Summerdale, Alabama

Geography

Summerdale is located at 30°29'15.468" North, 87°42'4.036" West (30.487630, -87.701121). Alabama State Route 59 passes along the west side of the town, leading north 5 miles (8 km) to Robertsdale and south 6 miles (10 km) to Foley.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.7 square miles (25.2 km²), of which 9.7 square miles (25.1 km²) is land and 0.039 square miles (0.1 km²), or 0.38%, is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 655 people, 255 households, and 184 families residing in the town. The population density was 125.7 people per square mile (48.5/km²). There were 282 housing units at an average density of 54.1 per square mile (20.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.23% White, 4.89% Black or African American, 1.07% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.92% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. Nearly 2.29% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 255 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57, and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town, the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $27,917, and the median income for a family was $32,159. Males had a median income of $26,563 versus $19,167 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,775. About 13.7% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Summerdale is a part of the Baldwin County Public Schools system.

Summerdale has one school, Summerdale School, which serves grades kindergarten through 8. Students continue on to Foley High School in nearby Foley for grades 9 through 12. Alabama Gulf Coast Christian Academy is a private school located on the corner of County Roads 28 and 71. It serves grades Pre-K through 12.

Naval Outlying Field Summerdale

The Navy Outlying Field (NOLF) Summerdale airport is on the east side of Summerdale (at latitude, longitude: 30.507695, –87.645541). The Airport Code is NFD, in region: ASO - Southern, with boundary ARTCC: ZJX - Jacksonville, and Tie-in FSS: ANB - Anniston. The airport runway length/width is 2850 x 150 ft (868.7 x 45.7 m), with runway elevation: 149 feet (45 m). The airport is owned/operated by the US Navy, through Commanding Officer, Operations Department, 7077 USS Lexington Court, Milton, FL 32570-6016.

Tourism

Summerdale has two well-known tourist stops. Alligator Alley is an alligator farm, which allows visitors to feed and hold gators. They also welcome photographers. There is also the Spear Hunting Museum, which is said to be the only such museum in the world. It was founded by the self-described "World's Greatest Living Spear Hunter," Gene Morris. Although Morris died in 2011, the museum remains open. Summerdale also hosts an annual 4th of July celebration in Pioneer Park at 9:00PM every year. It is one of the best fireworks shows of the year, according to most locals.