Bayou La Batre, Alabama
Bayou La Batre (/ˌbaɪ.oʊ lə ˈbætri/ or locally /ˌbaɪlə ˈbætri/) is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Mobile metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,204, down from 2,558 at the 2010 census.
Bayou La Batre, Alabama | |
|---|---|
Location of in Mobile County, Alabama | |
| Coordinates: 30°24′11″N 88°14′53″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Mobile |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.63 sq mi (19.77 km2) |
| • Land | 7.49 sq mi (19.40 km2) |
| • Water | 0.14 sq mi (0.37 km2) |
| Elevation | 10 ft (3 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 2,204 |
| • Density | 294.26/sq mi (113.62/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 36509 |
| Area code | 251 |
| FIPS code | 01-04684 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2403828 |
| Website | cityofbayoulabatre |
Bayou La Batre is a fishing village with a seafood-processing harbor for fishing boats and shrimp boats. The local chamber of commerce has described the city as the "Seafood Capitol of Alabama" for packaging seafood from hundreds of fishing boats.
Bayou La Batre was founded in 1786, when French-born Joseph Bouzage (or Bosarge) [1733-1795] was awarded a 1,259-acre (509 ha) Spanish land grant on the West Bank of the bayou (see history below). The modern city of Bayou La Batre was incorporated in 1955.
On August 29, 2005, the area was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, which produced the largest storm surge ever recorded in the area, reaching nearly 16 ft (5 m) and pushing many shrimp boats and the cargo ship M/V Caribbean Clipper onto shore.