Gulf Shores is located in southern Baldwin County in the southwest corner of the state. It has a mayor/council form of government.
History
Another spur to growth was the burgeoning shrimping industry. Active since around 1918, shrimping had at first focused largely on providing bait to other fishing industries. But in 1956, deep-sea trawling for shrimp for the commercial food market became common, and the industry expanded into the economic mainstay it is today.
Seeking more local control, a group of Gulf Shores residents petitioned for incorporation in 1956, and the city was granted a charter. However, other locals who opposed incorporation because of concern for local tax increases challenged the incorporation. A local judge overturned the charter in 1957, but the Alabama Supreme Court ruled in favor of incorporation in 1958.
Gulf Shores has been devastated by several hurricanes, including Frederic in 1979 and Ivan in 2004. It sustained some damage in Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sally in 2020.
Demographics
According to 2020 Census estimates, Gulf Shores recorded a population of 12,550. Of that number, 96.7 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 4.3 percent as Hispanic, 1.8 percent as Asian, 0.3 percent as African American, and 0.2 percent as two or more races. The town's median household income was $53,209, and the per capita income was $34,792.
Employment
According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Gulf Shores was divided among the following industrial categories:
- Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (17.8 percent)
- Retail trade (17.0 percent)
- Finance and insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing (14.8 percent)
- Educational services, and health care and social assistance (10.3 percent)
- Professional, scientific, and administrative and waste management services (9.2 percent)
- Construction (9.1 percent)
- Information (4.6 percent)
- Public administration (4.6 percent)
- Wholesale trade (3.9 percent)
- Manufacturing (3.3 percent)
- Transportation, warehousing, and utilities (2.9 percent)
- Other services, except public administration (2.6 percent)
Education
Gulf Shores schools are part of the Baldwin County School System. The city has one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school. Coastal Alabama Community College maintains a campus in Gulf Shores
Transportation
Events and Places of Interest
The Alabama National Shrimp Festival has been held annually the second weekend in October since 1971. It features entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, children's activities, and booths selling shrimp dishes.
Numerous historic sites lie within a short driving distance from the city, including Fort Morgan, Fort Gaines, Fort Mims, the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, and Blakeley State Park.
The beaches of the Gulf Coast are well-known for their fine white sand and are the major draw for visitors to the area. Gulf State Park, dedicated in 1939, includes a two-mile long stretch of beach and 6,150 acres that can be explored by hiking and biking.
Additional Resources
Baldwin County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Baldwin County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2001.
Additional Resources
Baldwin County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Baldwin County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2001.
Bonkemeyer, Patricia, Ed. Once Upon an Island, as Told to and Collected by the Gulf Shores Woman's Club. Foley, Ala.: Underwood Printing Company, 1984.
