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Mobile does not have to worry about hurricanes like our neighbors, the city is likely the most prepared city for hurricanes along the gulf coast, with extensive hurricane plans, infrastructure, and rainy-day funds, not to much mention the city's high elevation makes 99% of the population and properties well outside the worst storm surge, unlike Pensacola, NOLA, Baton Rouge, Galveston, Houston etc.
It is true that Savannah and Charleston are at a statistically lower chance of hurricanes; however, they don't have the hurricane defenses that Mobile has. Namely the elevation, the majority of Savannah and Charleston are both below 30 feet in elevation (Charleston pretty much has the same elevation as Dauphin Island), highest I saw was 45 feet.... the average height of Mobile east of I-65 is 45 feet, west mobile is closer to 150-200 feet. Both cities are also ocean front and built on marshes, like New Orleans, and that has not been good so far for New Orleans. Mobile is not
I think you're quibbling over minor details. The point is that hurricanes hit the Coast, and they are a pain. Storm surge isn't an issue for most people. They have learned from the numerous hurricanes in the past, namely Katrina, and those low-lying areas have been abandoned.
Nobody wants to deal with wind damage, power outages and everything else from the hurricanes, therefore I believe it caps the population down there.
Houston is built off the Coast, as is Baton Rouge. Both had an influx of people after huge hurricanes ravaged neighboring cities.
Look, living on the gulf is what it is. There's a price you pay for being on the water. So this is not about Mobile specifically, but it is an issue that affects it, and, relating to the thread title, holds Mobile back.
Mobile has the bones to a tourist destination (more than it is).
However, is there a vision to help create a district (or districts) - historical or otherwise - to leverage the city's history and assets?
It takes vision to do it.
There are visions, but not like a complete overhaul. Mainly Africatown and Downtown. The current administration has focused on bring the city to the 21st century. Bring in jobs, make more family friendly, handling and relieving the debt of previous leaders, build up financial wealth for the city, improve infrastruture, etc. I'm not sure if Stimpson will introduce any overhaul in tourism, doubt he will, it seems like he is making this his last term as mayor. Not saying I'm against this approach, I'd much rather this way than the NOLA way, heavy tourism with little money consciousness.
Also I would like to point out 2 things
1) We have Baldwin County, Mobile is not alone in South Alabama, we have Baldwin County and the beaches in the Greater Mobile area. The moment that Baldwin County officially joins Mobile, the Mobile metro is officially a larger tourist destination than Charleston. In 2018, the Charleston Metro had 7 million tourists. In 2019 Mobile and Baldwin Counties had a total of 11 million tourists.
2) Also to tack on, Charleston doesn't have the local competition like Mobile does. The report I read about their tourism numbers said the only place they considered competition was a place called Flomaton, which they reported barely a tourist destination. Mobile has to directly compete with Pensacola and Biloxi (and Baldwin County depending on your prespective) for tourists in the region. As well as New Orleans. The most that Charleston has to compete with is maybe Savannah
I think you're quibbling over minor details. The point is that hurricanes hit the Coast, and they are a pain. Storm surge isn't an issue for most people. They have learned from the numerous hurricanes in the past, namely Katrina, and those low-lying areas have been abandoned.
Nobody wants to deal with wind damage, power outages and everything else from the hurricanes, therefore I believe it caps the population down there.
Houston is built off the Coast, as is Baton Rouge. Both had an influx of people after huge hurricanes ravaged neighboring cities.
Look, living on the gulf is what it is. There's a price you pay for being on the water. So this is not about Mobile specifically, but it is an issue that affects it, and, relating to the thread title, holds Mobile back.
The coast is not slowing down growth, Florida is still one of the biggest home producers in the country. Mobile, Biloxi, Pensacola metros posted a total of 1000+ new home building permits in October alone. Both Baton Rouge and Houston have experienced devasting damage from recent hurricanes even though they are "Build off the Coast" (because are still lowlying areas even if they are inland). Will also point out that Ida caused just as much damage and even more deaths in the northeast than it did to New Orleans, long after it was a "hurricane"
2) Also to tack on, Charleston doesn't have the local competition like Mobile does. The report I read about their tourism numbers said the only place they considered competition was a place called Flomaton, which they reported barely a tourist destination. Mobile has to directly compete with Pensacola and Biloxi (and Baldwin County depending on your prespective) for tourists in the region. As well as New Orleans. The most that Charleston has to compete with is maybe Savannah
This is a good point. There is a solid 80-90 miles between Charleston and Savannah, and also Charleston to Myrtle Beach. Not to mention that both Charleston and Myrtle Beach have the backing of the entire state of South Carolina.
New Orleans, Gulfport-Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola are dang near in each other's metro areas. Not quite, but stretching it. 50-60 miles apart. Obviously none of these people are driving to the next closest over daily for work, but you get the picture.
Man if you figure out the secrets of Charleston and Savannah, let everybody know. I think they are just older and have more history there, just like New Orleans. Mobile has Mardi Gras and even further west the MS Coast has casinos. But MS to Mobile really is more industrial than touristy. Baldwin County and FL Panhandle bring in the visitors for the beaches.
I mean at some point, you just have to be about the jobs. Just be a place with a high quality of life. Mobile can attain this. But you always have hurricanes to deal with, moreso than Charleston and Savannah historically, because the Gulf just supercharges them. Beach towns can survive and rebuild easily, but towns with middle class people and their permanent homes is a different deal.
I honestly think MS Coast and Mobile just have a ceiling, and really NOLA too all the way down into Texas past all the oil rigs. Hurricanes just pose a big threat.
Actually Mobile is older than all but Charleston and has just as much history as all of them and maybe little more than some.And why can't Mobile be both ( good jobs with tourism)? Charleston has both, before the 70's Mobile was their rivals.
I don't think you understand how much has been destroyed. You have no idea what the Civic Center, a chunk of I-10 , and the area that is now the Wallace Tunnnel once looked like. There was luxury Spanish row houses in those areas that were built during the time that Mobile was under Spain( row houses are rare for the South), prominent Creole neighborhoods raised , historical ties with the Carribean ( share the same architecture as of today), the list goes on and on.
AfricaTown alone should have been a draw that brought over 1 million tourists a year a looooong time ago. A lot of Creole dishes were first recorded here in Mobile and so many other things, at one time Mobile had several luxurious resorts and so many other things. The good news is that even though we have lost so much as a city more than what ( Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans has lost) .The city is still full of beautiful architecture, it's still has miles and miles of urban historic fabric.Thats the amazing part about the city and with the right vision and plan it could take off amazingly.
Mobile's historical assets are slowly being discovered. Many of you are correct about what the city has lost and unfortunately a lot of years passed before the city started focusing on its historic assets. Even now, the push is not as great as it needs to be but hopefully that is changing.
If the Africatown projects are done right, I believe that it will become a major tourist draw. Once people discover what Mobile has to offer and how it is comparable to Savannah, Charleston and New Orleans as far as the history and architecture, they will come.
It just requires a major effort and vision. It also needs vision from the state leadership, who are right now going in the wrong direction by promoting negative images of Alabama that make many visitors hesitant about coming here.
It also needs vision from the state leadership, who are right now going in the wrong direction by promoting negative images of Alabama that make many visitors hesitant about coming here.
I got back from a couple days in Savannah, Georgia and I was blown away. My girlfriend is from the Midwest and has only been living here a few years and she said she felt disappointed seeing how Mobile compared to Savannah. There are easily a ton of shared traits like large port cities(the only one in both states), started within 30 years of each other, both in the south, both stagnant populations since the 60s. But they get 15 million tourists a year, while we get 3.3 million. I saw where city officials visited Charleston and they spend 20 million on tourism while we spend a couple million. Even the racial demographics of Savannah and Mobile are very similar, but it has a much more positive image.
I think a lot of it comes from how the cities look. Like they had decorative street lights and wide sidewalks everywhere we went. We never felt unsafe while crossing streets(even 4 lane). Many of their streets and sidewalks were brick or cobblestone and they had large street car era medians with oak trees and other plants in them. They had plenty of bikers on all the streets we went on, and on street parking was plentiful. Mobile doesn’t spend the money to actually make our city look better. We throw up traffic lights on strings between 2 wooden power poles and call it a day. Our lights on the roadways are literally just metal lights nailed into the occasional wooden power pole. Gulf shores has blue street signs that light up at night and we’ve got just flimsy green metal ones. Outside of downtown, Spring Hill, and on government, there’s not one single street with any decorative light poles. Why? Why are we cheapening out on just basic ways to make the city look better? Take broad street for example, they just put up the same basic interstate light poles, but that are painted black. They’re redoing that street in a major project that costs 20 million just to put up cheap looking street lights. It doesn’t feel safe walking anywhere in this city at night, and not because you’ll get mugged, but because you can’t see the sidewalk. That’s not even mentioning in most places you can’t walk even next to another human being without one of you walking in the grass because apparently sidewalks are made for only solo trips. These just seem like basic things we can do to make the city look better in its appearance and it doesn’t get done in force
Another thing is trees. Historically we’ve planted trees on the sides of roadways to provide beauty and shade. Outside of midtown it’s just hit of miss if there are any trees on the sides of the road or in the medians. Why? Are trees just breaking the budget or something? Take the area on Spring Hill between Mobile street and Stanton road. Oak trees on the sides with a wide median that has various plants and trees in it. Spanish moss hangs from the trees. Apparently the city of Mobile said “let’s make absolutely nowhere else look like that.” If we don’t even bother to upgrade the look of the city then why would anyone change their opinions of it?
Late to the party, but just stumbled across this thread and noticed this comment. Couldn't have said it better. We've done quite a bit of traveling (work related) the last few years and last spring/summer found ourselves in Southern Alabama.
My work has me driving about a 60 mile radius from where I locate. After spending the 1st 3-4 weeks learning the area, I told my boss that I would accept the assignment if I work Baldwin County only, but would not cross the bay to work the Mobile area.
I have no intension to insult anyone, just give an outsider view to those of you who seem genuinely concerned about your area. (kinda through the eyes as a tourist would see it as my assignments are temporary and we have already left the south.) We really liked it there and often talk about it and maybe returning, but again Baldwin county.
Sorry folks, Here's the hard truth - Mobile is ugly and may or may not be, but appears to be a dangerous city, and Difficult to Navigate for a non-locale.
That might be hard to relate to for you, but you live there and don't/can't see it from a tourist perspective. (which a lot of the posts seem to be about).
You can hate on me or appreciate the honesty regarding the Title - What is holding Mobile back ?
We all make judgements, 1st by what we see, and if it don't look good we move on.
If Mobile could clean up and present itself to give a pleasant 1st impression I believe it could boom.
You have all heard that, you only get one chance to make a 1st impression.
I've worked in many cities/towns and pulling into town I know if it's a place I want to come back to.
Every place I have been that has exploded in growth, opportunity, tourism etc. felt safe at 1st sight and was Clean.
Not knowing a lot about Baldwin Co. as we were only there 6 mo. or so, 1st thing we noticed, it was clean. 2nd it felt safe, everywhere we went. Driving around every day we covered a lot. Just going North or south on 98 we kept saying how clean this town is. Spanish Fort to Fairhope, 181 to Malbis, Loxley, Foley, the whole area ! Never felt a safety issue. Never felt concerned going into any business. I think as humans maybe Clean translates somehow to safe and a desire to return or stay.
We would love to return, but will again avoid Mobile.
The poster I quoted said it Very Well. Might want to take that posters comments to your next city counsel meeting.
Originally Posted by verve57
It also needs vision from the state leadership, who are right now going in the wrong direction by promoting negative images of Alabama that make many visitors hesitant about coming here.
Yes, How so?
Alabama was one of the few states that gained population, they must not be doing too bad!
Late to the party, but just stumbled across this thread and noticed this comment. Couldn't have said it better. We've done quite a bit of traveling (work related) the last few years and last spring/summer found ourselves in Southern Alabama.
My work has me driving about a 60 mile radius from where I locate. After spending the 1st 3-4 weeks learning the area, I told my boss that I would accept the assignment if I work Baldwin County only, but would not cross the bay to work the Mobile area.
I have no intension to insult anyone, just give an outsider view to those of you who seem genuinely concerned about your area. (kinda through the eyes as a tourist would see it as my assignments are temporary and we have already left the south.) We really liked it there and often talk about it and maybe returning, but again Baldwin county.
Sorry folks, Here's the hard truth - Mobile is ugly and may or may not be, but appears to be a dangerous city, and Difficult to Navigate for a non-locale.
That might be hard to relate to for you, but you live there and don't/can't see it from a tourist perspective. (which a lot of the posts seem to be about).
You can hate on me or appreciate the honesty regarding the Title - What is holding Mobile back ?
We all make judgements, 1st by what we see, and if it don't look good we move on.
If Mobile could clean up and present itself to give a pleasant 1st impression I believe it could boom.
You have all heard that, you only get one chance to make a 1st impression.
I've worked in many cities/towns and pulling into town I know if it's a place I want to come back to.
Every place I have been that has exploded in growth, opportunity, tourism etc. felt safe at 1st sight and was Clean.
Not knowing a lot about Baldwin Co. as we were only there 6 mo. or so, 1st thing we noticed, it was clean. 2nd it felt safe, everywhere we went. Driving around every day we covered a lot. Just going North or south on 98 we kept saying how clean this town is. Spanish Fort to Fairhope, 181 to Malbis, Loxley, Foley, the whole area ! Never felt a safety issue. Never felt concerned going into any business. I think as humans maybe Clean translates somehow to safe and a desire to return or stay.
We would love to return, but will again avoid Mobile.
The poster I quoted said it Very Well. Might want to take that posters comments to your next city counsel meeting.
The whole entire city is ugly ? I know Mobile has some ugly parts just like any other city even Savannah has some ugly parts and is considred dangerous by locals, New Orleans has some ulgy parts .And then there are parts of NOLA that if you were to blind fold a New Orlenian or Mobilian and dropped them off in certain neighborhoods in both cities they probably couldnt tell the difference. To say Mobile is ugly is reaching. Many outsiders view the city as historic and beautiful but has not reached its potential. You can't compare a town like loxley to Mobile. They have different demographics and are just different all together.
The biggest thing is that Mobile's leadership definitely missed the mark Ibagree with that.
Usually when people say Mobile is ugly or looks industrial I automatically assume that they only pass through I-10 and made an assumption. Because I find it very hard to believe that someone could navigate through Mobile and call it ugly. Ugly parts yes of course that's any city but over all come on there was no way you really navigated through Mobile and say it's ugly when there are neighborhoods like, Detonti. Oakliegh, Chiurch street East, Old Dauphin Way, Springhill areas and soon many more.
The Oakliegh Historic district alone would shut down anything in Baldwin County. Fairhope may have some areas that can compete and that's a maybe.
And now that I think of it you compared the beauty of Mobile to Loxley !?! Bay Minette?!?! Malbis ?!
You passed through Mobile You havn't visited Mobile there is no way especiallyif you think Foley and Roberrstdale is beautiful.Mobile is an asset to all of those places you named.
Can Mobile do better as far as attracting tourist ? Absolutely! Mobile has always had a " that's enough mentality " or "we don't need all of that" mentality. That is changing now but man I just can't see how you think Malbis is beautiful ( it's nice and cookie cutter) but call Mobile ugly to it and places like Loxley.Is just mind blowing to me.
Last edited by PortCity; 02-11-2022 at 07:40 PM..
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