Lillian, Alabama

Lillian, Alabama
County park at Lillian, Alabama
Location of Lillian in Baldwin County, Alabama.
Coordinates: 30°26′44″N 87°25′51″W / 30.44556°N 87.43083°W / 30.44556; -87.43083[1]
CountryUnited States
StateAlabama
CountyBaldwin
Area
 • Total
3.53 sq mi (9.14 km2)
 • Land1.91 sq mi (4.94 km2)
 • Water1.62 sq mi (4.20 km2)
Elevation3 ft (0.91 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
1,330
 • Density696.6/sq mi (268.96/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
36549[3]
Area code251
FIPS code01-42928
GNIS feature ID2633315[1]

Lillian is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in eastern Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lillian had a population of 1,330.[4] Lillian is located on U.S. Route 98 on the western shore of Perdido Bay, 9.5 miles (15.3 km) east of Elberta. Its eastern edge lies on the Alabama/Florida state line.

History

The community was named for Lillian Kee (1889-1972), the daughter of William Thomas Kee, postmaster.[5] In 1630, the King of Spain gave land grants to the Suarez family that included the current site of Lillian.[6] The Baldwin Colonization Company purchased the area around Lillian in 1923 to promote the area as a resort location. Lillian was once home to a school and hotel.[7] The hotel was originally located in Elberta then dismantled and moved to Lillian.[8]

The Lillian post office was established in 1884.[9]

The Perdido Bay Bridge, which spans Perdido Bay from Lillian to Florida, was first constructed in 1916. The bridge replaced a ferry that operated between Alabama and Florida.[7] The original bridge was operated by the Perdido Bay Bridge and Ferry Company, but ownership was transferred to the states of Alabama and Florida when a second bridge was completed in 1930.[10] The bridge was originally operated as a toll bridge, but tolls were discontinued in 1943.[11] The current bridge was completed in 1980.[7]

The Old Spanish Cemetery in Lillian includes burials from as early as the 16th century.[12][13]

The Lillian Swamp is managed as a nature preserve as part of the Forever Wild Land Trust.[14] The swamp is also listed as an Alabama Gulf Ecological Management Site due to its importance as an estuarine habitat and stopover for migratory birds.[15]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
20201,330
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
Lillian CDP, Alabama – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2020[17] 2020
White alone (NH) 1,181 88.80%
Black or African American alone (NH) 17 1.28%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 12 0.90%
Asian alone (NH) 8 0.60%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) 1 0.08%
Other race alone (NH) 0 0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 78 5.86%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 33 2.48%
Total 1,330 100.00%

Education

The school district is Baldwin County Public Schools.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lillian, Alabama
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Lillian AL ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  5. ^ Foscue, Virginia (1989). Place Names in Alabama. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. p. 84. ISBN 0-8173-0410-X.
  6. ^ O. Lawrence Burnette (2007). Historic Baldwin County: A Bicentennial History. HPN Books. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-893619-80-7.
  7. ^ a b c "Historic markers placed at boat launch, church in Lillian". Gulf Coast News Today. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Harriet Brill Outlaw; Penny H. Taylor (2013). Foley. Arcadia Publishing. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-7385-9869-7.
  9. ^ Helbock, Richard W. (2007) United States Post Offices, Volume VIII - The Southeast, p. 124, Scappoose, Oregon: La Posta Publications
  10. ^ United States. Department of State (1929). United States Statutes at Large: 1927-1929. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1510.
  11. ^ "Lillian Bridge Toll End". Fort Lauderdale News. December 10, 1943. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  12. ^ AL-59 Relocation, Foley to I-10, Baldwin County: Environmental Impact Statement. 1975. p. 67.
  13. ^ Morton, Patricia Hoskins. "Baldwin County". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  14. ^ "Lillian Swamp Complex". Alabama Forever Wild. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  15. ^ "Lillian Swamp" (PDF). Mobile Bay National Estuary Program. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  16. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  17. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Lillian CDP, Alabama". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ Geography Division (December 21, 2020). 2020 Census - School District Reference Map: Baldwin County, AL (PDF) (Map). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 29, 2025. Text list.