Daphne, Alabama

Daphne and the surrounding regions have been populated since from at least 9,000 BCE. Small groups worked together to acquire food and to provide for their families. From this meeting forward, the original settlers faced a disaster from which they did not recover. The French claim was largely uncontested by the Spanish. On January 11, 1861, Alabama seceded from the Union. It joined the Confederate States of America on March 13, 1861. The town was named the county seat of Baldwin County, Alabama, in 1868 after the previous county seat, Blakeley, was deserted following the Civil War. At that time, Daphne was known as The Village of Bell Rose. This small-town church quickly gained the recognition of the Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, who in 1898 sent a gift of rich vestments, an illuminated missal, a chalice, monstrance, candlesticks and other articles, and all are still on display in the present Christ the King Catholic Church, the cornerstone of which was laid in 1937. Relocation of county seat Daphne remained the county seat until a legislative act of 1900, when the county seat was moved to Bay Minette. Daphne residents resisted the change and would not allow the county records to be removed. Those records were taken in a late night raid and moved to Bay Minette. According to another account, given in 1956 in an interview of one of the persons involved in the transfer, there was no raid; the arrangements for the move were made in advance between officials in both towns, and the county records were quietly loaded into wagons over a five-hour period on the evening of October 11, 1901, and then driven to Bay Minette the next day. Incorporation On July 8, 1927, Daphne was incorporated with a request for incorporation signed by 41 landowners. The initial population was listed as 500 residents. Hurricane Danny In July 1997, Hurricane Danny struck the gulf coast bringing high winds and rains to the area. Due to the abnormal development of the storm, winds blew water out of Mobile Bay making it almost possible to walk across the bay. Hurricane Ivan made landfall in September 2004, south of Daphne near Gulf Shores, Alabama. The category 3 storm brought widespread flooding and damage throughout Daphne. The next year, Daphne weathered some effects of Hurricane Katrina although not nearly as severe as the 2004 storm. In November 2010, the Daphne City Council enacted a ban against texting while driving, becoming the first Mobile-area municipality to do so. ==Geography==

Daphne is one of three cities that are collectively known as the Eastern Shore by locals. They are Spanish Fort to the north, Daphne in the center and Fairhope to the south. The topography of Daphne is quite consistent from a gently sloping sea level on the west to low rolling hills further east. Generally, the entire city lies no more than 150 feet above sea level. The land along the Daphne bay coast, like other land throughout the county, is rich with sandy-loam type soils. Daphne is also known as the "Jubilee City." A Jubilee in Mobile Bay occurs when crab, shrimp, and other sea life from the waters of Mobile Bay are suddenly found washed ashore along the coastline. Biologists believe the phenomenon is due to a possible decrease in water oxygen levels which force the fish to the surface. Nearby communities include: Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Loxley, Mobile, Point Clear, Robertsdale, Silverhill, Summerdale, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Bay Minette, Foley, Magnolia Springs, Elberta, Belforest, and Malbis. Climate ==Demographics==

Daphne, like the surrounding Baldwin and Mobile counties, was settled by persons of varying nationalities who eventually melded into the American experiment. 99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas. There were 11,195 households and 6,254 families in Daphne; 30.8% of households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.0% were married-couple households, 16.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The population density was . There were 10,113 housing units in the city. ==Economy==

Daphne is a suburb of nearby Mobile, Alabama. In 2007, Daphne saw retail sales of $653,422,000 or $34,438 per capita which compares favorably to the national average of $12,364. The median household income was $62,376 against a national average of $42,934, both measured through the 2007–2011 period. The home ownership was 74.6% and the median home value (2007–2011) was $187,000. The city is part of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metropolitan statistical area and was named among the top 10 such areas nationwide by Site Selection Magazine. The ranking is for areas with less than 200,000 population and is based upon the number of companies either expanding or relocating to the area. The economy is further supported by access to nearby Mobile, and large retail operations in Spanish Fort, just to the north. The largest employer in the county is the Baldwin County Board of Education which supports over 3,000 employees in Baldwin County. 70% of the $305 million budget pays salaries countywide. Like much of the nation, Daphne saw the economy plummet during the 2008 recession. Commercial real estate prices were especially hard hit. Investors who looked for a continued rise in values in Daphne were surprised to see their investments bottom out by 2012. However construction is underway by Airbus to build the A320 commercial jet at nearby Brookley Field in Mobile. That assembly plant is expected to generate 1,000 new jobs by 2018 and is expected to positively impact Daphne and the entire Baldwin County. ==Parks and recreation==

Daphne's parks include: • Daphne Sports Complex - opened in 2019, a ten field baseball and softball complex. • Trione Park - a multi-field sports complex with football, soccer, softball/baseball fields. • Lott Park - located in Olde Towne Daphne, includes new tennis and pickleball courts opened in 2020, a legacy playground, bocce, basketball and practice baseball/softball facilities. • Centennial Park - children's playground located across from Daphne City Hall on Main Street. • May Day Park - Waterfront park that includes a large playground for young children, a boat launch and a pier on Mobile Bay. • Bayfront Park - Waterfront drive up park overlooking to the bay. A boardwalk entrance to Village Point Park Preserve. Currently closed, and is expected to be until Spring of 2027. • Village Point Park Preserve -the largest park in Daphne with walking trails in a natural setting. The park is an estuary for wildlife and is also home to the historic D'olive family cemetery . The Daphne Civic Center is a city-owned facility used to host special events in the community. Constructed at a cost of $6 million, it opened to the public in December 1999. A senior citizens activity center and the Daphne Public Library are also located in the civic center complex. ==Government==

Daphne is incorporated in Baldwin County, Alabama. It is governed by a mayor and city council, both of which are elected by popular vote every four years. A semi-autonomous Utilities Board and Zoning Commission support the governance of the city. Daphne's current mayor is Robin LeJeune who is serving his first term as Mayor. Mayor LeJeune also served as council member and Council President. LeJeune was elected in the 2020 municipal election. A seven-member city council serves the city of Daphne. Council members are selected within districts. The council is composed of the following: district one councilwoman Tommie Conaway, district two councilman Steve Olen, district three councilman Joel Coleman, district four councilman Doug Goodlin, district five councilman and council president Ron Scott, district six councilman and council president pro-tem Benjamin Hughes, and district seven councilwoman Angie Phillips. A semi-autonomous Utilities Board and Zoning Commission support the governance of the city. Daphne is part of Alabama's 1st congressional district and is represented by Congressman Barry Moore. Emergency Services Fire protection is provided by the Daphne Fire Department. Emergency Medical Services are provided by MedStar. Law enforcement agency is the Daphne Police Department. ==Education==

Public schools in Daphne are part of the Baldwin County Board of Education system which serves over 30,000 students throughout the county. The 2013–2014 budget was $305 million. There are three elementary schools: Daphne East Elementary School (K-6), Daphne Elementary School North Campus (K-3) and W.J. Carroll Intermediate School (Daphne South) (4–6). Daphne Middle School serves 7th and 8th grade while Daphne High School educates grades 9–12. Three private schools serve the Daphne area, Bayside Academy (K-12), Christ the King Catholic School(CTKCS) (K-8), and Bayshore Christian School (PreK-12). A highly regarded public secondary school, Daphne High School extends progressive and globally-oriented offerings in its curriculum, such as its then-controversial Arabic language classes begun in August 2013. Two schools offer collegiate curriculum in Daphne. Huntingdon College has a comprehensive graduate school in Daphne that focuses on business and professional graduate programs. The United States Sports Academy is an independent school offering sport-specific residential and online distance learning programs. In addition, it houses the American Sport Art Museum and Archives. ==Infrastructure==

Transportation For many years Daphne was isolated from the larger city of Mobile. A ferry was the only mode of transport from the eastern shore to the western shore. In 1929 a toll bridge was opened which crossed into Mobile. That bridge was replaced by the Cochrane-Africatown bridge. Also in 1929, US 98 was paved from Pensacola, through Daphne and into Mobile. There are about 11,000 water customers, 10,000 sewer customers and 4,000 natural gas customers. In 2010 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named Daphne Utilities as the best large groundwater utility in eight southeastern states. In October 2013, Daphne Utilities approved a water and sewage rate hike of $21 million over three years. The rate hike will cover expenses related to expansion and compliance with federal regulations. The average increase will amount to $3.66 per month for the average residential customer. Electrical service is provided by the Foley, Alabama based Riviera Utilities. Riviera resells electric current and has no generation facilities of its own. Landline telephone service is provided by AT&T. The city is in the 251 area code. Land based cable television service is provided by Mediacom. Because of Daphne's proximity to the coast, all utilities prepare for tropical storms and hurricanes which often impact delivery of services. ==Healthcare==

Daphne is served by numerous physicians, surgeons and dentists. Two urgent care facilities offer walk-in service. Outpatient services are provided for diagnostic and surgical interventions. The city is also served by Thomas Hospital, a level III, 150 bed hospital in Fairhope, Alabama, 5 miles to the south. Across the bay in Mobile, there are several tertiary care facilities. Thomas Hospital is owned by Infirmary Health System of Mobile. The system was named one of the top 57 healthcare systems in the nation in 2011 while Thomas Hospital was ranked as one of the top 20 medium-sized hospitals. Outpatient rehabilitation services are offered through various practitioners and through physician offices. ==Notable people==

• Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki, American citizen who was a leader in the Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabaab • Ryan Anderson, linebacker for the Washington Commanders • Jeremy Clark, a football player for the New York Giants • Courtney Duncan, a major league baseball player • Jimmy Green, professional golfer • Atlas Herrion, offensive lineman of several NFL and Arena Football League teams • Joseph Lawson Howze, prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Biloxi from 1977 to 2001 • Kenny King (defensive lineman) Former football player for the University of Alabama and Arizona Cardinals • Eric Lee, defensive end for the New England Patriots • Michael Pierce, defensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens • Bryant Turner, Jr., defensive lineman in the Canadian Football League • DeWitt Weaver, head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team from 1951 to 1960 • Pat White, college football player (West Virginia University Mountaineers), 2007 Heisman Trophy finalist • T. J. Yeldon, running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars ==See also==