Fairhope
City
Fairhope Public Library
Motto(s):  "You've arrived"
Location of Fairhope in Baldwin County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 30°31′35″N 87°53′44″W / 30.52639°N 87.89556°W / 30.52639; -87.89556Coordinates: 30°31′35″N 87°53′44″W / 30.52639°N 87.89556°W / 30.52639; -87.89556
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Baldwin
Area [1]
• Total	14.04 sq mi (36.36 km2)
• Land	13.99 sq mi (36.22 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation	122 ft (37 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	15,326
• Estimate  (2018)[3]	22,085
• Density	1,579.08/sq mi (609.71/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	36532–36533
Area code(s)	251
FIPS code	01-25240
GNIS feature ID	0118120
Website	Official website

Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 15,326.^[4] Fairhope is a principal city of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley micropolitan area, which includes all of Baldwin County. In 2016, Fairhope was named the best small town in the South by Southern Living magazine.^[5]

History

Fairhope was founded in November 1894 on the site of the former Alabama City as a radical Georgist "Single-Tax" colony by the Fairhope Industrial Association, a group of 28 followers of economist Henry George who had incorporated earlier that year in Des Moines, Iowa.^[6] Their corporate constitution explained their purpose in founding a new colony:

to establish and conduct a model community or colony, free from all forms of private monopoly, and to secure to its members therein equality of opportunity, the full reward of individual efforts, and the benefits of co-operation in matters of general concern.^[7]

In forming their demonstration project, they pooled their funds to purchase land at "Stapleton's pasture" on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and then divided it into a number of long-term leaseholds.^{[citation needed]} The corporation paid all governmental taxes from rents paid by the lessees, thus simulating a single-tax. The purpose of the single-tax colony was to eliminate disincentives for productive use of land and thereby retain the value of land for the community.^[8]

"Fairhope Avenue" was one of the properties on the 1910 version of the board game The Landlord's Game, a precursor of Monopoly.^[9]

In 1907 educator Marietta Johnson founded the School for Organic Education in Fairhope. The school was praised in John Dewey's influential 1915 book Schools of Tomorrow. Dewey and Johnson were founding members of the Progressive Education Association.

Fairhope became a popular wintering spot for artists and intellectuals. Sherwood Anderson, Clarence Darrow, Wharton Esherick, Carl Zigrosser, and Upton Sinclair were among its notable visitors.^[10]

The Fairhope Single-Tax Corporation still operates, with 1,800 leaseholds covering more than 4,000 acres (16 km²) in and around the current city of Fairhope. Despite the ideals of the corporation, the town has transitioned from utopian experiment to artists' and intellectuals' colony to boutique resort and affluent suburb of Mobile.^[7]

For over 50 years, fishermen and residents of Fairhope have experienced the "jubilee" phenomenon. During a jubilee along the shores of Mobile Bay, some aquatic animals, including blue crabs, flounder, stingrays, and eels, come to the shallow water. At those times, it is possible to catch the fish, crabs, and other sea life near the water's edge.

The Weeks Bay Nature Reserve, located 10 miles (16 km) to the southeast, is known for the many oaks, wildlife and pitcher plants along the elevated walkways through the swamp forest.

The Bell Building on the Faulkner State Community College campus houses the Marietta Johnson Museum.^[11] The Fairhope Museum of History is located downtown.

Geography

Fairhope is located on the shore of Mobile Bay. It is located 6 miles (10 km) south of Daphne and 10 miles (16 km) south of Spanish Fort. U.S. Route 98 (Greeno Road) runs north-south through the city.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31.1 km²), of which 0.019 square mile (0.05 km²), or 0.16%, is water.^[4] Its elevation ranges from sea level at the bay to 122 feet (37 m) in the city center.^[12]

Climate

Fairhope has a humid subtropical climate. It experiences hot, humid summers and generally mild winters, with average temperatures ranging from 81.9 °F (27.7 °C) in the summer to 50.4 °F (10.2 °C) during winter.

 

Education

Fairhope's public schools are part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system:

• Fairhope High School (9–12) – 1,142 students, Principal Jon Cardwell.^[19] Fairhope High School is located in the southernmost part of Fairhope. It is estimated that 39% of the city of Fairhope's high school age students attend Daphne High School that is north of Fairhope.
• Fairhope Middle School (7–8) – 642 students, Principal Angie Hall
• J. Larry Newton School (K–6) – 731 students, Principal Patrice Krueger, (Barnwell, Alabama)
• Fairhope Intermediate School (4–6) – 397 students, Princial
• Fairhope Elementary School (K–3) – 278 students, Principal

Other schools in Fairhope include:

• The Marietta Johnson School of Organic Education – continues to operate as a private school with approximately 20 students as of 2017. The school offers education to life groups that traditionally span 1st through 8th grades.
• St. Michael Catholic High School – beginning in 2016 with grades 9–10, adding a grade each year thereafter for a total enrollment between 360–400
• Faulkner State Community College – has a campus in Fairhope that provides adult education, undergraduate courses, non-credit and community service programs
• The University of South Alabama – has a branch campus in Fairhope providing graduate and upper-level undergraduate courses in education, counseling, nursing and business alongside non-credit and community service programs

Notable people