Bay Minette, Alabama: Difference between revisions

{{useUse mdy dates|date=JanuaryMarch 20222024}}

In the first days of Baldwin County, the town of [[McIntosh Bluff]] (now in [[Mobile County, Alabama|Mobile County]], west of Baldwin County) on the [[Tombigbee River]] was the county seat. After being transferred to the town of [[Blakeley, Alabama|Blakeley]] in 1810, the county seat was later moved to the city of [[Daphne, Alabama|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<ref name=images>{{cite book | title = Images of America: Baldwin County | author = John C. Lewis and Harriet Brill Outlaw | year = 2009 | publisher = Arcadia Publishing | isbn = 978-0-7385-6834-8 | pages = 14–16}}</ref> and delivered them to the city of Bay Minette, where the Baldwin County seat remains to this day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Various Historical Compilations about Baldwin County, Alabama |work=Baldwin County, Alabama |publisher=Baldwin County, AL |year=2009 |url=http://www.co.baldwin.al.us/PageView.asp?PageType=R&edit_id=156 |access-date=5 January 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828012023/http://www.co.baldwin.al.us/PageView.asp?PageType=R&edit_id=156 |archive-date=28 August 28, 2007 }}</ref> A mural for the new post office built in 1937 was commissioned by the [[Works Progress Administration|WPA]] and painted by [[Hilton Leech]] to commemorate this event.<ref name=images/>

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.<ref>{{cite news| title=Ala. town's criminals get choice: Jail or church| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/23/national/main20110680.shtml| access-date=24 September 24, 2011| newspaper=CBS News| date=23 September 23, 2011}}</ref> However, this program was challenged due to violating [[separation of church and state]], and the program's start was delayed for judicial review.<ref>Cox, Carmen. (2011-09-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.</ref> It appears to have been scrapped.

Bay Minette is located near the center of Baldwin County in southern Alabama at {{Coord|30|53|0|N|87|46|38|W|type:city}} (30.883446, -87.777183).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-April 23, 2011|date=2011-02-February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> It is sited on high ground {{convert|5|mi|0}} east of the [[Mobile River]]/[[Tensaw River]] valley and {{convert|6|mi|0}} west of the [[Florida]] border formed by the [[Perdido River]]. [[U.S. Route 31 in Alabama|U.S. Route 31]] passes through the center of the city, leading south to [[Spanish Fort, Alabama|Spanish Fort]] and northeast to [[Atmore, Alabama|Atmore]]. [[Interstate 65 (Alabama)|Interstate 65]] passes about {{convert|5|mi|0}} north of the city, with access from exit 34 ([[State Route 59 (Alabama)|State Route 59]]) and exit 37 ([[State Route 287 (Alabama)|State Route 287]]).

|+Bay Minette racial composition<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US0104660&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-December 14, 2021|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

As of the [[census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 7, 2015-07-07|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, there were 8,040 people, 2,744 households, and 1,884 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|930|PD/sqmi}} . There were 3,586 housing units at an average density of {{convert|417|sqmi}} . The racial makeup of the city was 60.4% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 35.3% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 1.0% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.8% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.8% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.7% from two or more races. 1.8% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bay Minette Municipal Government |publisher=City of Bay Minette |url=http://www.cityofbayminette.org/PageView.aspx?ID=2 |access-date=5 January 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010172658/http://www.cityofbayminette.org/PageView.aspx?ID=2 |archive-date=10 October 10, 2009 }}</ref>

Bay Minette is a part of the [[Baldwin County Public Schools]] system.<ref>{{cite web | title = Baldwin County Public Schools | publisher = SchoolInSites.com | year = 2010 | url = http://www.bcbe.org/ | access-date = 5 January 5, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100111201524/http://www.bcbe.org/| archive-date= 11 January 11, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Portions of the movie ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' were filmed near the town's [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] depot,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Spielberg|first1=Steven|title=Close Encounters of the Third Kind|website=[[IMDb]]|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075860/locations|date=14 December 14, 1977}}</ref> and ''[[Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood]]'' was filmed in rural portions of Baldwin County near Bay Minette.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.northbaldwinchamber.com/DNBLandings|title=#DNBLandings|website=www.northbaldwinchamber.com|access-date=June 9, 2018-06-09|archive-date=June 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220624232524/http://www.northbaldwinchamber.com/DNBLandings|url-status=dead}}</ref>

*[[Ellis Hooks]], soul blues singer and songwriter was born here<ref name="AMG">{{cite web|author=Thom Jurek |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ellis-hooks-mn0000795951/biography |title=Ellis Hooks &#124; Biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=2014-02-February 16, 2014}}</ref>