The July 1st Jimmy Buffett and Friends concert has been postponed until July 11th due to the possible storm surge caused by the recent tropical storm.  The concert will feature renowned Jimmy Buffet and a number of other performers including Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown, Allen Toussaint, Sonny Landreth, and Jesse Winchester.  The event will take place on the beach in Gulf Shores, AL and has been organized to show support for unity between residents, businesses, and the Gulf Coast culture.  Part of the show is scheduled to air live on CMT and will be able to be heard online at CMT.com, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio.

For more information on Concerts for the Coast, visit concertsforthecoast.com.

And for more information on buying or selling real estate in Alabama’s Gulf Coast contact local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

According to a recent report from Moody’s, a national credit ratings firm, Baldwin County AL’s credit rating has improved.    Moody’s announcement indicated that Baldwin County’s creditworthiness had increased from Aa2 to Aa1, which is one score under the agency’s highest rating.  Standard & Poor’s credit rating report for Baldwin County was also notable, being AA+ which is just under their highest rating of AAA.   These credit rating scores dictate how much taxpayers put out to borrow money for large projects and bond issuers can assume a very low risk of Baldwin County defaulting on debts.

For more on this issue visit AL.com.

And for more information on buying or selling real estate in Baldwin County AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

Area Development magazine’s 2010 Silver Shovel Award was recently given to Alabama for their economic development efforts last year.  The Silver Shovel Award is for recognition of projects that occurred over the course of a year that did well in attracting new jobs via high-value investment projects to a given area.  Alabama has won shovel awards for five years, winning the Golden Shovel Award in 2006 when the state was ranked number one for the biggest job-created and investment projects for 2005.  The magazine also noted that Alabama’s largest job boost came from Ryla Inc, which opened up a regional headquarters and customer call center in Mobile County, creating about 1,200 jobs and investing $8.5 into the project.

For more about economic development in Mobile AL, visit Al.com.

And for more on buying and selling real estate in Mobile AL, contact your local agent Barbara Reeves today.

The latest report in the unemployment rate for Alabama was just announced for the month of May, showing a slight drop.  Alabama’s unemployment rate has remained fairly steady between 10.9 percent and 11.1 percent for the last seven months, as reported by State Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees; however, May’s unemployment rate dropped to 10.8, which is down from the previous month of April’s 11 percent.  Surtees also reported that wage and salary employment increased by 13,700 over the last month and over the course of this year so far it has increased by 44,400 total.

For more on community and business news in Alabama, visit al.com.

And for more on buying and selling real estate in the Gulf Coast of AL, contact local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

This past Monday, the Fairhope AL Planning Commission gave its approval for a new tourism resort district that is designed to accommodate the development plan for The Colony at the Grand, a private residential community.  The Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa project’s success is primarily dependent on The Colony at the Grand and both are expected to be great for the city.  This private residential community will have a maximum of 637 residential units, with one tower that can be no more than 100 feet tall and 108,000 commercial square footage.

For more on The Colony at the Grand or the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa, visit Baldwincountynow.com.

And for more information on buying and selling homes in Fairhope AL, contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

The Gulf Coast area has seen significant population growth over the last fifty years, according to the results of a new census report.  U.S. coastal counties along the Gulf experienced a sharp jump in population with statistics indicating a 150 percent increase since 1960, with about 14 million residents.  This growth is higher than all other regions as well as twice the rate of increase experienced in the nation as a whole.  Much of this growth is attributed to the affordable living in the South and Southeast area.

For more on this story and other Mobile AL news, visit Al.com.

And for more on buying and selling real estate in the beautiful Gulf Coast AL area, contact expert realtor Barbara Reeves today.

This week Fairhope AL celebrates Public Works week.  This Wednesday morning at 9:00am will be the presentation of the rose garden and the Fairhope Municipal Pier tour.  During this tour, the history of the pier, and the bayfront parks and gardens will be discussed, as well as how to care for and maintain roses in your own gardens.

Downtown Fairhope’s beautiful fountain surrounded by roses has been admired by residents and visitors alike and is the central point of the rose garden tour.  The significance of public works in the creation and maintenance of the pier and park system will also be discussed during the tour on Wednesday.

For more on Fairhope’s rose garden and tour, visit Baldwincountynow.com.

And for more on real estate in Fairhope AL, contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves today.  Your dream home is waiting for you in the beautiful Gulf Coast area.

Last week marked the arrival of a new carnival ship into Mobile River.  The old Carnival Cruise Line ship, Fantasy, departed for its last voyage in Mobile AL and the new ship, Elation, is now up and running to take over.  The Fantasy is being sent to Charleston SC where it will continue to be used for year round cruises.   Although the Elation was brought to service in 1998, it was newly renovated in 2009 and has a luxurious 1,026 staterooms, four restaurants, two swimming pools and 12 lounges and bars as well as a theater and a health club.  The ship is expected to make 74 departures from Mobile AL’s terminal annually and have approximately 170,000 passengers during that time.

For more on Carnival Cruise Line cruises in Mobile AL, visit AL.com.

And for more on real estate in Mobile AL contact local agent Barbara Reeves today.

The newly formed Beach Patrol for the Gulf Shores beaches has been formed and a new head is in place.  Scott Smothers, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, was introduced at a recent city council meeting and is now the official head of the Beach Patrol.  The Beach Patrol was designed to assist in safety issues on the public beaches and to enforce the new ordinances related to Gulf Shores beaches.  Although lifeguards are on the Gulf Shores beaches from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, the new beach patrol will be at the beaches everyday for a more thorough job in keeping the beaches running smoothly and safely for visitors and residents.

For more on Baldwin County community news, visit baldwincountynow.com.

And for more information on real estate in Alabama’s Gulf Coast area, including Mobile, West Mobile, Spanish Fort, Daphne, and Fairhope, contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

The Mobile City Council are still considering a 1 percent sales tax increase, though it was voted down last time with a 3-3 vote, with one member abstaining.

The original proposal indicated a 1 percent increase through September 30, 2012, which is the end of the 2012 fiscal year; after this it would go down to one half of the 1 percent for 2013.  The new proposal, however, has the 1 percent increase gone entirely after September 30th of 2011, when Mobile City Council members would take another vote for a possible renewal of the tax increase.  This compromise may be just the thing to pass the proposal with the necessary 5 votes from the seven council members.

For more on the possible tax increase in Mobile AL, visit AL.com.

And for all your Mobile and West Mobile AL real estate endeavors, whether buying or selling in the beautiful Gulf Coast area, contact local Realtor Barbara Reeves today.