Daphne, Alabama

By 1500, the zenith of Native American culture in South Alabama, it is estimated that a community of about 5,000 lived within 50 miles of the seacoast.

These peoples were among the first who met Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540.

The Spanish were the first European settlers to the area of Daphne arriving in 1557.

Spanish control in the area was weak and in 1710 French explorers claimed Mobile Bay, the Eastern Shore of the Bay including Daphne, and land east to Perdido Bay.

In 1763, the British were ceded land, including the future Daphne, from the French in the Treaty of Paris (1763).

British rule ended in 1783 when the area was surrendered to Spain by the Treaty of Paris (1783).

After a variety of wars and treaties the area became part of the United States in 1814.

==== Civil War era ==== Secession and the Civil War came quickly following the election of 1860.

On January 11, 1861, Alabama seceded from the Union.

The town was named the county seat of Baldwin County, Alabama, in 1868 after the previous county seat, Blakeley, was deserted following the Civil War.

Daphne was officially named and established, although unincorporated, on April 9, 1874, when the Post Office for Daphne was opened.

=== Immigration === Baldwin County saw many distinct immigrant groups moving into the area in the late 19th century, particularly from Western Europe, and Daphne was the site of...

In June 1895, land was purchased in Daphne for a Catholic church in what is now the center of Old Daphne to be built by the early Italian colonists.

Father Angelo Chiariglione, a Scalbrini missionary from Torino, Italy, was the first resident pastor (1898–1909) of the church, known as the Church of the Assumption.

=== Relocation of county seat === Daphne remained the county seat until a legislative act of 1900, when the county seat was moved to Bay Minette.

=== Incorporation === On July 8, 1927, Daphne was incorporated with a request for incorporation signed by 41 landowners.

In 1929 a toll bridge was opened which crossed into Mobile.

An attempt in 1946 to revoke incorporation by unhappy residents failed.

=== Hurricane Danny === In July 1997, Hurricane Danny struck the gulf coast bringing high winds and rains to the area.

Constructed at a cost of $6 million, it opened to the public in December 1999.

Hurricane Ivan made landfall in September 2004, south of Daphne near Gulf Shores, Alabama.

In 2007, Daphne saw retail sales of $653,422,000 or $34,438 per capita which compares favorably to the national average of $12,364.

=== Laws === In February 2008, Daphne became the last of the large cities in Baldwin County to enact a public smoking ban.

In 2009, the Utilities board was selected by the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 35 small workplaces in America.

In November 2010, the Daphne City Council enacted a ban against texting while driving, becoming the first Mobile-area municipality to do so.

The system was named one of the top 57 healthcare systems in the nation in 2011 while Thomas Hospital was ranked as one of the top 20 medium-sized hospitals.

Investors who looked for a continued rise in values in Daphne were surprised to see their investments bottom out by 2012.

The 2013–2014 budget was $305 million.

That assembly plant is expected to generate 1,000 new jobs by 2018 and is expected to positively impact Daphne and the entire Baldwin County.

== Parks and recreation == Daphne's parks include: Daphne Sports Complex - opened in 2019, a ten field baseball and softball complex.

=== 2020 census === As of the 2020 United States census, there were 27,462 people, 9,457 households, and 6,254 families residing in the city.