400,000 and a friendly lifestyle which has become a Southern tradition. The city has a rich and proud heritage that can be found in forts, museums, large ante-bellum homes and plantations. The Spanish first sailed into Mobile in 1519. Since then, the Spanish, French, English, Confederate and United States flags have signaled this city's allegiance. The first submarine used in the Civil War was built in Mobile and one of the last important battles of the war was fought in this area when 45,000 Federal troops captured Spanish Fort. In preparation for this engagement, Admiral Farragut sailed the Federal fleet past the guns of Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines and engaged the Confederate ships defending Mobile, giving perhaps the most famous orders of the war: "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!".

two weeks before Ash Wednesday, offers balls, parades and family entertainment. Other events include the Azalea Trail Run and Festival, the Mobile Jazz Festival, and the Shrimp Festival in nearby Gulf Shores.

Located on Mobile Bay, the city is less than an hour's drive from the sugary white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. The semi-tropical climate and warm water temperature are ideal for water sports of all kinds. Fishing enthusiasts have a choice of deep sea fishing in the Gulf, trying numerous rivers, or fishing in the Bay. If you don't want to catch your own, commercial fishermen and shrimpers are more than happy to provide you with a bounty of fresh seafood. Fresh oysters, shrimp, crawfish, and innumerable fish are abundantly available and popular on most restaurant menus. Scuba diving is a favorite sport here due to a plethora of sea life and historical shipwrecks. The Bay is also one of the nation's largest watershed, with a multitude of marshes, bays, streams, and rivers, all waiting to be explored by canoe, sailboat, or foot.