Robertsdale

Robertsdale is located in the southwest section of Baldwin County, in the southwestern corner of Alabama. Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., was raised in Robertsdale, as was Janie Ledlow Shores, the first woman elected to the Alabama Supreme Court.

History

Pulpwood on the Styx River Robertsdale was founded after the Louisville & Nashville Railroad ran a line through the area in 1905. The Southern Plantation Development Corporation of Chicago, Illinois, founded the town and named it Robertsdale after B. F. Roberts, an official of the company.

A post office was established in 1905, and the town incorporated in 1921. The agriculture and timber industries were early economic drivers for the area.

Demographics

According to 2020 Census estimates, Robertsdale recorded a population of 6,776. Of that number, 90.8 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 10.2 percent as Hispanic, 4.3 percent as African American, 1.3 percent as two or more races, and 0.1 percent as American Indian. The town’s median household income was $48,578, and the per capita income was $23,147.

Employment

According to 2020 Census estimates, the workforce in Robertsdale was divided among the following industrial categories:

  • Educational services and health care and social assistance (19.7 percent)
  • Retail trade (15.1 percent)
  • Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (14.4 percent)
  • Manufacturing (12.0 percent)
  • Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services (10.2 percent)
  • Construction (9.2 percent)
  • Other services, except public administration (9.0 percent)
  • Transportation and warehousing, and utilities (4.2 percent)
  • Public administration (2.8 percent)
  • Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extraction (1.0 percent)
  • Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing (1.0 percent)
  • Wholesale trade (0.8 percent)
  • Information (0.7 percent)

Education

Schools in Robertsdale are part of the Baldwin County Public Schools; the town has three elementary schools and one high school. Coastal Alabama Community College maintains a campus in the town.

Transportation

State Highway 59 runs north-south through the city, and State Highway 104 runs east-west. The Navy Outlying Field Summerdale Airport is located on the southeastern side of the town.

Events and Places of Interest

Robertsdale has one municipal park complex that features multiple baseball and softball venues and six other city parks with tennis courts, soccer/football fields, baseball and softball fields, horseshoe courts, a volleyball court, walking trails, an armed forces memorial, playground equipment, and a covered pavilion.

Additional Resources

Baldwin County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Baldwin County, Alabama. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, Inc., 2001.

External Links

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