Growing Up In The South..,: Alabama

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Alabaster, Alabama

Alabaster, Alabama
— City —
Alabaster in 2012
Location in Shelby County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 33°13′52″N 86°49′25″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Shelby
Government
• Mayor	Marty Handlon
Area
• Total	20.6 sq mi (53.1 km²)
• Land	20.5 sq mi (53 km²)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	502 ft (153 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	30,352
• Density	1,098/sq mi (426/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	35007, 35114
Area code(s)	205
FIPS code	01-00820
Website	http://www.cityofalabaster.com

Alabaster is a city and southern suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 30,352. According to the 2011 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 30,799. Alabaster is still a growing population. Alabaster was ranked number 85 on Money Magazine's 100 Best Places To Live in 2009.

Geography

Alabaster is located at 33°13′52″N 86°49′26″W (33.231162, −86.823829).
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.6 square miles (53 km²), of which, 20.5 square miles (53 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.24%) is water.

History

George L. Scott, Sr., an Alabaster pioneer, owned and operated Alabaster Lime Co. His shipping point, named for him, was known as “Scott Rock”. Later, housing was built to accommodate some of the employees, and the community acquired its name Alabaster from the "white calcium carbonate mineral". The First Bank of Alabaster opened in 1952, and its president was George L. Scott, Jr., who later became the first mayor of Alabaster. The first attempt in 1952 to incorporate Alabaster failed. In January 1953, the petition was again filed, and on February 23, 1953, Alabaster was officially incorporated with a favorable vote of 79 to 23, and 427 residing inhabitants. Other Alabaster pioneers were Kenton B. Nickerson and William J. Maxwell. In 1955, the Alabaster Water and Gas Board was formed.

Government

The government consists of mayor who is elected at large and a seven member city council. One member is elected from each of the seven wards.

Schools

On July 1, 2013, the Alabaster City Schools System officially separated from the Shelby County Schools system, and will operate the public schools in the city. Private school K-12 education is also available.

Creek View Elementary School
Meadow View Elementary School
Thompson Intermediate School
Thompson Sixth Grade Center
Thompson Middle School
Thompson High School
Kingwood Christian School
Evangel Christian School

Points of interest

Colonial Promenade Alabaster

Notable people

In 1966, Nathan Johnson was shot by James Bonard Fowler at the Alabaster Police Department.

Gallery

Alabaster City Hall
Buck Creek

External links
Source: Internet

Adamsville, Alabama

Adamsville is a town in western Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, the town had a population of 4,522.

City Website

Source: Internet

Abbeville, Alabama

Abbeville

Historic Downtown Abbeville, Alabama


Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Henry
Government
• Mayor	James Giganti Jr.
Area
• Total	15.6 sq mi (40.4 km²)
• Land	15.5 sq mi (40.3 km²)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km²) 0.32%
Elevation	449 ft (137 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,688
• Density	192/sq mi (74.1/km²)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	36310
Area code(s)	334
FIPS code	01-00124
Official website (English)

Abbeville is a city in Henry County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population was 2,688. The city is the county seat of Henry County. It is the first city alphabetically, both by city and state, in the Rand McNally Road Atlas. It is home to two high schools: Abbeville High School and Abbeville Christian Academy. It holds chapters of the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.6 square miles (40 km²), of which, 15.6 square miles (40 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.32%) is water.

History

Abbeville is the oldest remaining colonial settlement in East Alabama from Florida to the Tennessee line. Its older than the county of Henry and the State of Alabama. The city was named for "Abbe", a local Muscogee Indian man at the time of the town's settlement. The name means "a grove of dogwood trees". An active trading post was located in Abbeville in Alabama Territory early in 1819. The first settler gateway to the wiregrass was at Franklin located fourteen miles west of Abbeville.
In 1944, an activist African-American woman, Recy Taylor, was gang-raped by six white men. Even though the men admitted the rape to authorities, two grand juries subsequently declined to indict the men (as documented in the book, At the Dark End of the Street). From a historic point of view, "The Recy Taylor case brought the building blocks of the Montgomery bus boycott together a decade earlier."

In 1950 Abbeville had a population of 2,162.

Government

Abbeville is governed via a mayor-council government. The mayor is elected at large. The city council consists of five members who are elected from districts.

Media

Abbeville is served by one radio station, WESZ-LP.

Education

Public schools

Abbeville is a part of the Henry County Public Schools system.

Abbeville High School
Abbeville Middle School
Abbeville Elementary School

Private schools

Abbeville Christian Academy

Notable natives

Chris Porter, former Auburn University basketball player and professional basketball player
Recy Taylor, an African-American woman whose gang-rape in Abbeville by six white men provided an early organizational spark for the nationwide Civil Rights movement.

Gallery

The Henry County Courthouse is located in Abbeville.
Abbeville City Hall and Police Department
Abbeville Post Office (ZIP code: 36310)
Abbeville Memorial Library
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot in Abbeville.
The Archie Theatre was first opened in Abbeville on July 1, 1948.
The Bethune-Kennedy House is a rare, dual front door, double pen Creole cottage which was constructed circa 1840 and is the oldest remaining structure in Abbeville. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 5, 1978.

External Links:
Source: Internet