History of Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama. The population of the city was 197,833 according to the 2006 estimate. It is the principal city of the Mobile metropolitan statistical area (MSA), which had a population of approximately 429,622 and a population of 588,246 in the combined statistical area in 2006.
The city's name is derived from the presence of the Mobile (Mauvile or Maubila) Native Americans in the area at the time of founding.
Mobile is the original home of Mardi Gras, a tradition that started in 1703, and is the second largest celebration in the United States. Mobile is the only saltwater port in Alabama.
Located along the northwest shore of Mobile Bay, the city began as the first capital of colonial Louisiana (New France) in 1702. Over the past 300 years, Mobile has officially flown six flags, including France, Kingdom of Great Britain, Spain, the Republic of Alabama (1861), the Confederate States of America, and the United States.
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