To draw a general picture of life in the Southern ante-bellum city of Mobile is the aim of this paper. The first chapter is intended to set the social, economic, and political scene, being given over to no specific phase of history. Social and cultural interests follow as a background upon which life in the city revolved. Economic and commercial interests were most significant factors in the stature and success of the ante-bellum city, and are therefore treated in some detail. Transportation and communication are delineated as separated chapters due to the strategic location of Mobile as a river and seaport town. Separate chapters have also been devoted to journalism, crime and slavery in Mobile because these factors played such vital roles in determining the character of the place. Education has also received separate attention for it was in ante-bellum Mobile that free schools in Alabama had their origin and example. The general welfare of the city is portrayed in accounts of religion, health, and disaster there during the period. The last chapter is devoted to drawing a general picture of life and labor in Mobile on the eve of war.