Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Area - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

**Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area**

Core Cities	Anniston Anniston, Alabama Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States.As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741... Oxford Oxford, Alabama Oxford is a city in Calhoun and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 14,592 at the 2000 census. Oxford is one of two principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area... Jacksonville Jacksonville, Alabama Jacksonville is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. which is a 49% increase since 2000. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Counties Included County (United States) In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...	Calhoun Calhoun County, Alabama Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of John C. Calhoun, famous member of the United States Senate from South Carolina. As of 2010 the population was 118,572. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Area Area Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat... - Total - Water	1,586 km² (612 mi²) 10 km² (4 mi²)
Population Population A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...	112,249 (2000)
Time zone Time zone A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...	Central: UTC Coordinated Universal Time Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose... –6

The Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area is the most populated metropolitan area in Northeast Alabama

Northeast Alabama

Northeast Alabama includes the cities of Anniston, Gadsden, Talladega, and their surrounding areas in the state of Alabama. The county inclusion varies, usually only consisting of the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Area and Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area...

next to Huntsville. At the 2000 census, it had a population of 112,249. However, the new decade started with the closing of the Fort McClellan US Army base, which formerly housed the Army's Chemical Warfare Headquarters, the Military Police Headquarters, the Women's Army Corp Headquarters and functioned as a basic training base. The base for nearly the entire 20th century was the area's largest employer. Anniston is struggling to rebuild. Oxford, with Interstate 20 running right through it, is booming with retail, restaurant and hospitality start-ups.

The other cities surrounding Anniston-Oxford are: Jacksonville, Piedmont, Ohatchee, Hobson City, and Weaver.

Suburbs with more than 5,000 inhabitants

Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Alabama
Jacksonville is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. which is a 49% increase since 2000. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Saks
Saks, Alabama
Saks is an unincorporated census-designated place in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 10,698. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
Choccolocco
Choccolocco, Alabama
Choccolocco is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,804...
Piedmont
Piedmont, Alabama
Piedmont is a city in Calhoun and Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 5,120 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. Many surrounding communities utilize the 36272 ZIP code, including Spring Garden, Rock Run,...

Suburbs with less than 5,000 inhabitants

Alexandria
Hobson City
Ohatchee
Ohatchee, Alabama
Ohatchee is a town in Calhoun County in Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,215. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
Weaver
Weaver, Alabama
Weaver is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 2,619. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
West End-Cobb Town
West End-Cobb Town, Alabama
West End-Cobb Town is an unincorporated census-designated place in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 3,924. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

K-12 education

Public

Anniston City Schools
Anniston City Schools
Anniston City Schools is a school district serving the city of Anniston, Alabama.It includes the following schools:*Anniston High School*Anniston Middle School*Cobb Elementary*Constantine Elementary*Golden Springs Elementary*Randolph Park Elementary...
Calhoun County Schools
Oxford City Schools
Jacksonville City Schools
Piedmont City Schools

Private

The Donoho School
The Donoho School
The Donoho School is a private school in Anniston, Alabama that was honored by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 2005. The Donoho School serves students in grades 1 through 12 as well as preschool and early childhood education.- School Info :...
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School
Jackonville Christian Academy
Trinity Christian Academy

Institutions of higher education

Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University is a regional public coeducational university located in Jacksonville, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and...
- Main Jacksonville Campus
- McClellan Campus
Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden State Community College
Gadsden State Community College is a two-year institution of higher learning located in Gadsden, Anniston, and Centre Alabama. The college's service area includes Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne, Etowah, and St...
- Ayers Campus
- McClellan Campus
Gadsden Business College

Main roadways

Interstate 20

Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...

runs though the southern portion of the county, connecting Atlanta with Birmingham. It is four lane controlled access. Plans to widen to six lanes from the Talladega Speedway to Golden Springs Rd (also known as the Eastern Bypass or the Leon Smith Parkway) are underway with the first portion scheduled to be complete by 2007. The entire project is scheduled for 2011 or 2013.

Noble Street runs through downtown, lined with office buildings, specialty shops, and restaurants. A major revitalization effort in 2003, made this street more pedestrian friendly. The old four lane thoroughfare was gutted, and turn of the 20th century trolley tracks were removed to help resurface the street. The road was converted to two lane traffic with wider sidewalks.

Quintard Avenue
Quintard Avenue
Quintard Avenue is a main roadway in Anniston, Alabama. It runs parallel to and two blocks east of Noble Street. It also serves the main north/south traffic corridor for Anniston. The road is six lanes from East P Street to 18th Street, the rest four lanes. State Route 21 and US Route 431 are...

(Alabama State Route 21/US 431)runs parallel two blocks east of Noble Street. It serves as the main north/south traffic corridor for Anniston. The road is six lanes from East P street to 19th Street, the rest four lanes. It connects central Oxford
Oxford, Alabama
Oxford is a city in Calhoun and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 14,592 at the 2000 census. Oxford is one of two principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...

to the south and Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Alabama
Jacksonville is a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. which is a 49% increase since 2000. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, 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...

, and the McClellan area of Anniston to the north. Traffic is relatively heavy on this road around downtown and in Oxford
Oxford, Alabama
Oxford is a city in Calhoun and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 14,592 at the 2000 census. Oxford is one of two principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...

as well. Since the early 90’s, bypasses have been planned on both sides of town to alleviate traffic. The North end becomes McClellan Blvd and heads towards Jacksonville via AL 21 (US 431 and AL 21 split just outside Lagarde Park, where traffic headed for Saks, Alexandria, or Gadsden can turn left onto US 431 and other traffic can continue on McClellan Boulevard toward Jacksonville and Piedmont).

The Western Bypass is a completed project of the Alabama Department of Transportation. It runs from I-20 in Oxford (the Coldwater exit) and runs north into the present AL 202. It is five lanes wide (handling Anniston Army Depot traffic). Future plans will extend it on the present County road 109 by widening it to connect with US 431.

The Eastern Bypass is a stalled project of the Alabama Department of Transportation to build a four lane highway in Calhoun County. Also, it is the largest influx of federal money into the local economy since Fort McClellan closed. More than $21 million has been earmarked for this project. http://earmarks.omb.gov/authorization_earmarks/earmark_184417.html (See Page 124 of Public Law 109-59-Aug. 10, 2005 as enacted by the US Congress). The bypass project may resume if residents of Calhoun County, Ala., agree to higher local taxes or road tolls or another funding mechanism. However, it may be indefinitely stalled because there are no longer any federal or state funds available for the ill-fated roadwork. The cited funding expires in 2009, and has already been spent.

According to The Wall Street Journal on July 28, 2008, Page A1:

"An unprecedented cutback in driving is slashing the funds available to rebuild the nation's aging highway system and expand mass-transit options, underscoring the economic impact of high gasoline prices. The resulting financial strain is touching off a political battle over government priorities in a new era of expensive oil."

Theoretically completed, the bypass would run from McIntosh Road (southeast Oxford) across I-20 following the Golden Springs Road and cross the Choccolocco Foothills. (A great deal of real estate development is in progress under private company banners in Choccolocco as of July 2008.) Then, it would cut back north of the US 431-SR 21 intersection, connecting to Alabama 21, also known as McClellan Blvd. For much less cost to the public, the project could have linked directly to US 431 and Alabama 21 at the former Fort McClellan north gate, Summerall Gate Road. That gate and the gate road are overgrown with weeds.

Summerall Gate Road is directly in line the US 431-SR 21 intersection. A regional newspaper company acquired land on that intersection from a McClellan, Ala. redevelopment team of local public officials. The newspaper built a new headquarters there. Coincidentally, the state allowed the newspaper to set up part of its educational foundation at the University of Alabama.

The Eastern Bypass is promoted as a way to redevelop the north edge of Anniston, which is named after the former Army base: McClellan. A small, remaining portion of Fort Mcclellan is maintained by the Alabama National Guard, and rumor has it, the northernmost section of the old base will become the new headquarters for the state national guard. Also under federal jurisdiction is FEMA

Federal Emergency Management Agency

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...

's Center for Domestic Preparedness

Center for Domestic Preparedness

The Center for Domestic Preparedness is the only U.S. federal facility chartered to provide comprehensive preparedness training programs to the nation’s emergency response providers. As of 2007, it is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency ....

, the only civilian live chemical agent training center in the country. The CDP trains emergency responders for terrorist-related activities.

US 78 (known as Hamric Drive in central Oxford) handles a good bit of traffic as well. It runs parallel to Interstate 20
Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...

in Oxford.

Pelham Road (Alabama State Route 21) runs through Jacksonville and is a main road for commercial and retail traffic as well as college student commuting to JSU.

Air

The Anniston Metropolitan Airport

Anniston Metropolitan Airport

Anniston Metropolitan Airport is a public airport located five miles southwest of the central business district of Anniston, a city in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States...

is a general aviation

General aviation

General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

facility, south of the city proper, in Oxford

Oxford, Alabama

Oxford is a city in Calhoun and Talladega counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population was 14,592 at the 2000 census. Oxford is one of two principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area...

. Its single asphalt runway is 7,000 feet long and 150 feet wide. Birmingham International Airport

Birmingham International Airport (US)

Southwest Airlines carried the most passengers through BHM in 2007; transporting 1.14 million passengers, 35.6% of total BHM passengers. Additionally, Southwest Airlines operates BHM as a connecting airport for over 180 different flight pairs.Southwest uses Las Vegas and Phoenix to connect...

in Birmingham is 57 miles west serving commercial flight, as well as Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...

, the world's busiest airport as measured by passenger traffic

World's busiest airports by passenger traffic

The world's busiest airports by passenger traffic are measured by number of total passengers . One passenger is described as someone who arrives in, departs from, or transfers through the airport on a given day...

and by aircraft traffic

World's busiest airports by traffic movements

The thirty world's busiest airports by aircraft movements are measured by total movements . One total movement is a landing or take off of an aircraft.- 2010 final statistics :-2009 final statistics:...

, provides air service between Atlanta many national and international destinations.

Train

Amtrak

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

's Crescent train

Crescent (Amtrak)

The Crescent is a passenger train operated by Amtrak in the eastern part of the United States. It runs daily from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in New Orleans, Louisiana as train 19 and returns, on the same route, as train 20. Most of the route of...

connects Anniston with the cities of New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, Baltimore, Washington

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

, Atlanta

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

, Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

and New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...

. The Amtrak station

Anniston (Amtrak station)

The Anniston Amtrak Station, located in Anniston, AL, is served by the passenger train, which runs once daily between New York and New Orleans. The street address is 126 West 4th Street, just to the south of downtown Anniston...

is situated at the Southern Railway Depot (which was built in 1926), located at 126 West 4th Street. The city purchased the station in 2001 for $430,000 from federal grants for the restoration, in hopes of turning the building into a multi modal transportation hub for the city. It will serve by Amtrak

Amtrak

(train), Greyhound

Greyhound

The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...

(bus), and local taxi and bus services if goes as planned.

Economy

The military has played the biggest part in the economy in Anniston since the turn of the 20th century. The Anniston Army Depot

Anniston Army Depot

Anniston Army Depot is a major United States Army facility fulfilling various depot operations. Primary missions are the repair of tracked vehicles and storage of chemical weapons . The depot is located in Bynum, Alabama....

which is used for the maintenance of most Army tracked vehicles (the M-1 Abrhams tank) remains in use. The depot houses a major chemical weapons storage facility, the Anniston Chemical Activity

Anniston Chemical Activity

Anniston Chemical Activity is a U.S. Army chemical weapon storage site located in Alabama. The Army had stored approximately seven percent of the nation’s original chemical weapons stockpile at the Anniston Army Depot since the early 1960s. In August 2003, the Army began disposing of these weapons...

, and the previously-mentioned program to destroy those weapons, the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.

Fort McClellan

Fort McClellan

Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, was a United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million troops...

, formerly site of the U.S. Army Military Police Training Academy and Chemical Warfare training center, was de-commissioned in the 1998. A commission of local city and county leaders known as the Joint Powers Authority deals with the redevelopment of the old fort. Plans for a research park, retail development, and new homes light the hopes of some, hoping it will spur more growth in the north Anniston region.

A portion of the former fort is now home to the Alabama National Guard

United States National Guard

The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...

Training Center. Another 9000 acres (36 km²) of the fort were set aside for the Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge

Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge

Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern Alabama, near Anniston, Alabama on the former site of Fort McClellan...

in 2003. The Department of Homeland Security also uses a portion of the decommissioned fort for training and fieldwork.

Top employers

Anniston Army Depot
Anniston Army Depot
Anniston Army Depot is a major United States Army facility fulfilling various depot operations. Primary missions are the repair of tracked vehicles and storage of chemical weapons . The depot is located in Bynum, Alabama....
Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center
Calhoun County School System
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University is a regional public coeducational university located in Jacksonville, Alabama, USA. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in four academic units leading to Bachelor's, Master's, and Education Specialist degrees, in addition to continuing and...
Springs Industry
Homeland Security
Homeland security
Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...
BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
N.A.B.I.
Alabama Power Company
Alabama Power Company
Alabama Power Company, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is a company in the southern United States that provides electricity service to 1.3 million homes, businesses, and industries in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It is one of four U.S...
Federal-Mogul Corporation

Other employers with ties to county commerce

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama is an automobile manufacturer located in Lincoln, Alabama. It builds vehicles for Honda sales in North America. Production began on November 14, 2001, with the plant producing its two millionth vehicle on September 3, 2010...

in Talladega County
Talladega Speedway in Talladega County

Newspapers

The Anniston Star
The Anniston Star
The Anniston Star is the daily newspaper serving Anniston, Alabama, and the surrounding six-county region. Average Sunday circulation in September 2004 was 26,747. The newspaper is locally-owned by Consolidated Publishing Company, which is controlled by the descendants of Col. Harry M. Ayers, one...

- daily
The Jacksonville News - weekly
The Piedmont Journal - weekly
The Oxford Independent - weekly
The Chanticleer
The Chanticleer
The Chanticleer is Averett University's student-run news magazine. Since 1922, The Chanticleer has provided community news to the students, faculty and staff of Averett. CNM has also be used to refer to the magazine as "Chanticleer News Magazine" or, more recently with the expansion of CNM's...

- weekly college

AM Radio

WAAX
WAAX
WAAX is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Gadsden, Alabama, USA. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications and features programming from Premiere Radio Networks and Fox News Radio...

570 AM: News/Talk 570 WAAX
WCKS 810 AM classic country
WPID
WPID
WPID is a radio station licensed to serve Piedmont, Alabama, USA. The station, established in 1953, is currently owned by Piedmont Radio Company.-Programming:WPID broadcasts an adult contemporary music format...

1280 AM AC-oldies
WHMA
WHMA (AM)
WHMA is a radio station licensed to serve Anniston, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Williams Communications, Inc.It broadcasts a Gospel music format and features news programming from Fox News Radio.-History:...

1390 AM gospel
WDNG
WDNG
WDNG is a radio station licensed to serve Anniston, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by WDNG, Inc. It airs a News/Talk format and features programming from ABC Radio....

1450 AM talk
WGBZ
WGBZ
WSNQ is an American radio station licensed to serve Cape May Court House, New Jersey, USA. The station is owned by Equity Communications, L.P.WSNQ is currently a simulcast of sister station WZBZ, "99.3 KissFM"...

1490 AM sports talk
WVOK
WVOK (AM)
WVOK is a radio station broadcasting the True Oldies Channel satellite music format. Licensed to Oxford, Alabama, USA, the station serves the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Area. The station is currently owned by Woodard Broadcasting Company, Inc....

1580 AM oldies

FM Radio

WJCK
WJCK (FM)
WJCK FM 88.3, known as "Praise FM", is a radio station licensed to serve Piedmont, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Immanuel Broadcasting Network....

88.3 FM religious
WGRW
WGRW
WGRW is a non-commercial radio station licensed to serve Anniston, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Word Works, Inc.-Programming:WGRW broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format to the Anniston and Gadsden, Alabama, area...

90.7 FM religious
WTBJ
WTBJ
WTBJ is a radio station broadcasting a religious radio format. Licensed to Oxford, Alabama, USA, the station is currently owned by Trinity Christian Academy which is a ministry of Trinity Baptist Church whose current pastor is Dr. C. O. Grinstead. WTBJ broadcasts live on the internet using...

91.3 FM religious
WLJS-FM
WLJS-FM
WLJS-FM is the student-run non-commercial educational college radio station of Jacksonville State University. The station was established for the purpose of giving students an environment in which they could learn to be radio broadcasters...

91.9 FM college/alternative/NPR
WTDR
WTDR
WTDR is a radio station licensed to serve Talladega, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Jacobs Broadcast Group, Inc. It airs a combination classic country and country music format.-History:...

92.7 FM (Talladega, broadcasts from Oxford) country
WHMA-FM
WHMA-FM
WHMA-FM is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Hobson City, Alabama, USA, it serves the Anniston-Oxford metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Williams Communications, Inc.-History:...

95.5 FM country
WVOK-FM
WVOK-FM
WVOK-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary music format. Licensed to Oxford, Alabama, it serves the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Area...

97.9 FM hot AC
WGMZ-FM 93.1 FM Z93: Classic Hits

Television

WJXS TV24 (Ind.)

Note: Anniston-Oxford is part of the Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Television Market.

Culture

Anniston long has served as a cultural center for northeastern Alabama. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival

Alabama Shakespeare Festival

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is the seventh largest Shakespeare festival in the world. Each year, it attracts more than 300,000 visitors from throughout the United States and more than 60 countries, to its home in Montgomery, Alabama....

has its root here when it was founded in Anniston, back in 1972, before moving to Montgomery in 1985. Jacksonville State University holds many performances such as plays and operas throughout the year. The Knox Concert Series regularly brings world-renowned musical and dance productions to the area. Anniston is also home to the Anniston Museum of Natural History

Anniston Museum of Natural History

The Anniston Museum of Natural History is a museum in Lagarde Park, Anniston, Alabama, exhibiting more than 2,000 natural history items on permanent display, including minerals, fossils, and rare animals in open dioramas....

and the Berman Museum of World History. Other cultural notes is the Music at McClellan series, which is part of a project with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra

Alabama Symphony Orchestra

- 1921-1955: Beginnings :The Alabama Symphony Orchestra can trace its beginnings to 1921, when on Friday, April 29, fifty-two volunteer musicians joined to perform at the Birmingham Music Festival at the Old Jefferson Theater...

at the former Fort McClellan

Fort McClellan

, the perform outdoor concerts in the early summer.

The Anniston has many examples of Victorian-style homes, some of which have been restored or preserved. Many others have been destroyed or are in dilapidated conditions. Several of the city’s churches are architecturally significant or historic, including the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Grace Episcopal Church, and Parker Memorial Baptist Church. Temple Beth EL, dedicated in 1893, has the oldest building in the state continuously and currently being used for Jewish worship. The Coldwater cover bridge sits at Oxford Lake Park, it was saved from demolition back in the early 90’s.

After decades of decay, Noble Street, is seeing a rebirth as a downtown shopping and dining district in the heart of downtown. There are several large shopping centers in the area as well, such as the Quintard Mall

Quintard Mall

The Quintard Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Oxford, Alabama, United States. Opened in 1970 and expanded in 2000, it has of retail space. Quintard Mall's anchor stores are Dillard's, Goody's, J.C. Penney and Sears. The mall also has a movie theatre, AmStar 12 Cinemas.-History:Quintard...

and the Oxford Exchange

Oxford Exchange

The Oxford Exchange is a retail center located in Oxford, Alabama. The center has more than 32 stores and restaurants. It opened in July 2006.-Sam's Club controversy:...

, both located in Oxford

Oxford, Alabama

.

The Anniston-Oxford area is home to many restaurants ranging from American, Italian, Greek, Cuban, Cajun, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Southern cuisines. Many locally own dining establishments are located in the downtown Anniston, Buckner Circle, and around Jacksonville Square, as well as major chain restaurants along the interstate in Oxford.

Jacksonville is a center for the college activity in Northeast Alabama, as well as bar life. Brother's Bar, hosted Allman Bros. (unannounced) performances in the 1970s and is still a popular venue for local musicians. Many restaurant style bars are scattered around the square vicinity of Jacksonville. Jacksonville State has touring national acts on occasion.

Chemical Contamination

The most significant news about the region came in a CBS 60 Minutes investigation http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/11/07/60minutes/main528581.shtml?source=search_story that revealed Anniston to be among the most toxic cities in the country. The source of local contamination was a Monsanto chemical factory. The current lead-in on CBS' website states:

"Imagine a place so saturated with toxic, cancer-causing chemicals that it's in the dirt people walk on, the air they breathe - even the blood that pumps through their veins.

The 24,000 people living in Anniston, Ala., don't have to imagine this. Many of them are living it. In fact, they have been living it for decades - they just didn't know it. The company responsible didn't tell them, and neither did the Environmental Protection Agency."

Monsanto Corporation isn't the only source of chemicals in the area, though it is the only source of proven contamination. After the closure of Fort McClellan and the revelation of contamination, the federal government built an incinerator in Anniston to burn large stockpiles of chemical munitions including nerve gas and mustard gas. These chemical weapons were stored for decades in a secured manner by the US Army for potential use in warfare. Anniston is one of nine areas in the US that housed such stockpiles. Destruction of most of the munitions has gone without a hitch, and is expected to be completed during the next decade. However, the documented contamination left by the Monsanto factory will last lifetimes.

This fact belies the natural beauty of Anniston-Oxford's location at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain chain. As the southernmost length of the Appalacian Mountains, the world's oldest mountain range, it is home to diverse species of birds, reptiles and mammals. Part of the former Fort McClellan is now operating as Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge.

Famous people from Anniston/Oxford

Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...

, actor
Red Byron
Red Byron
Robert "Red" Byron was a NASCAR driver who was successful in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock champion in 1949.-Background:Born in Colorado he moved to Anniston, Alabama at an early age, Byron began...

, NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

driver
William Levi Dawson, composer of Negro Folk Symphony
Cow Cow Davenport
Cow Cow Davenport
Charles Edward "Cow Cow" Davenport was an American boogie woogie piano player. He also played the organ and sang.-Career:...

, Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...

pianist
Kevin Greene
Kevin Greene
Kevin Darwin Greene is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League for 15 years and who retired after the 1999 NFL season...

, NFL Linebacker
David Satcher
David Satcher
David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D. FAAFP, FACPM, FACP is an American physician, and public health administrator. He was a four-star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and served as the 10th Assistant Secretary for Health, and the 16th Surgeon General of the United...

, former Surgeon General
Patrick J. Que Smith
Patrick J. Que Smith
Patrick "j.Que" Smith is an American Grammy nominated record producer and Songwriter. He has contributed to songs from Usher, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Fantasia, Ciara, Avant, Chris Brown, The Gospellers, and Omarion....

, hip-hop songwriter

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Famous people from Anniston/Oxford

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