Arab, Alabama
| Arab | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 34°19′40″N 86°29′55″W / 34.32778°N 86.49861°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| Counties | Marshall, |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council/Mayor |
| • Mayor | Gary W. Beam |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12.9 sq mi (33.3 km2) |
| • Land | 12.8 sq mi (33.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,089 ft (332 m) |
| Population (2007)[1] | |
| • Total | 7,691 |
| • Density | 556.1/sq mi (215.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 35016 |
| Area code(s) | 256 , 938 |
| FIPS code | 01-02116 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0113194 |
| Website | http://www.arabcity.org Official Web Site |
Arab (
/ˈɛəræb/ or local /ˈeɪ.ræəb/) is a city in both Cullman County, Alabama and Marshall County, Alabama in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, located ten miles from Guntersville Lake and Guntersville Dam, and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 8,050.[2]
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[edit] History
The name of the town was an unintentional misspelling by the US Postal Service in 1882 of the city's intended name, taken from Arad Thompson, the son of the town founder and first postmaster Stephen Tuttle Thompson. Two other proper names for the town were sent to the US Postal Service for consideration: "Ink" and "Bird". Arab was incorporated in 1892.[3] Standup comedian Henry Cho, whose wife is from Arab, shares the alternate explanation that the town's name was changed following a misspelling on the water tower[4].
[edit] Geography
Arab is located on top of Brindlee Mountain at 34°19′40″N 86°29′55″W / 34.32778°N 86.49861°W (34.327863, -86.498613).[5]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33 km2), of which 12.8 square miles (33 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.62%) is water. The town's elevation is 1,100 feet (340 m) above sea level.
[edit] Utilities
Electricity service in Arab is provided through Arab Electric Cooperative, which buys power through Tennessee Valley Authority. Water service in Arab is provided through Arab Water Works, which gets water from Browns Creek in Guntersville Lake. Natural gas is also provided in Arab through Marshall County Gas District, which is based out of Guntersville.
[edit] Government
Arab has a mayor-council form of city government consisting of five council members and a mayor. City elections occur every four years, coinciding with the presidential elections. Council seats are at-large and are not associated with districts. Arab City Schools is the public school district.
[edit] Demographics
[edit] 2000 Census data
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 7,174 people, 3,012 households, and 2,075 families residing in the city. The population density was 561.8 inhabitants per square mile (216.9 /km2). There were 3,223 housing units at an average density of 252.4 square miles (654 km2) . The racial makeup of the city was 98.29% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,012 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,716, and the median income for a family was $45,761. Males had a median income of $32,425 versus $24,265 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,035. About 8.2% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Notable natives
- Jill King, country music artist
- Monica Potter, actress
[edit] References
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Alabama". United States Census Bureau. 2008-07-10. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2007-04-01.csv. Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ census.gov
- ^ Foscue, Virginia. Place Names in Alabama. University of Alabama Press, 1989.
- ^ Cho, Henry. "Arab, Alabama". What's That Clickin' Noise?. Warner Bros.. http://new.music.yahoo.com/henry-cho/tracks/arab-alabama--34030747. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 34°19′40″N 86°29′55″W / 34.327863°N 86.498613°W
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