Spanish Fort is a city in

Baldwin County, Alabama 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 popul ...

, United States, located on the eastern shore of

Mobile Bay Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. T ...

. The 2020 census lists the population of the city as 10,049. It is a suburb of Mobile and is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area.

History

The city of Spanish Fort is rich in history dating as far back as 1712 with the founding of Mobile by

Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville (; ; February 23, 1680 – March 7, 1767), also known as Sieur de Bienville, was a French-Canadian colonial administrator in New France. Born in Montreal, he was an early governor of French Louisiana, appo ...

of France. Spanish Fort was originally the site of a trading post established by French-occupied Mobile. Following the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, a large area on the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

including the trading post was ceded to the British in 1763. During the Revolutionary War after the Spanish took Mobile and surrounding areas in the

Battle of Fort Charlotte The Battle of Fort Charlotte, also known as the siege of Fort Charlotte, was a two-week siege conducted by Spanish general Bernardo de Gálvez against the Kingdom of Great Britain, British fortifications guarding the port of Mobile, Alabama, Mo ...

, a ''presidio'' or military fort was built on the site of the old trading post. This "Spanish Fort" was the site of a

counterattack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "Military exercise, war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objecti ...

by British forces dispatched from

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

in 1781. The British were driven back and unsuccessful in recapturing the area. Following the

Adams–Onís Treaty The Adams–Onís Treaty () of 1819, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty, the Spanish Cession, the Florida Purchase Treaty, or the Florida Treaty,Weeks, p. 168. was a treaty between the United States and Spain in 1819 that ceded Florida to ...

, Spanish Fort, as it was now commonly referred to, was officially property of the United States. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Spanish Fort was heavily fortified as an eastern defense to the city of Mobile. Fort Huger, Fort (Battery) Tracey, Fort (Battery) McDermott, Fort Alexis, Red Fort, and Old Spanish Fort were all part of the Mobile defenses in what is now Spanish Fort. After the Union victory in the

Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

, Mobile nevertheless remained in

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

hands. Union forces embarked on a land campaign in early 1865 to take Mobile from the east. Spanish Fort was the site of the

Battle of Spanish Fort The Battle of Spanish Fort took place from March 27 to April 8, 1865, in Baldwin County, Alabama, as part of the Mobile Campaign of the Western Theater of the American Civil War. After the Union victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Mobile ne ...

in the Mobile Campaign of the war. Its fall allowed Union forces to concentrate on Fort Blakeley to the north, and hence destroy the last organized resistance east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. The falls of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley permitted Union troops to subsequently enter Mobile unopposed after the conclusion of the Civil War. Since incorporating on July 19, 1993, Spanish Fort has seen significant growth. Eastern Shore Centre, an open air regional shopping complex, opened on November 17, 2004. Spanish Fort Town Center contributed to the municipality's substantial commercial development, despite having ongoing issues with vacancies. On November 1, 2012, groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the northwest corner of Spanish Fort Boulevard and Blakeley Way, site of the new Spanish Fort Community Center. Though progress on the construction was often hindered by rainy weather and other hurdles, the administrative staff officially occupied the new facility in September 2015. The center is home to the city library, administrative offices, the mayor's office, and other city-run services. The municipal complex is roughly 30,000 square feet and cost the city approximately $5 million to build. The complex sits on 17-acres of prime land and features a large pond with two fountains and a pavilion. The city also hosts community outreach events along with city council and budget meetings.

Geography

Spanish Fort is located at 30°40'7.403" North, 87°55'19.844" West (30.668723, -87.922179), above the east shore of the

Blakeley River The Blakeley River is a distributary river in Baldwin County, Alabama that forms part of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. It branches off from the Apalachee River at . From there it flows southward for approximately before emptying into Mobile B ...

where it enters Mobile Bay. U.S. Routes 90 and 98 (Battleship Parkway) lead west across 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 ...

and its distributaries to Mobile.

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

passes just to the south of Spanish Fort, with access from exits 35 and 38, and leads west across Mobile Bay to Mobile as well. 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 ...

, Spanish Fort has a total area of , of which is land and , or 14.08%, is water.

Education

Spanish Fort is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system under direction of Superintendent Eddie Tyler. Three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school serve Spanish Fort. As enrollment numbers have risen, the high school as well as Rockwell Elementary School have had building additions. Baldwin County Public Schools was approved by the County Commission to establish a four-year, $60 million loan to fund the new additions across the county. This included opening Stonebridge Elementary School in 2022.

Schools

Secondary schools *

Spanish Fort High School Spanish Fort High School is a high school in Spanish Fort, Alabama, United States that was founded in 2005 and graduated its first class in 2008. The school serves grades 9- 12 and is part of the Baldwin County Public Schools. Campus The ca ...

(9-12) * Spanish Fort Middle School (6-8) Elementary schools (both K-5) * Spanish Fort Elementary School * Rockwell Elementary School * Stonebridge Elementary School

Demographics

2010 Census data

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 6,798 people, 2,861 households, and 1,910 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,250 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.8%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.6% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 2,861 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $65,244, and the median income for a family was $76,469. Males had a median income of $58,958 versus $36,695 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $32,856. About 1.8% of families and 3.2% 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 1.1% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census data

The 2020 Census calculated a population in Spanish Fort, Alabama as 10,049, with 3,278 households and 1,946 families. With a 47.8% increase in population from the 2010 census, Spanish Fort is now the 2nd fastest growing city in the state of Alabama, right behind Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Transportation

Countywide

dial-a-ride Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...

transit service is provided by the Baldwin Regional Area Transit System (BRATS).

Notes

External links

City of Spanish Fort official websiteHistoric Blakeley State Park
north of the city
5 Rivers Delta Resource Center
{{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Baldwin County, Alabama Populated places established in 1712 Populated coastal places in Alabama