Orange Beach is located in southern Baldwin County in the southwest corner of the state on Alabama's Gulf Coast. It has a mayor/city council form of government.
History
The area that now comprises Orange Beach was first settled in the mid-1860s, with the western portion of the present town being known as Orange Beach, the central portion being known as Caswell, and the eastern end being known as Bear Point. This latter section of the present-day island was a Creek settlement until the early nineteenth century. Given the town's proximity to vast forestlands, early businesses included turpentine and naval stores production and a shingle mill. As forestlands were depleted in the late nineteenth century, they were replaced with orange groves, from which the town derived its present name. The first groves were planted by Lemuel Walker Sr., in whose home the first post office opened in 1901. The citrus industry remained an important aspect of the local economy until several hard freezes, the last being in 1926, effectively ended it.


Demographics
According to 2016 Census estimates, Orange Beach recorded a population of 5,791. Of that number, 97.8 percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 2.6 percent as Hispanic, 1.3 percent as two or more races, 0.5 percent as African American, and 0.3 percent as Native American. The town's median household income was $59,523, and the per capita income was $40,932.
Employment
According to 2016 Census estimates, the work force in Orange Beach was divided among the following industrial categories:
- Arts, entertainment, recreation, and accommodation and food services (17.1 percent)
- Educational services, and health care and social assistance (16.9 percent)
- Finance and insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing (13.0 percent)
- Retail trade (12.3 percent)
- Professional, scientific, and administrative and waste management services (8.1 percent)
- Transportation, warehousing, and utilities (8.0 percent)
- Construction (7.2 percent)
- Manufacturing (5.9 percent)
- Other services, except public administration (4.0 percent)
- Public administration (3.2 percent)
- Wholesale trade (2.3 percent)
- Information (1.6 percent)
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and extractive (0.5 percent)
Education
Orange Beach's one elementary school is part of the Baldwin County School System. Middle and high school students attend schools in nearby Gulf Shores.
Transportation
Orange Beach is served by State Highways 180 and 182, both of which run east-west, and State Highway 161, which runs north-south. Jack Edwards Airport serves general aviation.
Events and Places of Interest

Orange Beach maintains an aquatics center, a tennis center, a recreation center, a sportsplex, and a waterfront park. The sportsplex has hosted the Southeastern Conference's Women's Soccer Championship since 2005. The town also maintains a backcountry trail and a canoe trail and owns Robinson Island and Bird Island Park, a wildlife sanctuary that the city purchased in 2003. The city is home to three stops on the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail.
The Orange Beach Indian and Sea Museum exhibits local artifacts and memorabilia that highlight the area's Native American history and the influence of the sea on the town's economic and cultural life. The Coastal Arts Center has a gallery that exhibits the work of more than 150 artists and offers art classes to the public.
Additional Resources
Baldwin County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Baldwin County. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2001.
Additional Resources
Baldwin County Heritage Book Committee. The Heritage of Baldwin County. Clanton, Ala.: Heritage Publishing Consultants, 2001.
Long, Margaret Childress, and Michael D. Shipler. The Best Place to Be: The Story of Orange Beach, Alabama. Bay Minette, Ala.: Leedon Art, 2002.