Nick Saban, Colt Grill and snow, snow, snow.
Those are some of the topics that Gulf Coast Media's readers flocked to in 2025, finding interest in a variety of local reporting, from informational …
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Nick Saban, Colt Grill and snow, snow, snow.
Those are some of the topics that Gulf Coast Media's readers flocked to in 2025, finding interest in a variety of local reporting, from informational lists updated in real time to visual storytelling to city council decisions.
This year's list of the top 10 most read stories, determined by views on www.GulfCoastMedia.com, paint a picture of a community wanting more than fluffy headlines and sensational, unverified "clickbait." The stories our readers clicked on the most in 2025 show that you want to be informed. You want to know what's happening around you, on the county and neighborhood level. When local news can provide that to the community, everyone is better off for it.
Here is a summary of the stories that topped our analytics this year. Stay tuned for each reporter to review the biggest storylines in each of their coverage areas next week.
We learned this year just how important it is to have reliable, accurate and timely information when dealing with something tangibly impactful like January's Winter Storm Enzo, which dropped up to 10 inches of snow in one day in Baldwin County.
Local news helps people thrive on the grassroots level. When there is an unexpected incident like a weather event, it's critical to have the information – without an agenda, just pure facts and neighborhood-level insight – you need to know to make decisions for you and your family. An article listing road conditions and updates on closures was Gulf Coast Media's 10th most read story this year. It also included information on warming shelters, power outages and decisions being made by groups from schools and hospitals to city governments and event organizers.
Another straightforward, informational story comes in at No. 9, though this storyline was more than a weekend blip. Gulf Shores International Airport's launch into commercial service and further expansion was a headline over and over in 2025, but this specific moment captured the most readers' eyes.
This summer, it was announced that Allegiant would begin a non-stop route between Gulf Shores and Nashville, Tennessee, marking the ninth local route.
"This is a home run," said Jesse Fosnaugh, airport director at Gulf Shores International Airport. "On average, we have about 380 people traveling every day between Nashville and Gulf Shores. Eliminating the 14+ hour roundtrip drive will give visitors more vacation time, reduce their travel fatigue and give back disposable income previously spent on fuel and vehicle expenses. Not to mention, our residents will have easy access to the Music City on a flight that takes a little more than an hour.
When this data was released in the spring, we did not yet have our Report for America corps member, Gabriella Chavez, on our newsroom team. But we knew the need was there to examine the implications of what was told in this story, that Baldwin County grew 30.3% from 2014 to 2024.
The Daphne-Fairhope-Foley Metropolitan Statistical Area's 3% population growth in 2023-2024 followed Ocala, Florida, at 4%, neighbor Panama City-Panama City Beach, Florida, and Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, each at 3.8%, Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida, at 3.5 % and Provo-Orem-Lehi, Utah, also at 3%.
Baldwin County's population estimate for 2025, according to Census data, is 265,813. In 2015, the county was home to 202,939 people, according to JobsEQ data aggregated by BCEDA.
Now, Chavez's reporting dives into the ripple effects of that growth, covering its impacts on our natural world and local environment, which we rely heavily on for jobs and quality of life, to economic development, access to services and more.
If you'd like to support our efforts to continue bringing you local news and information across Baldwin County, you can make a tax-deductible donation to Gulf Coast Media.
The SS United States docking in Mobile Bay to complete an 1,800-mile journey from Philadelphia to be stripped and prepared for its next life as the world's largest artificial reef didn't have a direct impact on Baldwin County, but it sure was of interest, evidenced by its No. 7 ranking in this list.
The ship, longer than the Titanic at 1,000 feet, was witnessed by a crowd gathered on Fort Morgan as it made its way through the five-mile pass. Included in the crowd was a woman who was a passenger aboard the ocean liner in the 1960s as she immigrated from England. Another was a college student who followed his interest in the vessel across the country.
This was not an unexpected event, but another informational list comes in at No. 6. This time, readers flocked to see municipal election results across Baldwin County for mayoral and council races.
This was an all-hands-on-deck event for our newsroom. We're a small staff covering a large county, which in August meant even our sports editor was on scene at a city hall so we could be the first to see the tallies and report them with first-hand knowledge to you.
Sometimes, reporters write stories we as journalists know are important but that don't always translate to online reads. Colt Grill's closure and owners' indictments was certainly one of the bigger storylines of the year, and it was reflected in its appearance on this list.
This is also a good example of what it's important to have real people, local reporters, telling the stories of the community. With our office being in Foley, photojournalist Micah Green was able to get on scene quickly and see for himself federal agents taking boxes of documents from the restaurant, rather than relying on second-hand accounts and reporting.
In this article, not the initial report, we were also able to connect with a local newspaper in Arizona, where other Colt Grill restaurants were impacted, to share photos and information. When local news stays independent of conglomerates and hedge fund ownership, it's easier for competition to dissolve for the sake of providing the best reporting to readers.
If you'd like to support our efforts to continue bringing you local news and information across Baldwin County, you can make a tax-deductible donation to Gulf Coast Media.
This story shows why it's important to have reporters in the room where decisions are being made that impact the community on the hyper-local level.
Reporter Ruth Mayo followed this ordinance proposal for two months as it went through discussions and revisions influenced by local business owners and other comments and concerns. When something new is presented for a vote by city councils, it's important that you know how it will impact you. Reporting like this helps break down jargon, weed through potential misinformation spread on social media and gets to the facts, verified and without personal opinions attached.
Citing public record documents, discussion between elected officials and comments from established business owners who were worried their operations would be included in the ban, Mayo defined the ban and cited why the city moved to create the ordinance as a response to population and tourism growth.
This one surprised me when it landed at No. 3, but it does continue to show that our community seeks actionable information, whether it's a critical impact like election results or something more in the line of quality-of-life decision making.
Thousands of people attend the Blue Angels air show in Pensacola, so when the homecoming show was rescheduled this year, it's clear the move was of interest.
Gulf Shores wasn't the only airport that made big headlines this year. Before Allegiant took off in the spring, the first part of the year saw a huge shift in regional air travel when Breeze Airways ceased service in Mobile.
Growth is an ever-present backdrop of this area, and the move represents a focus on it as Mobile's new downtown terminal/airport is in development. The airline, according to this report, expressed interest in returning once the terminal is complete.
Reporting this week said the project is tracking under budget and remains on target to open in August.
The No. 1 story read at Gulf Coast Media this year was only published this month, exploding to the top of the list and garnering viral levels of engagement on social media. But are we really surprised that Nick Saban's name being attached to Baldwin's beaches would top any list?
Perdido Beach Resort is an icon in itself in coastal Alabama, having remained under ownership of its developer, noted Alabama businessman Jim Meadlock, since its opening in 1987. Now, Terry and Nick Saban, Joe Agresto, Perdido Hotel Partners and a small group of investors have bought the resort and will reopen its on Dec. 30 after its tradition of closing the majority of the month.
If you'd like to support our efforts to continue bringing you local news and information across Baldwin County, you can make a tax-deductible donation to Gulf Coast Media.
