Fort Morgan stretches 19 miles east of Gulf Shores and is considered by the locals as a “last frontier” of pristine beaches not populated with towering condominiums, beachfront eateries and souvenir shops.

Residents say their persistent, decades-long, battles against the bureaucrats over annexation and winning is the reason they have avoided the congestion. After the Alabama Supreme Court denied Gulf Shores’ annexation about a decade ago, residents thought their worries were over.