Fairhope, Alabama | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Fairhope | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: "You've arrived" | |
 Location in Baldwin County, Alabama | |
| Coordinates:30°29′30″N87°52′40″W / 30.49167°N 87.87778°W /30.49167; -87.87778[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Baldwin |
| Founded | November 15, 1894 |
| Incorporated | April 25, 1908[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| Area | |
• City | 14.53 sq mi (37.64 km2) |
| • Land | 14.47 sq mi (37.49 km2) |
| • Water | 0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2) |
| Elevation | 115 ft (35 m) |
| Population | |
• City | 22,477 |
• Estimate (2022)[5] | 23,859 |
| • Density | 1,552.8/sq mi (599.53/km2) |
| • Urban | 76,807 |
| • Metro | 246,435 (US:194th) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes | 36532-36533 |
| Area code | 251 |
| Sales tax | 9.0%[6] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403590[1] |
| Website | fairhopeal.gov |
Fairhope is a city inBaldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the easternshoreline ofMobile Bay. The population was 22,477 at the2020 census.[4] Fairhope is a principal city of theDaphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County.
Fairhope was founded on November 15, 1894, on the site of the former Alabama City as aGeorgist"Single-Tax" colony by the Fairhope Industrial Association, a group of 28 followers of economistHenry George who had incorporated earlier that year inDes Moines, Iowa.[7][8] Their corporate constitution explained their purpose in founding a new colony:
to establish and conduct a model community or colony, free from all forms of private monopoly, and to secure to its members therein equality of opportunity, the full reward of individual efforts, and the benefits of co-operation in matters of general concern.[9]
In forming their demonstration project, they pooled their funds to purchase land at "Stapleton's pasture" on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and then divided it into a number of long-term leaseholds.[citation needed] The corporation paid all governmental taxes from rents paid by the lessees, thus simulating a single-tax. The purpose of the single-tax colony was to eliminate disincentives for productive use of land and thereby retain the value of land for the community.[10]
"Fairhope Avenue" was one of the properties on the 1910 version of the board gameThe Landlord's Game, a precursor ofMonopoly.[11]
In 1907, educatorMarietta Johnson founded the School for Organic Education in Fairhope. The school was praised inJohn Dewey's influential 1915 bookSchools of Tomorrow. Dewey and Johnson were founding members of theProgressive Education Association.
Fairhope became a popular wintering spot for artists and intellectuals.Sherwood Anderson,Clarence Darrow,Wharton Esherick, Carl Zigrosser, andUpton Sinclair were among its notable visitors.[12]
The Fairhope Single-Tax Corporation still operates, with 1,800 leaseholds covering more than 4,000 acres (16 km2) in and around the current city of Fairhope. Despite the ideals of the corporation, the town has transitioned from utopian experiment to artists' and intellectuals' colony to boutique resort and affluent suburb ofMobile.[9]White flight from nearby Mobile has caused the population of Baldwin County to almost triple since the 1940s,[13] and particularly since desegregation, contributing to the mostly-White demographics of Daphne, Fairhope, and Spanish Fort.[14]
In 2019 theNew York Times termed Fairhope to be "A Southern Town That’s Been Holding On to Its Charm, for More Than a Century".[15]
Fairhope is located on the shore of Mobile Bay. It is located 6 miles (10 km) south ofDaphne and 10 miles (16 km) south ofSpanish Fort.U.S. Route 98 (Greeno Road) runs north–south through the city. It lies on a sloping plateau.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31.1 km2), of which 0.019 square mile (0.05 km2), or 0.16%, is water. Its elevation ranges from sea level at the bay to 122 feet (37 m) in the city center.[16]
Fairhope has ahumid subtropical climate. It experiences hot, humid summers and generally mild winters, with average temperatures ranging from 90 °F (32 °C) in the summer to 50.4 °F (10.2 °C) during winter.
| Climate data for Fairhope, Alabama (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1917–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 85 (29) | 88 (31) | 88 (31) | 97 (36) | 98 (37) | 103 (39) | 105 (41) | 103 (39) | 105 (41) | 97 (36) | 94 (34) | 89 (32) | 105 (41) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 61.8 (16.6) | 65.4 (18.6) | 71.8 (22.1) | 77.9 (25.5) | 85.0 (29.4) | 89.4 (31.9) | 91.1 (32.8) | 91.1 (32.8) | 88.2 (31.2) | 80.5 (26.9) | 71.0 (21.7) | 64.3 (17.9) | 78.1 (25.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 49.2 (9.6) | 52.6 (11.4) | 58.8 (14.9) | 64.9 (18.3) | 72.6 (22.6) | 78.5 (25.8) | 80.3 (26.8) | 80.0 (26.7) | 76.5 (24.7) | 67.4 (19.7) | 57.6 (14.2) | 51.7 (10.9) | 65.8 (18.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 36.6 (2.6) | 39.8 (4.3) | 45.9 (7.7) | 51.9 (11.1) | 60.3 (15.7) | 67.5 (19.7) | 69.6 (20.9) | 69.0 (20.6) | 64.7 (18.2) | 54.3 (12.4) | 44.2 (6.8) | 39.1 (3.9) | 53.6 (12.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 5 (−15) | 10 (−12) | 19 (−7) | 29 (−2) | 29 (−2) | 52 (11) | 58 (14) | 60 (16) | 41 (5) | 32 (0) | 21 (−6) | 8 (−13) | 5 (−15) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 5.48 (139) | 4.65 (118) | 5.06 (129) | 5.51 (140) | 4.93 (125) | 6.78 (172) | 9.03 (229) | 7.16 (182) | 6.60 (168) | 4.38 (111) | 4.57 (116) | 5.16 (131) | 69.31 (1,760) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 12.6 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 10.9 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 10.5 | 123.3 |
| Source:NOAA[17][18] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 590 | — | |
| 1920 | 853 | 44.6% | |
| 1930 | 1,549 | 81.6% | |
| 1940 | 1,845 | 19.1% | |
| 1950 | 3,354 | 81.8% | |
| 1960 | 4,858 | 44.8% | |
| 1970 | 5,720 | 17.7% | |
| 1980 | 7,286 | 27.4% | |
| 1990 | 8,485 | 16.5% | |
| 2000 | 12,480 | 47.1% | |
| 2010 | 15,326 | 22.8% | |
| 2020 | 22,477 | 46.7% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 23,859 | [5] | 6.1% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[19] 2020 Census[4] | |||
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 19,456 | 86.56% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 1,083 | 4.82% |
| Native American | 60 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 203 | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 20 | 0.09% |
| Other/Mixed | 791 | 3.52% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 864 | 3.84% |
As of thecensus of 2020, there were 22,477 people, 7,790 households, and 5,606 families residing in the city.
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 15,326 people, 6,732 households, and 4,395 families residing in the city. Itspopulation density was 1,271 per square mile (491/km2). There were 7,659 housing units at an average density of 634.5 per square mile (245.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.1%White, 6.2%Black, 0.7%Asian, 0.2%Native American, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 0.9% fromother races, and 0.8% from two or more races. 2.8% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 6,732 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% weremarried couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.
21.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $66,157, and the median income for a family was $93,549. Males had a median income of $60,591 versus $36,218 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $35,086. About 5.0% of families and 5.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
Fairhope is governed by a mayor and five-person city council which was last elected in 2016. The mayor serves as the full-time city executive, while council members serve part-time.
Mayor: Sherry Sullivan[citation needed]
Council members:[citation needed]
Local and national real estate developers have built commercial facilities in the downtown area that are larger than have been historically allowed.[21] Fairhope's building andzoning ordinances overlap with those of Baldwin County.[22]
Fairhope's public schools are part of theBaldwin County Public Schools system:
Other schools in Fairhope include:
Countywidedial-a-ride transit service is provided by BRATS, the Baldwin Regional Area Transit System.[24]
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Municipalities and communities ofBaldwin County, Alabama,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Other unincorporated communities | ||
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