Albertville, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Albertville is a city in Marshall County
, Alabama
, United States
, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area
. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 21,160.
During the American Civil War
, the area around Albertville was the scene of several mid-level clashes between Union and Confederate forces.
The first non-indigenous settlement in what is today Albertville began in the 1850s, and the settlement was named for Thomas A. Albert, an early settler who moved from Georgia and was a town leader until his death in 1876. The city was incorporated in 1891. A post office was established in 1910.
At about 4:10 p.m. on April 24, 1908, the city was virtually wiped out by a tornado
that became commonly called "The Great Cyclone," or "The Cyclone of 1908." The storm is believed to have killed 35 people across northeastern Alabama, including 15 in Albertville. Relief was largely delivered by railroad, particularly from the nearby city of Gadsden
. Trains from Gadsden transported doctors, nurses, and the Queen City Guards, the Alabama militia company based in Gadsden. The commander of the latter, future Gadsden mayor and Col. R.A. Mitchell, reported in a dispatch to Governor B.B. Comer:
In 1893, the Alabama Legislature passed an act for the erection of an agricultural college in each of the state's Congressional districts. After some competition, Albertville was awarded the school for the Seventh District. This is the school that evolved into today's Albertville High School, whose sports teams are still known as the "Aggies."
In 1910 Albertville had a population of 1,544.
Before the New Deal
, when the Tennessee Valley Authority
built Guntersville Dam
, flooding on the Tennessee River would frequently leave the county courthouse in Guntersville
inaccessible for residents of Albertville and other areas atop Sand Mountain
. In 1919, the Alabama Legislature responded by requiring the erection of a courthouse at Albertville, in which cases arising in that part of the county would be heard.
In 1950 Albertville had a population of 5,397.
On June 1, 2009 the city council voted to establish English as the town's official language.
On April 24, 2010, exactly 102 years after the "Cyclone of 1908", an EF-3
tornado ripped through downtown Albertville. While the storm resulted in no deaths, the twister damaged the new Albertville High School and "Aggie Stadium." Nearly every home had some type of damage and many were destroyed beyond repair.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26 square miles (67.3 km²), of which 26 square miles (67.3 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.38%) is water.
Albertville is home to the award winning Albertville "Aggie" Band, and the nationally award winning Albertville Show Choir "CenterStage!".
The current slogan of Albertville is "The Pride is Alive" and can be seen on the welcome sign coming into the city.
of 2000, there were 17,247 people, 6,566 households, and 4,615 families residing in the city. The population density
was 664.6 people per square mile (256.6/km²). There were 7,090 housing units at an average density of 273.2 per square mile (105.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.15% White
, 2.05% Black
or African American
, 0.31% Native American
, 0.26% Asian
, 0.10% Pacific Islander
, 9.78% from other races
, and 1.35% from two or more races. 16.08% of the population are Hispanic
or Latino
. By 2007, the Hispanic population was estimated at 25%.
In 2000 there were 6,566 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,893, and the median income for a family was $38,508. Males had a median income of $30,076 versus $20,275 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,336. About 14.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2010 Albertville had a population of 21,160. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 68.1% non-Hispanic white, 1.9% black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.1% reprting two or more races and 27.9% Hispanic or Latino.
. There are six schools in the city.
Big Spring Lake Kindergarten School-Kindergarten
Albertville Primary School-1st and 2nd grades
Albertville Elementary School-3rd and 4th grades
Evans Elementary-5th and 6th grades
Albertville Middle School-7th and 8th grades
Albertville High School
-9th through 12th grades
s, thus Albertville holds the title of "Fire Hydrant Capital of the World." To commemorate the one millionth fire hydrant a chrome fire hydrant was placed outside the Albertville Chamber of Commerce.
Albertville is also home to poultry plants operated by Wayne Farms
, Pilgrim's Pride
, and Tyson Foods
.
were held in Albertville, France, the citizens of its heteronymic counterpart in Alabama took full advantage of the opportunity to put their town on display. Mock winter games were held in this subtropical city, and one New Orleans radio station offered listeners a chance to win a trip to "the Albertville games" - those in Alabama.
In 2008, Albertville was featured in an episode in the fifth season of the A&E Television documentary series Intervention
titled "Meth Mountain". Among the featured Albertville residents was Dr. Mary Holley, an obstetrician whose methamphetamine
-addicted brother committed suicide, and who founded the anti-methamphetamine group, Mothers Against Methamphetamine.
Marshall County, Alabama
Marshall County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of John Marshall, famous Chief Justice of the United States. As of 2010 the population was 93,019...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area
Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area
The Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area is the most populated sub-region of North Alabama, and is the second fastest growing region in the State of Alabama, with 510,088 living within the CSA...
. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 21,160.
History
The area which today includes Albertville was inhabitted by the Cherokee Indians until their removal to Oklahoma in the 1830s. It was, however, near the territory of the Creek nation, and several major trails which afforded communication (or military action) between the two nations crossed the area. It is believed to have been crossed by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto during his expeditions in 1540.During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the area around Albertville was the scene of several mid-level clashes between Union and Confederate forces.
The first non-indigenous settlement in what is today Albertville began in the 1850s, and the settlement was named for Thomas A. Albert, an early settler who moved from Georgia and was a town leader until his death in 1876. The city was incorporated in 1891. A post office was established in 1910.
At about 4:10 p.m. on April 24, 1908, the city was virtually wiped out by a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
that became commonly called "The Great Cyclone," or "The Cyclone of 1908." The storm is believed to have killed 35 people across northeastern Alabama, including 15 in Albertville. Relief was largely delivered by railroad, particularly from the nearby city of Gadsden
Gadsden, Alabama
The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the...
. Trains from Gadsden transported doctors, nurses, and the Queen City Guards, the Alabama militia company based in Gadsden. The commander of the latter, future Gadsden mayor and Col. R.A. Mitchell, reported in a dispatch to Governor B.B. Comer:
... The destruction of property here is, I think, unprecedented in the history of the state. I have never seen anything like it, so complete and absolute as to leave little of worth in the path of the storm through town. On viewing the wreckage, covering easily forty acres or more in the heart of town, it appears incredible that any living being could have escaped the fury of the storm and death ...
In 1893, the Alabama Legislature passed an act for the erection of an agricultural college in each of the state's Congressional districts. After some competition, Albertville was awarded the school for the Seventh District. This is the school that evolved into today's Albertville High School, whose sports teams are still known as the "Aggies."
In 1910 Albertville had a population of 1,544.
Before the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, when the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
built Guntersville Dam
Guntersville Dam
Guntersville Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Marshall County, in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is one of nine dams on the river owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the late 1930s as part of a New Deal era initiative to create a...
, flooding on the Tennessee River would frequently leave the county courthouse in Guntersville
Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
inaccessible for residents of Albertville and other areas atop Sand Mountain
Sand Mountain (Alabama)
Sand Mountain is a sandstone plateau in northeastern Alabama and northwestern Georgia. It is part of the southern tip of the Appalachian mountain chain. Geologically a continuation of Walden Ridge, Sand Mountain is part of the Cumberland Plateau, separated from the main portion of the plateau by...
. In 1919, the Alabama Legislature responded by requiring the erection of a courthouse at Albertville, in which cases arising in that part of the county would be heard.
In 1950 Albertville had a population of 5,397.
On June 1, 2009 the city council voted to establish English as the town's official language.
On April 24, 2010, exactly 102 years after the "Cyclone of 1908", an EF-3
Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...
tornado ripped through downtown Albertville. While the storm resulted in no deaths, the twister damaged the new Albertville High School and "Aggie Stadium." Nearly every home had some type of damage and many were destroyed beyond repair.
Geography
Albertville is located at 34°15′55"N 86°12′41"W (34.265362, -86.211261).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26 square miles (67.3 km²), of which 26 square miles (67.3 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) (0.38%) is water.
Albertville is home to the award winning Albertville "Aggie" Band, and the nationally award winning Albertville Show Choir "CenterStage!".
The current slogan of Albertville is "The Pride is Alive" and can be seen on the welcome sign coming into the city.
2000 Census data
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 17,247 people, 6,566 households, and 4,615 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 664.6 people per square mile (256.6/km²). There were 7,090 housing units at an average density of 273.2 per square mile (105.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.15% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.05% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.31% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.26% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.10% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 9.78% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.35% from two or more races. 16.08% of the population are Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. By 2007, the Hispanic population was estimated at 25%.
In 2000 there were 6,566 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,893, and the median income for a family was $38,508. Males had a median income of $30,076 versus $20,275 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,336. About 14.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 21.0% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2010 Albertville had a population of 21,160. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 68.1% non-Hispanic white, 1.9% black or African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% non-Hispanics reporting some other race, 2.1% reprting two or more races and 27.9% Hispanic or Latino.
Education
Public schools are overseen by Albertville City SchoolsAlbertville City Schools
Albertville City Schools is the public school district of Albertville, Alabama. As of 2006 it has some 3,621 students.The district includes the following schools:* Albertville Elementary School * Big Spring Lake Elementary School...
. There are six schools in the city.
Big Spring Lake Kindergarten School-Kindergarten
Albertville Primary School-1st and 2nd grades
Albertville Elementary School-3rd and 4th grades
Evans Elementary-5th and 6th grades
Albertville Middle School-7th and 8th grades
Albertville High School
Albertville High School
Albertville High School is a four-year public high school in Albertville, Alabama. It has an enrollment of 918 students and is accredited by the Alabama Department of Education. In 2008, 50% of Albertville High School students were female and 50% of students were male.Albertville High School made...
-9th through 12th grades
Industry
Albertville is home to the Mueller Company, which produces fire hydrantFire hydrant
A fire hydrant , is an active fire protection measure, and a source of water provided in most urban, suburban and rural areas with municipal water service to enable firefighters to tap into the municipal water...
s, thus Albertville holds the title of "Fire Hydrant Capital of the World." To commemorate the one millionth fire hydrant a chrome fire hydrant was placed outside the Albertville Chamber of Commerce.
Albertville is also home to poultry plants operated by Wayne Farms
Wayne Farms
Formerly operating under Allied Mills, the Poultry Division of ContiGroup Companies, Wayne Farms LLC is the sixth largest vertically integrated producer and processor of poultry in the United States. Since its spin-off in 1965, Wayne Farms has grown its processing capacity to 250 million chickens...
, Pilgrim's Pride
Pilgrim's Pride
Pilgrim's Corp., previously Pilgrim's Pride , is a former U.S.-owned company with its U.S. headquarters relocated to Greeley, Colorado. As a subsidiary of the Brazilian food giant, JBS, it is the largest chicken producer in the United States and Puerto Rico and the second-largest chicken producer...
, and Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. is a multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork only behind Brazilian JBS S.A., and annually exports the largest percentage of beef out of...
.
Popular culture
When the 1992 Winter Olympics1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
were held in Albertville, France, the citizens of its heteronymic counterpart in Alabama took full advantage of the opportunity to put their town on display. Mock winter games were held in this subtropical city, and one New Orleans radio station offered listeners a chance to win a trip to "the Albertville games" - those in Alabama.
In 2008, Albertville was featured in an episode in the fifth season of the A&E Television documentary series Intervention
Intervention (TV series)
Intervention is an American television program about the realities facing addicts of many kinds.Each program follows one or two participants, each of whom has an addiction or other mentally and/or physically damaging problem and believes that they are being filmed for a documentary on their problem...
titled "Meth Mountain". Among the featured Albertville residents was Dr. Mary Holley, an obstetrician whose methamphetamine
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
-addicted brother committed suicide, and who founded the anti-methamphetamine group, Mothers Against Methamphetamine.
Transportation
U.S. Highway 431
Alabama Highway 75State Route 75 (Alabama)State Route 75 is a state highway in Alabama that extends northeastward from Birmingham to the Georgia state line. The route runs west of U.S. Highway 11 and roughly parallels that route as well as Interstate 59...- Alabama and Tennessee River RailwayAlabama and Tennessee River RailwayThe Alabama & Tennessee River Railway is a shortline railway operating over trackage formerly operated by CSX Transportation. The line's western terminus is a junction with the CSX main line in Birmingham, Alabama, near CSX's Boyles Yard. The eastern terminus is Guntersville, Alabama, near the...
- Thomas J. Brumlik FieldAlbertville Regional AirportAlbertville Regional Airport , also known as Thomas J. Brumlik Field, is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Albertville, in Marshall County, Alabama, United States...
(municipal airport)
Persons from Albertville
- James W Callahan, FAA DER, United States Federal Aviation Administration Designated Engineering Representative
- Edward Earl CarnesEdward Earl CarnesEdward Earl Carnes is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.- Background :Carnes received his B.S. from the University of Alabama in 1972. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1975...
, judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Middle District of Alabama... - Rusty GreerRusty GreerThurman Clyde "Rusty" Greer III is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers...
, professional baseball player with the Texas Rangers - John Hannah, professional footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive lineman; elected to the Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
. - Glenn HearnGlenn HearnGlenn Hearn served as mayor of Huntsville, Alabama from 1964 to 1968. He also served as a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1941 until becoming mayor, and as the senior agent in charge of the North Alabama division since 1944.During Hearn's term as mayor, the City of...
, Mayor of Huntsville, AlabamaHuntsville, AlabamaHuntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, FBIFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
Special Agent, Alabama State Legislator - Angela LittleAngela LittleAngela Michelle Little is an American model and actress. Little was selected as Playboys Playmate of the Month for August 1998, and she has appeared in several Playboy videos and special editions, working steadily for Playboy for more than five years following her centerfold appearance.Little was...
, model, actress, and PlayboyPlayboyPlayboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Playmate of the Month - Johnny Nix, host of Campfire Cafe, a popular cooking show on RFD-TVRFD-TVRFD-TV, or Rural Free Delivery TV, is a United States satellite and cable television channel devoted to rural issues, concerns, and interests. The channel's name is a reference to Rural Free Delivery, the name for the United States Postal Service's system of delivering mail directly to rural patrons...
- Charley PellCharley PellCharles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...
, head football coach at Clemson UniversityClemson UniversityClemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
and the University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906... - Brooke Smith, 2002 runnerup on The Bachelor.