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Foley, Alabama

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1921 and the latest in 1980. It stands in the Foley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 36535. The Survey maps it on the Foley quadrangle. 20,335 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 79 feet above sea level.

Foley within Baldwin County

On record in Foley

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 2 records

Population over time

2 figures

Foley grew from 14,618 to 20,335 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201014,618
202020,335+5,717 (+39%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 17 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

49 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 49 fires within 5 miles of Foley between 1994 and 2019, burning about 419 acres in total. None started naturally. 8 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning20
Missing data/not specified/undetermined13
Arson/incendiarism8
Equipment and vehicle use5
Recreation and ceremony2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
23 September 2010Debris and open burning6.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
27 August 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreAlabama Forestry CommissionSWR-20150827-001
8 July 1995Debris and open burning4.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
19 July 2002Arson/incendiarism50 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
4 June 2002Debris and open burning3.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
9 May 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
26 May 2002Equipment and vehicle use9.5 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named
19 May 1994Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresAlabama Forestry Commissionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Baldwin County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Foley: 2 past producers, 1 producer, 1 prospect. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Aluminum. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Baldwin County Gibbsite SandAluminumProspect1958
Blackwell PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unnamed QuarrySand and Gravel, ConstructionProducerQuartz

Every working recorded in Baldwin County

Storms near this place

47 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Foley in 47 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 13 hail, 12 thunderstorm wind, 12 flash flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 5 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
February 2011Thunderstorm WindFoley5 hurt, $10,000Winds estimated at 60 mph downed trees and power lines in Foley.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindFoley$500,000Trees were blown down and some minor building damage occurred at the Riveria Factory Outlet Center.
October 2001Tornado (F3)Foley$250,000An F3 tornado initially touched down just south of the Grove Home Park on County Road 16. The tornado then tracked north just east of County Road 65 to County Road 12, just southwest of Foley. The tornado blew down numerous trees, destroyed a manufactured home and damaged several others in the Grove Home Park. The tornado destroyed two large cement block buildings and damaged another three near County Road 12. A large panel truck filled with heavy tools was picked up and carried about 60 feet, and several other cars were thrown 15 to 25 feet. No injuries were reported.
November 2000Tornado (F1)Foley$150,000A low topped thunderstorm produced a brief F1 tornado about 1 mile Southeast of the community. The tornado first touched down in the Leisure Lakes subdivision causing minor roof damage to a few homes. The tornado then moved Northeast into the neighboring Glen Lakes subdivision, where it intensified and caused moderate roof and structural damage to several homes. The tornado then lifted back into the thunderstorm cloud.
October 2001Tornado (F0)Foley$15,000Another tornado briefly touched down, about 20 minutes after the first one, near the Grove Home Park. The F0 blew down several trees and a large fence near the Park along County Road 65.
June 2022LightningFoley$10,000House struck by lightning.
June 2022LightningFoley$10,000Transformer struck by lightning.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindFoley$10,000Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph downed numerous trees and power lines in and around the city of Foley. Baldwin County reports 1 home was damaged.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindFoley$10,000High winds from a thunderstorm blew down several trees near Foley.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindFoley$7,000Winds estimated at 60 mph downed trees and power lines near the Foley Beach Express.
June 2015LightningFoley$5,000Lightning struck the roof of a detached, residential garage. Several shingles were removed, leaving around a foot diameter hole in the roof.
August 1999Thunderstorm WindFoley$3,000Several trees were blown down at a residence near Foley.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindFoley$1,000Dime-size hail was reported in Gulf Shores. The storm that caused the hail then moved through Foley blowing some trees and power poles down south of the city. The storm then blew trees and power lines down along Highway 90 near Seminole. The storm then weakened some as it moved into Northwest Florida.
July 1995Thunderstorm WindFoley$500A roof and canopy were peeled back from the front of a building by the wind in Foley.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindFoley-Trees reported down in Foley.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindFoley-Measured by Weatherstem station at Foley Elementary School.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindFoley-High winds damaged a roof on a store in Foley.
May 2024Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rain caused water over the roadway on Highway 98 at Highway 59.
April 2023Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rain caused several roads to be flooded in the area.
June 2023Heavy RainFoley-A total of 3.42 inches of rain was recorded over a 6 hour period at Mesonet Station FLYAL 2 SSE Foley.
June 2023Flash FloodFoley-Portions of US 98, near the Foley Beach Express, was closed in both directions due to flash flooding.
June 2023Flash FloodFoley-Water rescues occurred on Highway 98 near the Fish River Grill in Foley, AL due to significant flash flooding.
August 2022Flash FloodFoley-Multiple flooded roads in the downtown Foley area.
July 2021Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rain caused water to cover the roadway at Highway 98 and Pine Street.
July 2021Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rain caused numerous roads to be flooded in the Foley community with at least a foot of water reported on one of the roads.
July 2021Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rain caused water to cover the road along the Foley Beach Express at Doc McDuffie Road. In addition, the nearby river gauge for Wolf Creek rose almost 9 feet in just a couple hours time, resulting in flooding of other roads as well.
July 2019Heavy RainFoley-Total rainfall of 4 inches.
January 2017HailFoley-Numerous pictures of ping pong to hen egg size hail in Foley.
January 2017HailFoley-Quarter size hail reported in Foley.
January 2017HailFoley-Several reports of quarter to golf ball size hail in Foley.
June 2015HailFoley-Golf ball size hail was reported in Foley.
April 2014Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rain produced street flooding in Summerdale at County Road 73 and Sanborn Ave.
July 2013Flash FloodFoley-At least 6 inches of water flowing over the southbound lanes of U.S. Highway 59 in Foley. The intersection south of Lambert's Cafe on Highway 50 was completely under water. Law enforcement also reported all drainage ditches completely full and overflowing from Foley south to Gulf Shores along Highway 59.
June 2006HailFoley-Golfball hail was reported falling from a thunderstorm near Foley. No reports of damage were received as the hail fell mostly over open fields.
July 2003Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rains from slow moving thunderstorms caused several streets between Daphne and Foley to become impassable. Three to five inches of rainfall were estimated across the area. The streets that were closed quickly drained after the storms had moved out of the area.
August 2002Funnel CloudFoley-Two funnel clouds were reported in the south part of Baldwin county. The first was reported near Foley and the second near Orange Beach. Neither funnel touched down and both dissipated after appearing for a couple of minutes.
September 2002Flash FloodFoley-Heavy rains caused several streets in the south part of Baldwin county to flood. Most of the secondary streets in the south part of the county had standing water in them and had to be closed for several hours. Most of the water drained out of the streets in the early afternoon as the heavy rains subsided.
March 2024HailFoley-no account filed
April 2023HailFoley-no account filed
May 2012HailFoley-no account filed
June 2011HailFoley-no account filed
August 2011Thunderstorm WindFoley-no account filed
May 2008HailFoley-no account filed
June 2006Funnel CloudFoley-no account filed
April 2005HailFoley-no account filed
March 2003HailFoley-no account filed
July 2003HailFoley-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Baldwin County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Blue Grass Recreational Vehicle Park1.3 miles17
Foley Recreational Vehicle Park3.0 miles17
Swift3.7 miles17
Elberta4.6 miles17
Miflin4.6 miles19
Magnolia Springs4.9 miles18
Summerdale5.7 miles17
Oak6.2 miles17

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on FoleyAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q79265The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 118464. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.