Montgomery Could Fall to 4th Largest Alabama City If Voters Approve Mobile’s Annexation Plan

The port of Mobile, Alabama, and the city’s skyline (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)

Mobile wants to annex more than 25,000 people, which would drop Montgomery to 4th place in the state based on population.

The Mobile City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to let the people vote on whether they want their neighborhoods to be annexed. If they vote yes, it would make Mobile the second-largest city in Alabama.

The proposal sets the stage for Mobile to pass the population of Birmingham and Montgomery, which are currently second and third, with Mobile fourth.

“We are teed up to move this city forward in a very positive way,” Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said.

Mobile’s current population is just over 187,000. If all four targeted areas approve annexation, the city will pass Montgomery’s population of roughly 200,600 and Birmingham’s 200,700. Huntsville will remain Alabama’s largest city with a population of 215,000.

When accounting for an entire metro area, Birmingham is the largest.

A special election date was not immediately announced.

(Copyright 2023 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)