Orange Beach, Alabama, took its name from the oranges once grown there and exported until the hard freezes of 1916, and although the groves disappeared, the name endured. Early Indians, first drawn by game, discovered the Gulf of Mexico’s abundant seafood, and shell mounds and archeological digs show thousands of years of Indian visits. Development began with the Spanish land grants of Samuel Suarez and William Kee, while logging and pine sap collection for turpentine and naval stores became early industries. This sparsely populated wilderness was sustained by farming and fishing until the mid 1800s, and Civil War battles in the area brought a large influx of troops, many of whom stayed or later returned, helping the population grow. Over the next 70 years, the community expanded as commercial and sports fishing became its main industries. The completion of the Intra-Coastal Canal in 1932 spurred further development, and in 1962 a bridge from Alabama Point to Perdido Key made travel to Pensacola easier. The population continued to rise until Hurricane Frederic struck in September 1979; afterward, national media coverage led major developers to “discover” Orange Beach, and a condominium-building boom began. That growth created the need for controls and better infrastructure, leading to the incorporation of the City of Orange Beach in 1984. Since incorporation, new bridges and roads, more marinas, navigational improvements, and other infrastructure expansions have been added. Charter fishing, now a year-round recreation, has remained a mainstay of the city’s economy, drawing fishermen from around the world for world championship tournaments, and the city has developed into a modern resort.