Mobile AL

Mobile is a city on the southeastern coast of Alabama in the southern region of the United States.http://www.travelmath.com/city/Mobile,+AL It is the third-largest city in Alabama, with a population of almost 200,000.http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Alabama.html It is also the seat of Mobile County and its largest city.http://www.mobilecountyal.gov/government/govt_maps.htmlhttp://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile/ It was founded by French settlers in 1702 and is the oldest city in Alabama.http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1794 The city is named for Fort Louis de la Mobile, a French garrison near Mount Vernon.http://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile

The first celebration of Mardi Gras in the United States took place in Mobile in 1703.http://www.mobile.org/vis_mardigras_history.php Mobile Bay is the only seaport in Alabama, and in 1519 it was the first body of water in the New World to be accurately charted.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/386776/Mobilehttp://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile/ Half of Mobile's economy comes from businesses that rely on the waterway.http://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile/ Agricultural crops grown in Mobile include pecans, cotton, peanuts, soy and corn.http://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile/ Farmland takes up around 15 percent of the total acreage of Mobile County.http://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile/

Before becoming part of the Mississippi Territory in 1813, Mobile flew the flags of France, England and Spain.http://www.aces.edu/counties/Mobile/ Mobile became the capital of French Louisiana from its founding in 1702 until it moved permanently to New Orleans in 1718.http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsAmericas/ColoniesLouisiana.htm It became part of the United States in 1813 when General James Wilkinson led forces from New Orleans to capture Mobile from Spanish control.http://archives.state.al.us/brnzdrs/4.html

Mobile is located at latitude 30° 40'N and longitude 88° 05'W, taking up an area of 117 square miles.http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=406http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01/0150000.html It is located 131 miles northeast of New Orleans and 209 miles south of Birmingham, Alabama.http://www.travelmath.com/cities-near/Mobile,+AL Mobile receives more than five feet of rain each year, and a WeatherBill, Inc. survey declared it the wettest city in the contiguous United States.http://www.livescience.com/environment/070518_rainy_cities.html

• Battlefield Memorial Park: Visitors can walk the deck of the USS Alabama, a battleship that was part of the Pacific Fleet during World War II.http://www.ussalabama.com/about_park.php Other military crafts on display include the World War II-era submarine the USS Drum and aircraft flown by the Tuskegee Airmen.http://www.ussalabama.com/images/BROCH_07.pdf
• The National African-American Archives and Museum: Exhibits showcase the history of African-Americans in the United States, from slavery and segregation to modern times. The museum is housed in the former building of Mobile's blacks-only library, which was open until the mid-1960s.http://nationalafricanamericanarchives.org/about.htm
• The Bragg-Mitchell Mansion: Historical tours are available of this Antebellum-era mansion, which is part of the National Register of Historic Places.http://www.braggmitchellmansion.com/about.php
• Mobile Botanical Gardens: The site has 100 acres of flowers and plants, including a 27-acre longleaf pine habitat.http://www.mobilebotanicalgardens.org/
• Gulf Coast Exploreum: This museum has 150 hands-on exhibits for children and adults, showcasing scientific principles.http://www.mobilebotanicalgardens.org/

• Hank Aaron: Hall of Fame baseball playerhttp://www.biography.com/articles/Hank-Aaron-9173497
• Jimmy Buffett: Musicianhttp://www.cmt.com/artists/az/buffett_jimmy/bio.jhtml
• Winston Groom: Authorhttp://www.winstongroombooks.com/profile.html
• Orlando Jones: Actorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0428963/
• Richard Tyson: Actorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0879186/