Summerdale

James P. Kaetz, Auburn University
Summerdale is located in southern Baldwin County in the southwest corner of the state. It has a mayor/city council form of government.
History
Alligator Alley
The town was named in 1904 after its founder, Eli Summer, who came to the area to establish a tobacco farm. A post office was established in 1905. Summers?s tobacco farm failed, but other enterprises fared better, including a turpentine distillery and a canning factory. A group of Mennonites settled in Summerdale in 1917 but did not remain. The town incorporated in January 1929.
Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, Summerdale recorded a population of 910. Of that number, 84.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 11.3 percent as African American, 4.9 percent as Hispanic, 2.0 percent as two or more races, and 0.4 percent as American Indian. The town's median household income was $40,938, and the per capita income was $18,159.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the workforce in Summerdale was divided among the following industrial categories:
  • Retail trade (23.5 percent)
  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (14.0 percent)
  • Manufacturing (13.7 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (11.3 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (8.7 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (4.7 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (4.7 percent)
  • Construction (4.4 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (9.3 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (2.6 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (1.7 percent)
  • Information (1.5 percent)
Education
Schools in Summerdale are part of the Baldwin County school system; the town has one K-7 school.
Transportation
State Highway 59 runs north-south through town, and County Road 32 bisects the town east-west. The Foley Municipal airport is approximately five miles south of the city.
Events and Places of Interest
Spear Hunting Museum
Summerdale has a children's splash park, and a community center that has space to rent for meetings and events. The Summerdale Museum and Archives is located in the Summerdale community center. The Spear Hunting Museum, founded by well-known spear hunter Gene Morris, is located on State Highway 59 in Summerdale.

Additional Resources

Baldwin County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Baldwin County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 2001.
Published:  February 18, 2013   |   Last updated:  November 9, 2020