Bon Secour, Alabama
The town of Bon Secour, Alabama is located along the eastern coastline of
Mobile Bay, over 35 miles due east of the
Alabama-
Mississippi state line, near
Gulf Shores, Alabama and over 45 miles west of
Pensacola, Florida. The name
"Bon Secour" derives from the French phrase meaning "safe harbor" due to the secluded location on the inside coast of the Fort Morgan peninsula of southern Alabama.
Bon Secour lies on the Bon Secour River. Elevation is 10 feet above sea level.
The population of the town was recorded as 302 .
Bon Secour is sometimes mentioned in
hurricane report statistics, for the region, since Bon Secour is the first town inside the eastern coastline of
Mobile Bay when entering the bay from the south, indicating weather and tide conditions for the population at the south end of Mobile
Encyclopedia
The town of
Bon Secour, Alabama is located along the eastern coastline of
Mobile Bay, over 35 miles due east of the
Alabama-
Mississippi state line, near
Gulf Shores, Alabama and over 45 miles west of
Pensacola, Florida. The name
"Bon Secour" derives from the French phrase meaning "safe harbor" due to the secluded location on the inside coast of the Fort Morgan peninsula of southern Alabama.
Bon Secour lies on the Bon Secour River. Elevation is 10 feet above sea level.
The population of the town was recorded as 302 .
Bon Secour is sometimes mentioned in
hurricane report statistics, for the region, since Bon Secour is the first town inside the eastern coastline of
Mobile Bay when entering the bay from the south, indicating weather and tide conditions for the population at the south end of Mobile Bay, nearest the entrance to the
Gulf of Mexico. By contrast,
Mobile, Alabama is located near the
north end of Mobile Bay, much farther from the Gulf tide and hurricane storm surges.
Nearby Towns
- Gulf Shores, Alabama
- Daphne, Alabama
- Foley, Alabama
- Orange Beach, Alabama
- Elberta, Alabama
- Summerdale, Alabama
- Silverhill, Alabama
- Robertsdale, Alabama
- Point Clear, Alabama
- Fairhope, Alabama
Geography
Bon Secour is located at 30°27'56" North, 87°45'13" West .
The town has a total area of 8.7 kmē : 8.7 kmē of it is land and none is water.
Demographics
The recorded population was 302 people, with 142 male and 160 female, median age 37.0 years, with 148 housing units in the town. The
population density was 34.7/kmē .
The race/culture distribution was recorded as: White: 291 , Black or African American: 0 , American Indian and Alaska Native: 5 , Asian 0 , Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 , some other race: 1 , two or more races 5, Hispanic or Latino : 3 .
Education
Bon Secour is served by the Baldwin County Public Schools system, in the nearby town of
Gulf Shores.
An elementary school, a middle school, and a high school serve Gulf Shores.
Schools
Secondary schools
High schools
Middle schools
- Gulf Shores Middle School
Primary schools
- Gulf Shores Elementary School
Climate
Bon Secour enjoys a very mild
climate throughout the year. High temperatures in the winter average around 65 degrees; summer-time high temperatures average around 87. Bon Secour also averages 61 inches of rainfall per year.
The location of Bon Secour on the northern coast of the
Gulf of Mexico makes it especially vulnerable to
hurricanes. In September 1979, Bon Secour received the full brunt of category 3
Hurricane Frederic which leveled most of the beachfront of the town. In September 2004, category 3
Hurricane Ivan made landfall only a few miles from Bon Secour, causing extensive wind and flooding damage. Nearby
Orange Beach suffered even greater damage from its location east of Ivan's eyewall. Over 800 homes were destroyed by Ivan.
Regional
Bon Secour is the location of the
Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge . The Bon Secour NWR consists of over 6,700 acres of wildlife habitat lying directly west of
Gulf Shores, Alabama, on the Fort Morgan peninsula of southern Alabama. The refuge was established by the US Congress in 1980 to provide habitat for non-game birds migrating south in the fall and north in the spring. The migration paths from Bon Secour lead south to lower
Florida, the
Caribbean,
Mexico and to
Central America. The Bon Secour refuge also serves as the one of the largest undeveloped parcels of land on the Alabama coast, with sand dunes which are a reminder of the
Gulf Coast, as it formerly existed. Consequently, the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge has been named among the ten natural wonders of Alabama.
Notes
References
The following are reference sources, repeated alphabetically:
External links
