(See related story: "Genteel Mobile: Southern Charm -- Old And New")

MOBILE -- Watch out, New Orleans. Move over, Birmingham. Look over your shoulder, Atlanta.
Mobile, already the home of America's Junior Miss Pageant, the Senior Bowl college all-star football game, the original Mardi Gras (New Orleans adopted the concept) and many of the finest seafood restaurants anywhere, is poised to become one of the South's most vibrant cities.
The Azalea City is bursting with developmental energy, with millions of dollars in improvements and additions already made in the past few years (new convention center, court-office complex, etc.) and tens of millions of bucks to be spent on changes and additions over the next couple of years.
The city has rediscovered the significance of its huge oceanfront bay and is starting to take advantage of it in major fashion.
A multi-million dollar maritime center is set for completion in 2004-2005, the bay is being dredged to handle a large influx of tourist cruise liners, high-speed ferry boat service to Dauphin Island and other regional locales is but a step away and a 35-story office tower is set for 2005. This is in addition to the nearly-complete renovation of the city's beautiful old train station and the debut of the Riverfront Landing development and museum.
No doubt, Mobile definitely has upward mobility.
Once a sleepy cotton town, Mobile's wonderful climate, great highway systems (two interstates), sports, business and culture opportunities and a great waterfront is starting to lure both business and residents. The city population is now about 200,000, with more than half a million in the immediate metro area. A far cry from the few settlers who arrived here more than 300 years ago.
Despite all this growth, Mobile has taken steps to retain its heritage, too. The city has a large section of original old homes available to the public in the downtown Dauphin Street area and many old business buildings have avoided the wrecking ball and are set for restoration.
The city has held onto its old Southern charm, with Spanish moss-laden giant live oaks punctuating much of the area.
The city's unique mix of cultural influences (dating back to the Mobilia Indian tribes which originally inhabited the area), history (with French, British and Spanish all once holding reign), lush gardens and sports and entertainment provide Mobilians a unique slice of life.
Mobile originated the idea of a Mardi Gras (which literally means Fat Tuesday) celebration as early as 1703, but the current adaptation, with heavy Spanish influence, began in 1866. New Orleans, about two hours west of here, liked the idea and copied the celebration a couple of decades later. Mobile continues with its annual Mardi Gras event, sans the booze and baudiness of the New Orleans festival. The Mobile event is still colorful, but caters more to a family atmosphere.
The Mobile area also has two of the most prized historical and sports venues in the South. The Bellingrath Gardens has a stunning floral display in a natural setting of several acres along a lakefront (the esquisive Southern mansion home and elegant furnishings are also available for touring. Golfers are fortunate to have several outstanding courses in the region, including the magnificent 54-hole (three courses) Robert Trent Jones Magnolia Grove layout.
Major college sports are available at Mobile's South Alabama University and miles of white sand beaches are available at nearby Dauphin Island.
Historians can enjoy touring Old Ford Conde downtown, with visitors regularly getting to see the firing of the old fort cannons.
Children enjoy the downtown Gulf Coast Exploreum Museum of Science (a hands-on facility) and large Imax theater.
Military historians can spend days here touring displays at the large waterfront park serving as the home of the retired U. S. battleship USS Alabama, a full-scale retired American submarine (The Drum) and numerous American aircraft (including the B-2, F-14s and B-52 bombers).
Mobile Bay is also the site of one of the most significant sea battles of the Civil War, in which Admiral Farragut is said to have issued his famous command of "Damn the torpedos . . . full speed ahead!"
Visitors to Mobile can find plenty of hotel-motel rooms (with more than 1,000 in the downtown area alone, including the large Adam's Mark, Lafayette Plaza, Radisson and Holiday Inn Express (all conveniently located near the bay, business, museums and historic districts). Gettting around downtown is easy with the city's electric trolley car system called LoDa Moda.
Lots of lip-smacking restaurants punctuate the bay area and Mobile region. Some of the most notable include Rousssos on Royal Street in the Fort Conde Village, the unique Wintzell's Oyster House on Dauphin Street, the Mariner on Rock Point Road and NanSea's Restaurant on Bay Front Road. Roussos, which has survived two hurricanes, is located in a converted waterfront warehouse and has an inviting interior, punctuated with with historical photos of the Roussos family and memorablia. The restaurant's 8,000-square foot kitchen is also open for inspection by customer at all times. Wintzell's has been around since 1938 and, besides its great Gulf seafood, is best known as the restaurant which has been collecting witticisms for its walls for nearly seven decades. Literally thousands of little pasted-on messages -- everything from marital advice to workplace suggestions -- now adorn the walls. NanSeas (which means Seven Seas) is known for its West Indes salad, seafood platters and steaks.
For more information on the Mobile area, visit these websites:
www.mobile.org
[email protected]
www.ussalabama.com
www.bellingrath.org
www.museumofmobile.com
www.exploreum.net
www.mobileconventions.com
www.historicmobile.org
www.mobilechamber.com
www.mobilemuseumofart.com
www.rtjgolf.com

This story was published on 08 May 2003.