10/31/2026
Ever wonder why it's called Orange Beach? 🍊🎣
Settlement here began in the mid-1860s in three communities: Orange Beach on the west end, Caswell in the middle, and Bear Point on the east end, which had been a Creek settlement until the early 1800s. Early work was turpentine and naval stores, plus a shingle mill.
When the forests were cut over in the late 1800s, orange groves took their place. Lemuel Walker Sr. planted the first groves, and the town's first post office opened in his home in 1901. A string of hard freezes, the last in 1926, ended the citrus business, but the name stuck 🍊
Getting around was mostly by water in those days. In the early 1920s, about the time one of the first tourist hotels was built, locals started renting out their boats for one-day fishing trips. That was the beginning of the charter fishing Orange Beach is famous for today 🚤 The first paved road didn't arrive until 1947. After Hurricane Frederic in 1979, development took off, and Orange Beach became a city in 1984.
Want to see more? The Orange Beach History Museum is in a 1910 schoolhouse behind the City Hall complex on Highway 161. It's free and open Monday–Friday, 9 AM–4 PM, with artifacts from the area's Native American and fishing heritage.
Book a charter, then come home to a Gulf view. Booking direct with Coastal South is always lower than Airbnb and Vrbo 👉 coastalsouthvacationrentals.com
