Perdido Beach

Perdido Beach is located in southern Baldwin County in the southwest corner of the state on Perdido Bay across from Perdido Key, Florida. “Perdido” means “lost” in Spanish. The town has a mayor/city council form of government. The endangered Perdido Key beach mouse is named for the town.

History

Perdido Beach During the colonial period, Perdido Bay and Perdido River were used by smugglers avoiding Spanish custom duties, as evidenced by Spanish coins, guns, and other artifacts that have been discovered in the area around present-day Perdido Beach. Modern settlement began in 1892, when Col. L. B. Hatch purchased 32 acres. In 1900, he bought another 313 acres and began to mark off and sell lots for a town he named Perdido Beach. New residents built cottages on the beach front and on Soldier Creek. Early in the development of the town, most peopled accessed the area by water. The primary industries at the time were timber and turpentine. The town’s economy now is centered on the tourism and recreation industry. Perdido Beach incorporated in April 2009.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Perdido Beach recorded a population of 440. Of that number, 99.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, and 1.8 percent as Hispanic. The town’s median household income was $69,583, and the per capita income was $43,743.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Perdido Beach was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (24.6 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (20.7 percent)
  • Retail trade (13.3 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (12.0 percent)
  • Manufacturing (11.4 percent)
  • Construction (8.7 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (7.9 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (7.1 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (6.5 percent)
  • Information (1.3 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (1.1 percent)

Education

Schools in Perdido Beach are part of the Baldwin County school system; the town has one elementary school.

Transportation

A beachfront community located on Perdido Bay, Perdido Beach can be reached only by County Road 97, which runs north from the town.

Events and Places of Interest

Perdido Beach is located on Alabama’s Gulf Coast and offers residents and visitors easy access to coastal beaches, fishing piers, and recreational areas.

Further Reading

  • Baldwin County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Baldwin County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 2001.

External Links

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