Baldwin

Formed December 21, 1809 (3^rd county)

Baldwin County (231,761), Bay Minette (8,101), Daphne (27,463)

A masonry and tan brick structure is the courthouse in this county.  It was built in 1901 in the city square at Hand and Olive streets.  Hand Street is United States Highway 31 in the city.  The courthouse was remodeled in 1996.  Lockwood and Smith were the designers of the Federalist style structure.  The grounds feature a fountain, veteran memorials, and an eternal flame.  McIntosh Bluff, Blakeley, and Daphne have also served as the county seat.  Georgia United States Senator Abraham Baldwin provided his name to Baldwin County.  Bay Minette was named for Jean Baptiste Moyne, founder of New Orleans, Louisiana.  Baldwin County was formed from parts of Washington County and West Florida on December 21, 1809 as the 3^rd county, prior to Alabama becoming a state.

Baldwin County government consists of a sheriff, revenue commissioner, and coroner (executive).  It has 4 commissioners (legislative.)  Five Circuit Judges, Two District Judges, a Probate Judge, a District Attorney, and a County Clerk serve Baldwin County (judicial.)  The county is in the southwest corner of Alabama just east of Mobile, Alabama.  The center of the county is 21.4 miles South of Bay Minette nearer Loxley.  The county is clockwise surrounded by Monroe and Escambia counties and Florida and Gulf of Mexico and Mobile, Washington, and Clarke counties.  Bay Minette is in the north center of the county.  Daphne is in west central Baldwin County.  Bay Minette, the county seat, has 3.5% of the county population.  Daphne, the largest city, has 11.9% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced BAE MI-NAE.  The largest city is pronounced DA-FEEN.

The Gulf of Mexico forms the southern border and Florida is on the southeast border.  The Alabama River and Mobile Bay are the western border.  The county has an area of 1589.8 square miles.  It ranks 1 out of 67 in size.  It ranks 4 out of 67 in population in the state.  It has a density of 155.0 persons per square mile making it 14 out of 67 in the state.  Baldwin County has 55.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 crosses east to west on the southern part of the county, from Florida to Mobile County.  Interstate Highway 65 enters from the northeast, Escambia County, and exits west into Mobile County.  United States Highway 31 also enters from Escambia County and terminates at United States Highway 90 in southwest Baldwin County.  United States Highway 90 parallels Interstate Highway 10 from Florida into Mobile County.  United States Highway 98 also enters from Florida and joins United States Highway 90 prior to entering Mobile County.  The county is tall, lazy capital L shape.  The county is in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley Micropolitan Statistical Area.