Foley is a city in
Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. The
2010 census lists the population of the city as 14,618.
["Census 2010 Demographic Profile Data" (for Foley, AL), US Census Bureau, 2010, webpage: .] Foley is a principal city of the
Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area
Baldwin County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, on the Gulf coast. It is one of only two counties in Alabama that border the Gulf of Mexico, along with Mobile County. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...
, which includes all of Baldwin County.
History
Foley was named for its founder, John B. Foley of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. As Foley was traveling to President
William McKinley's funeral in 1901, he met a railroad agent who told him of the area in South Baldwin County. Foley came down the following year, and he liked what he saw and bought up to between and of land. He then returned to Chicago and formed the Magnolia Springs Land Company, currently known as the Magnolia Land Company. As he began to sell off acreage, he realized the need for a better way for the people to come to Foley.
Foley used some of his own money to lay the rails so the train could come from Bay Minette. The first railroad station was built in 1905. The original station burned in 1908 and was replaced the following year by the station that is now the city's museum. John Foley donated parcels of land for a school, railroad station, park and churches. These included the current Catholic Church, Saint Margaret of Scotland, the Baptist church and the Methodist church. He also invested in a hotel, a demonstration farm, a bank and the utility company.
The first train to service Foley was a wood burner called the "Pine Knot Special." It would leave Foley in the morning and make a return trip in the afternoon. As people cleared the land, they would place lighter knots in a wood box for the engineer to use as was needed. Foley was incorporated in 1915 with G. I. Weatherly serving as its first mayor.
Geography
Foley is located at 30°24'20.138" North, 87°40'53.432" West (30.405594, -87.681509).
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.4% is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to off ...
, there were 20,335 people, 8,090 households, and 4,298 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 14,618 people, 6,165 households, and 4,124 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,359 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.1%
White, 14.9%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 1.1%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander, 4.7% from
other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 9.5% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 6,165 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 20.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,221, and the median income for a family was $50,854. Males had a median income of $36,959 versus $26,855 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $22,967. About 15.4% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 35.9% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Foley is a part of the
Baldwin County Public Schools
The Baldwin County Board of Education oversees most public schools in Baldwin County, Alabama, and is based in Bay Minette, Alabama. The Board serves the entire county. Over 30,000 students are within the supervision of the Board. 3,400 employe ...
system. An elementary school, an intermediate school, a middle school, and a high school serve the city of Foley.
Schools
Post-secondary school
*
Fortis College
High school
*
Foley High School (9-12)
Middle school
* Foley Middle School (7-8)
Primary schools
* Foley Intermediate School (5-6)
* Foley Elementary School (K-4)
*Magnolia Elementary Schools (K-6)
Foley Public Library
The Foley Public Library has in excess of 50,000 volumes, internet computers, children's reading programs and public meeting rooms for civic organizations.
Points of interest
The
City of Foley Antique Rose Trail
The City of Foley Antique Rose Trail, also known as the Wilbourne Antique Rose Trail, or just the Antique Rose Trail is a one-mile long asphalt-covered rail trail in Foley, Alabama. Opened in 2007, it passes through downtown Foley and features ma ...
features over five hundred varieties of fragrant roses.
OWA is a 520-acre resort destination located in Foley, AL, near the commercial corridor of S McKenzie street. Owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, OWA's name is inspired from the Muscogee Creek term meaning “big water.” It opened in 2017, being centered around an artificial lake with an island(Dubbed Gravity Island), similarly to another Entertainment District, Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC. The resort features a Entertainment, Shopping, and Dining section called Downtown OWA, a amusement park section called The Park at OWA, with rides being supplied by Italian manufacturer Zamperla, including a rollercoaster called Rollin' Thunder, a copy of Thunderbolt at Zamperla's Luna Park, and a Marriott TownPlace Suites Hotel. A water park expansion is coming soon in 2022, featuring an indoor half and outdoor half. OWA also held the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival for 2021.
The Commercial corridor features a variety of shops, including a Tanger Outlet.
Notable people
*
Justin Anderson Justin Anderson may refer to:
* Justin Anderson (baseball) (born 1992), American baseball player
* Justin Anderson (basketball) (born 1993), American basketball player
* Justin Anderson (linebacker) (born 1991), American football linebacker
* Justi ...
, professional football
linebacker
*
Fannie Flagg, actress, comedienne, and author of ''
Fried Green Tomatoes
''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel ''Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, Jessic ...
'' and other novels, lived in Fairhope for a time
*
D. J. Fluker, former
offensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...
for the
Alabama Crimson Tide and current
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
Free Agent
*
Julio Jones, former
wide receiver for the
Alabama Crimson Tide and current wide receiver for the
Tennessee Titans
*
Everett A. Kelly
Everett A. Kelly (September 2, 1926 – November 13, 2018) was an American politician who served as a Member of the Florida House of Representatives representing Florida's 35th House district, 35th district from 1978 to 1982, the Florida's 46th H ...
, member of the
Florida House of Representatives
The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...
from 1978 to 1982
*
Robert Lester, professional football
defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
*
Bubba Marriott
Francis "Bubba" Marriott (born December 25, 1938) is a former American football quarterback who played one season with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He played college football at Troy State College. He was also a memb ...
, football player
*
Ken Stabler
Kenneth Michael Stabler (December 25, 1945 – July 8, 2015) was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. Nicknamed "Snake", he played col ...
, former
quarterback for the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
,
Houston Oilers and
New Orleans Saints in the NFL, and the
Alabama Crimson Tide in collegiate football
*
Chris Watton
Christopher Lee Watton (born October 6, 1977) is a former American football offensive lineman for the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League.
High school years
Watton attended Foley High School in Foley, Alabama and was a student and played ...
, former professional football offensive lineman
Activities
The City of Foley Museum & Archives and Model Train Exhibit is located in a restored train depot from the early 1900s. It holds archives for the City of Foley as well as railroad memorabilia.
Holmes Medical Museum is located in downtown Foley and was the first hospital in Baldwin County. It has a doctor's sled on display as well as a large collection of 20th century medical equipment.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Alabama
Cities in Baldwin County, Alabama