Prichard began as a settlement in the 1830s bordering the Telegraph Road (known now as U.S Highway 43) It remained largely unsettled until the Clotilde (ship)Clotilde landed in Mobile Bay prior to the American Civil WarCivil War. Africatown evolved into a greater part of the Plateau/Magazine area which developed along Telegraph Road, and eventually, Plateau and Magazine had their territory split between Mobile and Prichard. After 1900, Prichard began a slow and steady development. In 1925, Prichard was incorporated as a city During World War II Prichard became a company town as many Mobile shipbuilding companies built homes for their workers in Prichard. During the 1950s and 60's, Prichard annexed historic Whistler as well as parts of Eight Mile, Alabama and Kushla. The 40's and 50's saw phenomenal growth in the Mobile area, and Mobile, Prichard and Chickasaw all recorded their highest city proper populations in 1960. Following the Civil Rights Movement however, Prichard's rigid system of segregation collapsed, and many blacks who had previously lived in the Bullshead/Neely/Trinity Gardens area of Prichard began moving into East Prichard (downtown Prichard) causing a dramatic white flight to occur. In 1960, Prichard recorded a population of 47,371, making it Alabama's largest suburb. In 1970, the population had decreased to 41,000 and by 1990 it had decreased to approximately 34,000. In 1970, Vigor High School on Wilson Avenue, which had been Prichard's white high school during segregation was 70% white, by 1980, it was 80% black, even considering the fact that most of Prichard's remaining white areas were in its district. In 1994, construction of I-165 was completed, and it has produced some economic benefits in East Prichard. The 1980s downtown vacancy rate was near 80%, as of 2000, it is closer to 30%. In 2004, the Prichard Housing Authority began demolition of the Bessemer Avenue Housing Project in Bullshead. In December of 2006, the city of Prichard was selected as the site of the future Alabama Motorsports Park, a Dale Earnhardt development. This complex of racetracks and entertainment venues will be constructed on nearly 3,000 acres of land near the intersection of Industrial Parkway (Alabama State Route 158) and US Highway 45 in the northern section of Prichard. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prichard%2C_Alabama