Chapter 15: California

Having grown up in Mobile, and spending the last 7 years here in Cali, I can most assuredly tell you that the similarities between these two worlds are few and far between!  There aren’t really any earthquakes – although there was a 3.5 magnitude that hit along the Alabama gulf coast February 5 of this year – and there has been no rush to pan for gold in my hometown.  Like LA however, Mobile is the county seat and there are many outlying “cities” and towns that are included in the Mobile area.  Bayou La Batre, Chickasaw (where my mother was born), Citronelle, Creola, Prichard (one of the top 25 most dangerous cities in the country), Saraland, Satsuma and Semmes are some of the incorporated cities of Mobile.  Dauphin Island and Mount Vernon are towns, while Grand Bay, Theodore and Tillman’s Corner are all census-designated places – and also where my home is closest to.  Other unincorporated communities include Chunchula, Coden, Eight Mile, Irvington and St. Elmo.  Until this posting, I suppose I had never realized how many Native American names we have for these cities!

Although Mobile is spread out, it does have a center. Downtown Mobile is the economic and cultural hub of the central Gulf Coast, a city with a future as exciting as her past. Ships from around the world sail into her port carrying goods and visitors, world class entertainers grace her stages and emerging artists exhibit works in galleries both expansive and intimate. This creative and economic energy is contributing to the revitalization of this 300 year old city; a city of great charm, rich diversity and dynamic ideas. The escalating pace of the redevelopment of Downtown Mobile is unmistakable, as skyscrapers take shape next to historic renovation and young people flock back to this urban area, looking to live in the historic houses of midtown and downtown Mobile.

Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile, the place to go for great food and good nightlife

 

Sources:

http://blog.al.com/live/2011/02/35_magnitude_earthquake_rattle.html

http://www.downtownmobile.org/