 years

Births (2002)

Total number: 5,830

Deaths (2002)

Total number: 3,929 (of which, 60 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $18,072

Median household income: $31,445

Total households: 78,548

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 13,142

$10,000 to $14,999: 7,145

$15,000 to $24,999: 12,026

$25,000 to $34,999: 10,400

$35,000 to $49,999: 12,155

$50,000 to $74,999: 12,450

$75,000 to $99,999: 5,211

$100,000 to $149,999: 3,597

$150,000 to $199,999: 1,055

$200,000 or more: 1,367

Percent of families below poverty level: 17.9% (63.3% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 17,949

Mobile , city (1990 pop. 196,278), seat of Mobile co., SW Ala., at the head of Mobile Bay and at the mouth of the Mobile River; inc. 1814. Mobile is one of the country's major ports, the only seaport in Alabama, and the second largest city in the state. It has an important history as a shipping and shipbuilding center. The city's economy is primarily based on its oil refineries and industries that produce paper, textiles, aluminum, and chemicals. There is also iron smelting. Commerce through the port of Mobile increased greatly following the completion of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in 1984.

A settlement was founded on the site of Mobile in 1710 by the sieur de Bienville, and it was the capital of French Louisiana from 1710 to 1719. The British held it from 1763 to 1780, when Bernardo de Gálvez took it for Spain. Mobile was seized for the Americans by Gen. James Wilkinson in 1813. During the Civil War, ships from Mobile evaded the Union blockade until Admiral Farragut's victory at Mobile Bay (1864); Gen. E. R. S. Canby captured the city in Apr., 1865.

Mobile has many beautiful antebellum homes and magnificent gardens. Also noteworthy are a Roman Catholic cathedral, the city hall (1858), and Marine Hospital (1842). Of historical interest are the homes of Admiral Raphael Semmes and Gen. Braxton Bragg, the headquarters of Gen. Canby, and forts Morgan and Gaines at the entrance to Mobile Bay. Mobile is the seat of Spring Hill College (the oldest in the state), the Univ. of Mobile, and the Univ. of South Alabama. A Coast Guard aviation training center and Battleship Memorial Park, with the USS Alabama and the USS Drum submarine, are there. The colorful annual Mardi Gras was begun in the early 1700s; the Azalea Trail Festival dates from 1929. The Bankhead Tunnel lies under the Mobile River.

Bibliography: See C. Donelson, Mobile: Sunbelt Center of Opportunity (1986).

Mobile: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

Mobile's largest-circulation newspaper is The Mobile Register, Alabama's oldest newspaper, dating back to 1813. The Mobile Press combines with the Register on weekends and prints as The Mobile Press Register. Two African-American-oriented newspapers, the Mobile Beacon and The New Times, are published in Mobile. Other publications focus on industry, education, and Christian themes.

Television and Radio

Mobile is served by five local television stations and receives broadcasts from other stations originating in Pensacola, Florida, and Huntsville, Alabama. Mobile's 6 AM radio stations broadcast a range of rock and roll, contemporary, and country and western music as well as religious and news programming. The city's 8 FM radio stations program classical, jazz, popular, easy listening, urban, and progressive music.

Media Information: The Mobile Register, 304 Government Street, PO Box 2488, Mobile, AL 36630; telephone (251)219-5400

Mobile Online

Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel. Available www.touralabama.org

Alabama Development Office. Available www.ado.state.al.us

City of Mobile home page. Available www.cityofmobile.org

Mobile Bay Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Available www.mobile.org

Mobile Chamber of Commerce. Available www.mobilechamber.com

Mobile County Public Schools. Available www.mcpss.com

Mobile Museum of Art. Available www.mobilemuseumofart.com

Mobile Public Library. Available www.mplonline.org

Mobile Register. Available www.al.com/mobileregister

Selected Bibliography

Bergeron, Arthur W., Jr., Confederate Mobile (Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1991)

Pride, Richard A., The Confession of Dorothy Danner: Telling a Life. (Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 1995)

Mobile

The City in Brief

Founded: 1702 (incorporated 1819)

Head Official: Mayor Michael C. Dow (N-P) (since 1989)

City Population

1980: 200,452

1990: 199,973

2000: 198,915

2003 estimate: 193,464

Percent change, 1990–2000: -.3%

U.S. rank in 1980: 72nd

U.S. rank in 1990: 79th

U.S. rank in 2000: 105th (State rank: 3rd)

Metropolitan Area Population

1980: 444,000

1990: 476,923

2000: 540,258

Percent change, 1990–2000: 13.3%

U.S. rank in 1980: 74th

U.S. rank in 1990: Not reported

U.S. rank in 2000: 78th

Area: 118 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 211 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 68° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 66 inches

Major Economic Sectors: Wholesale and retail trade, services, government

Unemployment rate: 6.0% (November 2004)

Per Capita Income: $18,072 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 17,949

Major Colleges and Universities: University of South Alabama, University of Mobile, Spring Hill College

Daily Newspaper: The Mobile Register

Mobile: Transportation

Approaching the City

The Mobile Regional Airport is located approximately 14 miles from downtown Mobile. Air travelers are served by Delta, Northwest Airlines, Continental Express, and U.S. Airways. The Downtown Airport at Brookley is a 1,700-acre transportation terminal favored by private and corporate planes for its proximity to downtown Mobile, which is only four minutes away by car. Motorists may reach Mobile via two interstate highways, I-10 and I-65, and by U.S. highways 31, 43, 45, 90, and 98. A $100 million interstate spur completed in 1995 connects I-65 and I-10 in downtown Mobile. In addition, several state roads head into the city. Amtrak provides passenger rail service between Mobile and New Orleans, Atlanta, and New York.

Traveling in the City

The Mobile Metro Transit Authority operates more than twenty local bus routes to serve the area's transit needs. The Transit Authority also operates an electric-run trolley through downtown Mobile, Monday through Friday. The LoDa moda! makes 22 stops to downtown businesses, parks, hotels, and city buildings, and is free of charge.

Mobile: Health Care

Mobile offers a full range of basic and specialty health care in five general hospitals, a women's and children's hospital, both a public and a private mental health hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, outpatient surgery centers, and more than 850 physicians and 175 dentists. A designated regional trauma center, the University of South Alabama Medical Center has a Level I Trauma Center, an emergency helicopter, the region's only burn center, and a cancer center. The University also boasts the USA Children's and Women's Hospital, with sophisticated facilities and services, and Knollwood Park Hospital; the institution also provides instruction through its colleges of medicine, nursing, and allied health professions. The Mobile Infirmary Medical Center is the state's largest not-for-profit hospital and includes cardiac and cancer services plus a 50-bed rehabilitation hospital. Mobile's other hospitals include Providence Hospital, Springhill Medical Center, Thomas Hospital, and Mercy Medical.

Mobile: Convention Facilities

Downtown Mobile boasts the 400,000-square-foot Mobile Civic Center Complex, which features a 10,000-seat arena and 80,000 square feet of exhibit space. There are also a 28,000-square-foot exposition hall, a 1,950-seat theater, and ample meeting rooms.

Part of the downtown revitalization program is the Mobile Convention Center, a $50 million facility that opened in 1993. The center offers 100,000 square feet of exhibit space, 50,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, and a 52,000-square-foot area for registration and receptions. The center is adjacent to the Adam's Mark Hotel. Among Mobile's other convention facilities are a dozen hotels, with meeting rooms for groups of 100 to 5,000 people.

Convention Information: Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, PO Box 204, Mobile AL 36601; telephone (800)5-MOBILE or (251)208-2000

Mobile City-port at the mouth of Mobile River, sw Alabama, USA. Settled in 1711 by the French, it was ceded to Britain in 1763 and seized by the United States in 1813. During the Civil War (1861–65), Mobile was the scene of a battle between Federal and Confederate naval forces. Exports: cotton, coal, agricultural and forest products. Industries: textiles, paper, timber, aluminum, chemicals, oil refining, shipbuilding. Pop. (2000) 198,915.

Mobile: Municipal Government

Mobile has a mayor/council form of government made up of seven council members plus the mayor who are elected for four-year terms.

Head Official: Mayor Michael C. Dow (N-P) (since October 1989; current term expires 2005)

Total Number of City Employees: 2,450 (2005)

City Information: City of Mobile, PO Box 1827, Mobile, AL, 36633-1827; telephone (251)208-7209

Mobile, Alabama/USA Founded in 1702 when a French fort was moved here from further up the Mobile River. The present name is probably a French version of the name of a local Native American tribe, the Mauvillas, which meant ‘canoe peddler’; however, it may come from Maubila, the name of an old native town lying on the river and also named after the tribe.

mobile •aisle, Argyle, awhile, beguile, bile, Carlisle, Carlyle, compile, De Stijl, ensile, file, guile, I'll, interfile, isle, Kabyle, kyle, lisle, Lyle, Mikhail, mile, Nile, pile, rank-and-file, resile, rile, Ryle, Sieg Heil, smile, spile, stile, style, tile, vile, Weil, while, wile, worthwhile •labile, stabile •immobile, mobile •nubile • aedile • crocodile • cinephile •profile • audiophile • bibliophile •Francophile • Anglophile •technophile • necrophile •Russophile •paedophile (US pedophile) •agile, fragile •chamomile •penile, senile •juvenile • stockpile • isopropyl •woodpile • sterile • febrile • virile •puerile • facile • decile • flexile •extensile, prehensile, tensile •fissile, missile •domicile • docile • reconcile