Home › Alabama › Mobile

Mobile, Alabama

"Port City"
The birthplace of Mardi Gras in America — Mobile celebrated Carnival decades before New Orleans even existed.
Trending in Mobile
Latest updates coming soon
2 hours ago
More local news on the way
5 hours ago
Founded 1702 | Population 198,806 | Peak 202,779 (2000) | County Mobile County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Mobile, Alabama

1
1702 French Colonial Founding: French brothers Pierre and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne established Mobile as the first capital of French Louisiana.
2
1703 First Mardi Gras in America: Mobile held the first organized Mardi Gras celebration in what is now the United States, decades before New Orleans was founded.
3
1864 Battle of Mobile Bay: Admiral David Farragut shouted 'Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!' as Union forces captured Mobile Bay in one of the Civil War's most famous naval battles.
4
1942 Shipbuilding Boom: Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company employed 30,000 workers building Liberty ships for WWII.
5
2000 Airbus Assembly Plant: Airbus selected Mobile for its first U.S. manufacturing facility, assembling A320 family jets.
🧠
How Well Do You Know Mobile?
5 questions • 2 minutes
Take the Quiz →

Latest News in Mobile

May 11, 2016
Alabama Lawmaker Proposes Castration Sex Offenders
Montgomery, Alabama – Back in May 2016, an Alabama state legislator stirred up a storm by introducing a bill that would have all…
Apr 25, 2016
Alabama Community Does Something Amazing Thank World War Ii Vet
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (April 25, 2016) — In a touching display of gratitude, residents of this Alabama town came together last weeken…
Nov 20, 2015
Alabama Bill Would Make it Harder Get Food Stamps
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In a move that stirred up plenty of talk in state politics, Alabama lawmakers pushed forward a bill on Novemb…
Aug 9, 2015
Alabama Police Chief Defends God Bless America Decals Patrol Cars
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (August 9, 2015) — In a small Alabama town, the local police chief stood his ground last week over decals on pa…
Jun 22, 2015
More Decade Later We Finally Get Confession Natalee Holloway Murder
Aruba (June 22, 2015) – More than a decade after American teenager Natalee Holloway vanished during a high school graduation…
Apr 20, 2015
Alabama City Proposes Saggy Pants Ban God Would not Go Around Pants Down
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (April 20, 2015) — In a move that stirred up plenty of chatter across the state, a small Alabama city took aim …

Complete Historical Timeline

1702 Government
Founded by French colonists
1703 Culture
First Mardi Gras in America
1763 Government
British take control
1813 Government
U.S. captures Mobile
1864 Disaster
Battle of Mobile Bay
1942 Industry
WWII shipbuilding boom
2000 Government
Peak population of 203,000
2015 Business
Airbus assembly plant opens

Did You Know?

1
Mobile's Mardi Gras predates New Orleans by 15 years — the city has celebrated Carnival since 1703.
2
Admiral Farragut's famous order was actually 'Damn the torpedoes! Four bells! Full speed ahead!'.
3
The USS Alabama battleship is permanently docked in Mobile Bay as a memorial and museum.

Famous People from Mobile, Alabama

TC
Tim Cook
Businessperson, Engineer · Born Nov 1, 1960 · Age 65
LI
Lloyd J. Austin III
Politician, Military Officer · Born Aug 8, 1953 · Age 72
HA
Hank Aaron
Baseball Player · Born Feb 5, 1934 · Died Jan 22, 2021 (age 86)
LC
Laverne Cox
Actor, Film Producer · Born May 29, 1972 · Age 53
GB
Gregory Benford
Astronomer, Writer · Born Jan 30, 1941 · Age 85

Other Cities in Alabama

View all Alabama cities →
H
Huntsville
Pop. 237,413
B
Birmingham
Pop. 194,400
M
Montgomery
Pop. 193,703
T
Tuscaloosa
Pop. 113,361
H
Hoover
Pop. 97,017
D
Dothan
Pop. 73,025
See something that needs correcting?
We take accuracy seriously. Help us keep Mobile's history right.