City of Foley – City in Alabama
Founded by Chicago Man Who Fell In Love with the Area
The city of Foley lies in Baldwin County, Alabama. Its nearest municipal neighbors are the cities of Daphne and Fairhope. Its population was 7,590 according to the 2000 census.
The city was founded by a Chicago man named John B. Foley. In 1901 while traveling to attend the funeral of President McKinley, Foley learned of the area from a railroad agent. The next year, he visited South Baldwin County. Taken in by the region, Foley ended up buying somewhere between forty and fifty thousand acres of land in the region. After returning to Chicago, Foley established the Magnolia Land Company.
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Once he began marketing portions of the property for sale, Foley came to realize that people needed a better means to reach the site. He helped underwrite the effort to lay railroad tracks into the region. A railroad station was erected in the locale in 1906.
This first station was destroyed by fire in 1908. The next year, a new station was built which today serves as the town museum. A wood burning train called “The Pine Knot Special” originally ran along the line leaving the region every morning and returning by the afternoon. When people cleared their land of forest cover, they would leave knots of wood beside the trestles for the engineers on the locomotives to make use of.
In 1915, Foley was incorporated as a city, and G I Weatherly served as the first mayor. Foley donated land for use as school sites and as churches.
City Typical of the State as a Whole
Foley covers just over 14 square miles. There are just over 530 people per square mile with just under half that number of housing units per square mile. Racially, the city is about three quarters white and a little over one fifth African American. Hispanics make up the next largest grouping at just under 5 %. There are also a small number of Native Americans and Asians.
27% of the some 3.100 households contain children under eighteen. Married couples comprise almost half the households. 15% of households are headed by a female. About a third of households are classified as non family. Individuals make up 28% of households, and 14% contain a senior living alone. The average household contains 2.35 members. Average size for families is 2.85 people.
The median income in Foley is about $31,600. For families the median is around $38,400. Median income for males is about $28500, and for females around $20,600. Per capita income averages a little over $19,000.
The Baldwin County School District serves Foley. The city has two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school and Fortis College.
Foley is home to the Tanger Outlet Mall, antique stores, a nature preserve, and a historic downtown. It can be reached by Exit 44 from Interstate 10 and by Exit 37 from Interstate 15. The city has several museums that chronicle the history of Baldwin County. Foley is one of the fastest growing cities in the area.
City of Foley – City in Alabama information provided by the Jason Will Real Estate Team 251-866-6464.