Satsuma is a city in Mobile County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 6,749, up from 6,168 at the 2010 census. Known prior to 1915 as "Fig Tree Island", the city was named after the satsuma orange, which was successfully cultivated and grown in Alabama starting in 1878, a gift from

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Satsuma is a part of the

Mobile metropolitan area The Mobile Metropolitan Area comprises Mobile County, Alabama, Mobile in the southwest corner of Alabama in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the metropolitan area had a population of 430,197. The Mobile metropoli ...

History

The area was inhabited for thousands of years by differing cultures of

indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. * 1878 – Farmers introduced Mandarin

Satsuma Satsuma may refer to: * Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit * ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails Places Japan * Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town * Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture * Satsuma Domain, a ...

oranges to Alabama from Japan for cultivation. * 1900 – Satsuma area known as Fig Tree Island * 1910 – Pace Orange Orchard had about of pecans and satsuma trees on the area. * 1915 – Town named "Satsuma" * 1918 – Norman E. McConaghy hired as manager of the Satsuma Orange & Pecan Groves Company * 1922 – Packing house built; still stands above Mac's Landing * 1912-1924 – Satsuma trees damaged by cold weather and

citrus canker Citrus canker is a disease affecting ''Citrus'' species caused by the bacterium '' Xanthomonas citri''. Infection causes lesions on the leaves, stems, and fruit of citrus trees, including lime, oranges, and grapefruit. While not harmful to huma ...

* 1959 – Plans for a town charter submitted to the County of Mobile and the State of Alabama were approved. April 6, 1959, was the first municipal election. * 2011 – Satsuma breaks away from the Mobile County school system and starts working on its own curriculum.

Geography

Satsuma is in northeastern Mobile County; it is bordered to the southwest by Saraland, to the northeast by Creola, and to the southeast by an undeveloped extension of the city of Mobile. U.S. Route 43 and

Interstate 65 Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway System, interstate highway in the central United States. As with most primary interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between th ...

are the main highways through Saraland, intersecting at the northern edge of the city. Downtown Mobile is to the south. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Satsuma has a total area of , of which , or 0.68%, are water. The city is bordered to the east by Gunnison Creek, a tidal tributary of Bayou Sara, which leads to the

Mobile River The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. Formed out of the confluence of the Tombigbee and Alabama rivers, the approximately river drains an area of of Alabama, with a watershed extending into Mississippi, Georg ...

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 5,687 people in 2,017 households, including 1,688 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 2,107 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.72% White, 5.05% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 2,017 households 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 14.8% of households were one person and 6.8% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.10. The age distribution was 26.0% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median household income was $50,496 and the median family income was $53,180. Males had a median income of $39,123 versus $24,851 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,972. About 4.7% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 6,168 people in 2,290 households, including 1,774 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 2,416 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.7% White, 7.9% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 1.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 2,290 households 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 18.8% of households were one person and 8.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.05. The age distribution was 23.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% 65 or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males. The median household income was $59,289 and the median family income was $63,333. Males had a median income of $46,938 versus $33,791 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,087. About 0% of families and 0.7% of the population were below the

, including 0% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,749 people, 2,205 households, and 1,705 families residing in the city.

Education

Satsuma is served by the Satsuma City School System, following the successful separation from the Mobile County Public School System in 2012. Satsuma voted on April 12, 2011, to create its own school system. The Satsuma City School System is served by two schools, Robert E. Lee Elementary (K-6) and Satsuma High School (7-12).

Before separation from Mobile

Before the Satsuma City School System was founded, the schools that served Satsuma included Robert E. Lee Primary School (Kindergarten through 2), Robert E. Lee Intermediate School (3 through 5), North Mobile County Middle School (6-8), Satsuma High School (9-12). Lee Primary, Lee Intermediate, and Satsuma High were in the city of Satsuma, while North Mobile County Middle was in

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

.Phillips, Rena Havner.
Satsuma mulls split from Mobile County schools
" ''

Mobile Press-Register The ''Press-Register'' (known from 1997 to 2006 as the ''Mobile Register'') was a newspaper serving the southwest Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin. The newspaper is a descendant of one founded in 1813, making the ''Press-Register'' Alab ...

''. Tuesday October 5, 2010. Retrieved on October 22, 2010. Before the Saraland City Schools system formed, Satsuma residents attended Adams Middle School in Saraland. In 2003, officials of Satsuma, Saraland, and

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

contemplated forming the "Delta School District." Such a split would have required an act from the

Alabama Legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both cham ...

. In June 2006, the City of Saraland voted to break away from the Mobile County Public School System and form its own school system. On September 7, 2010 North Mobile County Middle School opened, replacing the role of Adams Middle School in Saraland, because residents outside of Saraland are no longer zoned to Adams Middle.Phillips, Rena Havner.
Video: North Mobile County Middle School opens its doors in Axis
" ''

''. Tuesday September 7, 2010. Retrieved on October 22, 2010. "North Mobile County Middle School students 6th grader Derrick Boykin, 12, and 7th grader Amanda Daniels, 12, walk down a sidewalk on the first day of classes at the school Tuesday, September 7, 2010. The newly completed $14 million school was built to accommodate students displaced by Saraland's split from the Mobile County system. " Satsuma residents considered leaving Mobile County schools since circa 2001.Havner, Rena.
School distance key issue in proposed Satsuma split from Mobile public schools
" AL.com. January 24, 2011. Retrieved on June 14, 2016. In 2010, the City of Satsuma began conducting a study on whether it can split from the Mobile County school system. Tom Williams, a council member of Satsuma, said he began considering splitting once Mobile County decided to situate the new middle school in Axis, from Satsuma, since students have longer bus rides to the school and that the school is further away from fire and police stations. The Mobile County government built the school outside of the Satsuma city limits so the city government would be unable to possess the school if it opted to secede.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Mobile County, Alabama 1959 establishments in Alabama