Spanish Fort, Alabama
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Spanish Fort is a city located in Baldwin County, Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 5,423.
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Geography
Spanish Fort is located at 30°40'7.403" North, 87°55'19.844" West (30.668723, -87.922179)Template:GR.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.8 km² (11.1 mi²). 16.6 km² (6.4 mi²) of it is land and 12.2 km² (4.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 42.23% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 5,423 people, 2,035 households, and 1,518 families residing in the city. The population density is 326.1/km² (844.2/mi²). There are 2,164 housing units at an average density of 130.1/km² (336.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.64% White, 4.37% Black or African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 2,035 households out of which 35.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.1% are married couples living together, 6.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% are non-families. 22.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $56,699, and the median income for a family is $67,844. Males have a median income of $50,240 versus $30,273 for females. The per capita income for the city is $27,081. 2.8% of the population and 2.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Originally a French trading post, the Spanish built a fort at the site of modern-day Spanish Fort in 1780, soon after taking the area from the British during the American Revolutionary War. The British attacked and destroyed the fort in 1781, but the Spanish rebuilt it in 1799. Spanish Fort was taken by the United States in 1814.
During the American Civil War, Spanish Fort was heavily fortified as an eastern defense to the city of Mobile. Fort Huger, Fort (Battery) Tracey, Fort (Battery) McDermott, Fort Alexis, Red Fort, and Old Spanish Fort were all part of the Mobile defenses in what is now Spanish Fort. After the Union victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay, Mobile nevertheless remained in Confederate hands. Union forces embarked on a land campaign in early 1865 to take Mobile from the east. Spanish Fort was the site of the Battle of Spanish Fort in the Mobile Campaign of the American Civil War. Its fall allowed Union forces to concentrate on Fort Blakely to the north, and hence destroy the last organized resistance to northern occupation east of the Mississippi River. The falls of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely permitted Union troops to subsequently enter Mobile unopposed after the conclusion of the Civil War.