Dothan, Alabama

Dothan
—  City  —
Downtown Dothan, Alabama, looking up Foster St.
Nickname(s): The Peanut Capital of the World or The Circle City or The Hub of the Wiregrass
Location in Houston County and the state of Alabama
Dothan Location in Alabama.
Coordinates: 31°13′38″N 85°24′26″W
Country	United States
State	Alabama
Counties	Houston, Dale, Henry
Area
• City	86.8 sq mi (224.8 km2)
• Land	86.6 sq mi (224.3 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km2)
Elevation	322 ft (98 m)
Population (2010)
• City	65,496
• Density	665.2/sq mi (284.93/km2)
• Metro	142,693
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	36301-36305
Area code(s)	334
FIPS code	01-21184
GNIS feature ID	0117397
Website	http://www.dothan.org/

Dothan (pron.: /ˈdoʊθən/) is a city located in the southeastern corner of the US state of Alabama, situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of the Georgia state line and 18 miles (29 km) north of Florida. It is the seat of Houston County, with portions extending into nearby Dale County and Henry County. Its name derives from Genesis 37:17: "let us go to Dothan." According to the 2010 census the city's population was 65,496, making it the largest town in this part of the state.

Dothan is the principal city of the Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties; the small portion that lies in Dale County is part of the Enterprise–Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area. The combined population for the entire Dothan metropolitan area in 2000 was 137,916. The city serves as the main transportation and commercial hub for a significant part of southeastern Alabama, southwest Georgia, and nearby portions of the Florida Panhandle. Since approximately one-fourth of the U.S. peanut crop is produced nearby, with much of it being processed in the city, Dothan is called "The Peanut Capital of the World."

History

Earliest years

The area that is now Dothan was originally inhabited by members of the Alabama and Creek Native American tribes. Within the vast forests of pine that covered this region, a glade surrounded by poplar trees sheltered a large spring at the crossroads of two trails, where local Indians used to meet and camp. White settlers moving through the area during the late 18th and early 19th centuries named the spring "Poplar Head," but most felt that the sandy soil common to this region would be unsuitable for farming, so they moved on. A rude stockade was constructed on the Barber Plantation, where settlers could take refuge whenever they felt threatened. This fort disappeared by the 1840s, with the end of the Indian Wars in Alabama and the removal of the Native Americans further west.^{[citation needed]}

The first permanent white settlers consisted of nine families who moved into the area during the early 1830s to harvest the abundant timber. Their settlement, named "Poplar Head" after the spring, failed to thrive and was all but abandoned by the time of the Civil War. After the war, the establishment of a local Pony Express route coupled with other developments during the Reconstruction era to finally allow the town to bloom. On November 11, 1885, the locals voted to incorporate, naming their new city "Dothan" after discovering that "Poplar Head" was already registered with the U.S. post office for a town in northern Alabama.

Civil unrest

On October 12, 1889, Dothan was the scene of a deadly altercation resulting from a dispute over a tax levied on all wagons operating within city limits. Local farmers opposed this levy and united in a body called the "Farmers Alliance." The arrest of some of the alliance's men led to a riot, and although the violence lasted only a few minutes, it left two men dead and others seriously wounded. Chief of police Tobe Domingus was found guilty of murder, and sentenced to ten years incarceration. Appeals to the Alabama Supreme Court resulted in a new trial, and Domingus was acquitted.

Expansion and growth

In 1893, Dothan secured a stop on the first railroad to be built in this region. This development brought new prosperity and further growth, as local farmers now had a means of marketing their produce. The pine forests were harvested for turpentine and wood, which was transformed into ship masts, lumber and other wood products.

As the pines were cut and land subsequently cleared, cotton became a staple of the local economy, until cotton was devastated by the Boll weevil in the early 1900s. Farmers turned to peanut production, experiencing remarkable success and bringing financial gain to the city, which became a hub for the production and transport of peanuts and peanut-related products. Today, one-quarter of the U.S. peanut crop is harvested within 75 miles (121 km) of Dothan, and the city refers to itself as "the Peanut Capital of the World." A two-week fall festival known as the National Peanut Festival celebrates this heritage. The city also sought out industry, with textile and agricultural concerns being joined by manufacturing plants for the Sony, Michelin, and General Electric corporations later in the century. In 1939, Dothan took part in the New York World's Fair.

Later events

Originally part of Henry County, Dothan became the county seat of the newly formed Houston County on May 9, 1903. The city continued to flourish and grow throughout the twentieth century, with an airport being constructed in 1965 and the Wallace Community College in 1969. Troy University in Dothan was established in 1961 and currently occupies a landscaped campus northwest of the city. The Southern Company constructed the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Generating Station near the city between 1970–81; this 1,776 megawatt facility currently generates approximately 13,000 GW-h per year. More recent decades have seen factories constructed in the city by Sony (now closed) and Michelin Corporations, together with the emergence of a local arts and music scene complete with an art museum, several theaters, symphony orchestra, dance troupe and other cultural amenities.

In 2010 Sony announced its closure of its Dothan plant which had been in operation since the late seventies. In May 2012 Pemco Aviation announced after declaring bankruptcy in March 2012 it would close its Dothan facility.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 86.8 square miles (225 km²), of which 86.6 square miles (224 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (0.23%) is water.

Ross Clark Circle on Dothan's east side

In addition to styling itself "The Peanut Capital of the World", Dothan is also the self-proclaimed "Hub of the Wiregrass". It is also commonly referred to as "The Circle City", due to being encircled by Alabama State Route 210, a four-lane highway also known as the Ross Clark Circle. In recent decades, the city has expanded in several directions beyond the confines of this highway.

Fort Rucker, the "Home of Army Aviation", is located about 20 miles (32 km) west of the city, just north of the town of Daleville.

Climate

Dothan has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). It experiences hot, humid summers and generally mild winters, with average high temperatures ranging from 93.0 °F (33.9 °C) in the summer to 59.0 °F (15.0 °C) high during winter. Snowfall is an extremely rare event – a two-inch snowfall occurs about once every ten years, which results in a yearly average of 0.2 inches (5.1 mm). Tornadoes are a constant danger during the spring, summer and fall; the city's tornado activity is slightly below the Alabama state average, but 79% above the U.S. average.

Climate data for Dothan, Alabama
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	84 (29)	87 (31)	89 (32)	94 (34)	100 (38)	104 (40)	108 (42)	106 (41)	101 (38)	96 (36)	88 (31)	83 (28)	108 (42)
Average high °F (°C)	59 (15)	64 (18)	71 (22)	79 (26)	86 (30)	92 (33)	93 (34)	92 (33)	87 (31)	79 (26)	70 (21)	62 (17)	77.8 (25.5)
Average low °F (°C)	36 (2)	39 (4)	46 (8)	52 (11)	60 (16)	67 (19)	69 (21)	68 (20)	64 (18)	52 (11)	45 (7)	38 (3)	53 (11.7)
Record low °F (°C)	0 (−18)	10 (−12)	12 (−11)	27 (−3)	41 (5)	45 (7)	51 (11)	54 (12)	39 (4)	26 (−3)	15 (−9)	5 (−15)	0 (−18)
Precipitation inches (mm)	6.3 (160)	5.2 (132)	6.3 (160)	3.7 (94)	4.2 (107)	4.7 (119)	6.1 (155)	4.1 (104)	4.1 (104)	3.0 (76)	4.3 (109)	4.1 (104)	56.1 (1,424)
Source: City-data.com, The Weather Channel (records only)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	247		—
1900	3,275		1,225.9%
1910	7,016		114.2%
1920	10,034		43.0%
1930	16,046		59.9%
1940	17,194		7.2%
1950	21,584		25.5%
1960	31,440		45.7%
1970	36,733		16.8%
1980	48,750		32.7%
1990	53,589		9.9%
2000	57,737		7.7%
2010	65,496		13.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

According to the 2000 census, there were 57,737 people, 23,685 households and 17,108 families residing in the city. The population density was 667.7 per square mile (257.4/km²). There were 27,908 housing units at an average density of 299.3 per square mile (115.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.33% white, 30.11% black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander American, 0.46% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. 1.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 27,908 households, of which 31.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households are made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 2.94. 70% of women with school-age children work.

Age distribution was 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who are 65 or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females, there are 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males. 22% of adults have never married. 55% are currently married. 3% are separated. 12% are divorced. 9% are widowed.

The median household income was $35,000, and the median family income was $45,025. Males had a median income of $34,475 versus $22,572 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,539. About 12.7% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Approximately 79% of residents completed high school, while 23% went on to complete college. 8% of the population has a graduate or professional degree; 6% are unemployed. Average commute-to-work time is 18 minutes.

Government

Houston County Courthouse in Dothan, Alabama

Dothan is governed by a mayor and city council (called the "Board of Commissioners"), with a city manager employed to manage city affairs. The city is divided into six council districts, with one commissioner elected from each district to a four-year term. Members of the commission serve part-time, and are responsible for drafting all city ordinances and policies, and appropriation of city funds. Dothan's mayor is elected at-large for four years, and serves as a member of the Board of Commissioners. The city manager implements the board's policies and manage the city's day-to-day operations, including hiring, managing and firing the heads of city government departments. A total of 999 full-time and 215 part-time employees work for the various city agencies in Dothan, including police, fire, clerical, judicial, finance, public works and utilities.

As of 2010, the office of mayor was held by Mike Schmitz, while the city manager was Mike West. Larry H. Williams serves as city fire chief, while Greg Benton, a 21 year veteran with the police force, is police chief.

Dothan is located in Alabama's Second Congressional District; its current representative (as of 2011) is Martha Roby (R). The city is located in three different state senate districts (28, 29 and 31) and in four state representative districts (85, 86, 87 and 93).

Education

The majority of K-12 students in Dothan and Houston County attend Dothan City Schools, or Houston County Schools. Others attend local private schools such as Houston Academy, Providence Christian School, Northside Methodist Academy, Emmanuel Christian School, or Westgate Christian School. Institutes of higher education include Fortis College, Troy University Dothan Campus, Wallace Community College, Bethany Divinity College & Seminary, and the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Infrastructure

Airport

Dothan's airport, the Dothan Regional Airport, is currently (2009) served by Atlantic Southeast Airlines, a subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. operating flights for Delta Air Lines, with 3–5 daily flights to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. This airport was established at the former Army airbase at Napier Field in 1965, after a push to move the airport was started in the early 1950s by then-Mayor Richmond C. McClintock. Jet services began in 1968 with Southern Airways' acquisition of DC-9 aircraft, and continue today using the CRJ-200 regional passenger jet.

Unlike many municipal airports in the U.S., the Dothan airport is entirely self-supporting, operating without any tax-generated funding. All airport revenue is generated through rental and other user fees charged to patrons and tenants of the facility.

Ground transportation

Presently, Dothan is served by three U.S. highways (all four-laned within the city limits, and for some distance beyond): U.S. 84 (east-west), U.S. 231 (north-south) and U.S. 431 (north-south; southern terminus in Dothan).

The city of Dothan has hosted a number of railroads throughout its existence, beginning with the Alabama Midland Railroad in 1893. The Chattahoochee & Gulf (later the Central of Georgia) would reach Dothan as part of a continuous route from Columbia, Alabama, to Lockhart, Florida. Additionally, the Bay Line Railroad would construct a line connecting Dothan to Panama City, Florida, in 1908. There were also a number of logging railroads and other shortlines that existed near Dothan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Bay Line and Central of Georgia railroads jointly operated passenger service from Atlanta to Panama City via Dothan until 1957. Dothan was also a stop for two Seaboard Coast Line local passenger trains from Waycross, Georgia, to Montgomery, Alabama, until 1971. And finally, Dothan was a stop for the South Wind – later Amtrak's Floridian – passenger trains, with service ending in 1979. The Floridian was the last passenger train to operate through Dothan.

A number of changes came to Dothan area railroads over the last 50 years. The Central of Georgia would spin off a portion of their line from Hartford to Dothan to the Hartford & Slocomb railroad in 1953, which was later abandoned from Hartford to Taylors in 1992. In 2003, Central of Georgia successor Norfolk Southern sold their route from Dothan to Hilton, Georgia, to the Chattahoochee & Gulf shortline, leaving CSXT as the last Class I operating in Dothan. The most recent changes to Dothan's railroads came with the Genesee & Wyoming Inc. purchase of the Bay Line, H&S, and Chattahoochee and Gulf railroads.

Greyhound bus station in Dothan, AL

Although passenger trains no longer operate through Dothan, Greyhound Bus Lines maintains a station in town. While Dothan does not have regularly scheduled public transportation, it offers dial-a-ride service through its non-profit Wiregrass Transit Authority.

Healthcare

Dothan is the home of two hospitals: Southeast Alabama Medical Center is the city's only public hospital, and is located on the city's southeastern side. Flowers Hospital is a private hospital situated on Dothan's western side. On May 18, 2010, Southeast Alabama Medical Center announced it would construct Alabama's first college of osteopathic medicine, to help fill the state’s shortage of an estimated 400 primary care physicians. Construction began in early 2012, and is slated for completion in mid-2013 at an overall cost of $40 million, with the first class scheduled to enroll at the college in the fall of that year. The 110,000 sq ft facility is expected to create an economic impact of more than $100 million by 2027.

Religion

The largest Christian denomination in Dothan is the Southern Baptist church. There are also Churches of Christ, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, AME, Freewill Baptist, Episcopal, United Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, Seventh-day Adventist and various other Evangelical churches serving Dothan's Protestant community. St. Columba Catholic Church caters to Dothan's Roman Catholics. Dothan hosts a Reform Jewish synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, which became nationally famous when they offered Jewish families as much as $50,000 to relocate to Dothan in 2008. The city is also home to a mosque, an LDS church, a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, and an Antiochian Eastern Orthodox church.

Media

Dothan is served by one daily newspaper, the Dothan Eagle, and one weekly newspaper, the Dothan Progress. and a news website Rickey Stokes News. It is host to three television stations, WDFX 34 (FOX network) WDHN 18 (ABC network) and the oldest television station in southeastern Alabama, WTVY 4 (CBS network). WOW! provide cable television service. DirecTV and Dish Network provide direct broadcast satellite television including both local and national channels to area residents.The city is also served by several radio stations; formats include classical, Christian, rock, country, rap, urban contemporary, talk radio and sports. Dothan Magazine offers a bi-monthly, people-focused viewpoint of the Dothan area while also keeping readers up to date on the latest community events, trends and issues. Archived issues of Dothan Magazine are available online at DothanMagazine.com.

Sports

Dothan hosted Minor league baseball teams from 1915 to 1917 (Al-FL-GA League and Dixie League) and again from 1936 through 1962 (AL-FL League, GA-FL League and AL State League). Teams were known at varying times as the Boll Weevils, Browns, Rebels, Cardinals and Phillies. Major League affiliations were maintained in later years with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies organizations. All teams played at the "D" league level, a defunct minor-league classification that represented the entry or "rookie" level in the minors. Ballparks included Baker Field, City Park, Stadium Park and the Wiregrass Memorial Stadium.

The city also served host to the Ultimate Fighting Championship on Feb. 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center Arena.

Dothan was selected as one of eleven Alabama sites for a course on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

In 2007–10, the city was recognized as part of the "Playful City USA" initiative by KaBOOM! created to honor cities that ensure that their children have great places to play.

Economy

Dothan has a diverse economy. Agriculture is the largest industry, though retail sales and restaurants have experienced a rapid growth in recent years. Although peanut production remains a mainstay of the agricultural sector, cotton is gaining in importance. Tomato production is locally significant as well, especially in the nearby town of Slocomb, which styles itself "the Tomato Capital of the World".

The people of Dothan enjoy one of the lowest costs of living in the country, mostly due to the large dependence on city revenue from the sales tax. Since Dothan is the only significant municipality in an 80-mile area, it receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year from the northern U.S. who pass through the city on their way to visit the Florida beaches. This resulted in a retail and restaurant boom starting in 2005, which has countered the massive number of manufacturing jobs lost over the past two years.

Top employers

According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Southeast Alabama Medical Center	2,500
2	Dothan City & Houston County Schools	1,973
3	Flowers Hospital	1,100
4	City of Dothan	927
5	Southern Nuclear (Farley)	860
6	Perdue Farms	800
7	Michelin	542
8	AAA Cooper	425
9	Houston County	392
10	Twitchell	387

Crime

According to 2003 statistics released by the F.B.I., Dothan has a violent crime rate largely below the national average, with only four homicides reported in the city that year. Property crime rates were slightly above the national average. Only 239 violent offenses (murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault) were reported in 2003, compared with 2,917 property crimes.

Culture

Festivals

• The National Peanut Festival occurs annually in November. The festival hosts competitions in different areas for all ages. A large midway, entertainment by nationally known recording artists, and the largest parade in the area are featured attractions. You can find many rides such as Speed, Starship 3000, Wild Mouse, etc. Many booths are set there to help advertise for their business. Right after the peanut festival is over, there is a peanut festival parade. This include bands from high schools around Dothan, pageant winners,etc. Many people line the downtown streets of Dothan to celebrate the parade.
• Toadlick Music Festival in late March.

Museums and monuments

• The US Army Aviation Museum, located on nearby Fort Rucker, houses one of the largest helicopter collections in the world. The museum focuses on the role of fixed and rotary-wing flight in the U.S. Army. The exhibits depict over 50 years of Army Aviation, and include a number of life size dioramas, films, and interpretive material. Several period aircraft are available for viewing.
• George Washington Carver Monument, located at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds, pays tribute to one of the nation's greatest educators and agricultural researchers, whose work resulted in the creation of 325 products from peanuts, more than 100 products from sweet potatoes and hundreds more from a dozen other plants native to the South. These products contributed to rural economic improvement, by offering alternative crops to cotton that were beneficial for the farmers and for the land.
• The Wiregrass Museum of Art, located in the city's original power and water plant (1913), features ongoing exhibitions of visual and decorative art. The museum's permanent collection includes works by Contemporary Southeastern artists such as Dale Kennington, Frank Flemming, Dale Lewis and Cal Breed, as well as material by nationally recognized artists including Frank Stella and Jim Dine. The museum was organized in 1989 by private citizens and the City of Dothan; it is operated by the Wiregrass Museum of Art, Inc., a 501(c)3.

Wiregrass Museum of Art

• The George Washington Carver Museum relates the story of the African-American genius who invented over 500 different products from peanuts and other plants native to the South. Besides offering exhibits about Carver himself, this museum also offers information on African cultures and their influences on the world, prominent African-American scientists, explorers and inventors, and the positive contributions made by African-Americans in military affairs and the area of social development.
• Peanut Monument at the Visitor Information Center proclaims Dothan as the "Peanut Capital of the World".

Art and Theatre scene

• The Featured Players Theatre: Originally located at 158 S. Foster St. in downtown Dothan, Featured Players moved in 2009 to 137 N. Saint Andrews Street. This company offers live plays for adults five times a year; its Children's Theatre produces plays four times a year. When not presenting plays, Featured Players offers a "coffee-house" set-up with "open mic" nights and acoustic folk rock artists. Open Friday and Saturday nights.
• Southeast Alabama Community Theater offers live entertainment and theatrical productions for the Dothan community.
• "Joseph" Statue at Millennium Park is a ten-foot, cast bronze sculpture, located in the historic downtown area. It depicts the Bible verse, "For I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan" (Genesis 37:17), which inspired the city founders in 1885 to change the name of the town from Poplar Head to Dothan.
• Peanuts Around Town is a public art project organized by The Downtown Group, consisting of 5-foot-tall (1.5 m) peanut sculptures decorated in various fashions and displayed around Dothan.
• Wiregrass Festival of Murals is an ongoing project offering historic murals painted by nationally and internationally acclaimed muralists on walls of buildings in the downtown historic district. Guided tours are available upon request.

• The Dothan Wiregrass Art League is an organization of local artists who have banded together to promote art in the community. DWAL sponsors art shows, exhibits and workshops. Many of the artists teach weekly art classes to the community.

Local music

• Dothan Opera House, built in 1915, features theatre performances, concerts, symphonies, ballet performances, and other cultural events. Tours are available upon request.
• Music South, formerly the Southern Alabama Symphony Association, offers a wide variety of musical performances, from classical symphony performances to jazz, African and other musical styles. "Music by Moonlight" offers four free concerts per year at Dothan's Landmark Park, featuring classical, jazz, Celtic and Bluegrass musicians, among others.
• Country Crossing is a multimillion-dollar country music venue being constructed south of Dothan along U.S. Highway 231. When completed, this facility will offer restaurants, lodging, retail, camping and charity bingo venues, together with a large amphitheater featuring performances by top-name country and western stars.
• Patti Rutland Jazz is a professional contemporary jazz and hip-hop dance company located in Dothan. This company produces two full-length jazz and hip-hop theatrical dance productions yearly (one in late February and one in early June) at their home in the Cultural Arts Center, as well as at Dothan's historical landmark Opera House. Patti Rutland Jazz operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose core mission is to offer its dancers to the Wiregrass Region to assist under-served youths with free dance classes. This mutually beneficial program hopes to make Dothan a destination for, and a source of, future professional dance talent in the United States.

Area attractions

Themed attractions

• Adventureland Theme Park is a family-oriented mini-theme park. It includes two 18-hole miniature golf courses with waterfalls, a figure-eight go-cart track, bumper boats, batting cages, a Max Flight roller coaster simulator, and a large arcade.
• Dothan Area Botanical Gardens offer a paved nature trail and rose and herb gardens, as well as a demonstration garden.
• Landmark Park Agricultural Museum and Starlab Planetarium is the official agriculture museum of the State of Alabama. It includes a 1900s farmstead with farmhouse, outhouses and farm animals. Other attractions include a nature trail and a planetarium.

Golf

• The Press Thornton Future Masters junior golf tournament has been held annually since 1950 in early July. More than 600 junior golfers participate in this part of the Junior Grand Slam of Golf hosted by the Dothan Country Club.

Dothan National Golf

• Dothan National Golf Course, Established in 1968 as the Olympia Spa, this resort was built after the discovery of its therapeutic hot mineral springs. This facility includes a golf course, hotel, restaurant & lounge, swimming pool, and an indoor natural Hot Mineral Springs Spa that is fed from a depth of over 3000 feet with a water temperature of 104 degrees.
• Highland Oaks Golf Course is part of Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, and was proclaimed by Golf Digest as the seventh-best public course in the US.^{[citation needed]} The 36-hole facility offers three championship 9-hole courses, plus a 9-hole Par 3 course.

Other venues

Dothan Civic Center

• Westgate Park and Water World is a five-field complex hosting local, regional, state and national softball tournaments. It is adjacent to Water World, Westgate Recreational Complex and the BMX Track. Water World has a wave pool and water slides.
• Westgate Tennis Center has sixteen lighted clay tennis courts.
• The Dothan Civic Center was constructed in 1975, and features 10,800 square feet (1,000 m²) of exhibit space and seating for 3,100.
• Wiregrass Commons Mall

Notable natives and residents

• W. M. Cooper, a Dothan resident, released a revision of B. F. White's popular tune book The Sacred Harp in 1902.
• Former Alabama Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor Bill Baxley was born and raised in Dothan. Baxley was most famous for prosecuting and convicting Robert Edward Chambliss for the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham. He was also famous for telling the Ku Klux Klan to "kiss my ass" (on official letterhead) when they sent him a letter containing a death-threat.
• Lucy Baxley, former wife of Bill Baxley was born in Pansey near Dothan. She too served as lieutenant governor and is the chairman of the Alabama Public Service Commission.
• "The Wrestling Pro" Leon Baxter, a professional wrestler, is a Dothan native who got his start in the 1960s, wrestling all over the South as "Tarzan Baxter." He feuded with wrestling legend Danny Hodge, then worked in the Gulf Coast area as "The Wrestling Pro" in the 1970s. Although born and raised in Malone, Florida, he has lived and worked in Dothan for decades.
• William Gray Espy, (the original Snapper Foster of The Young and the Restless) and Donna D'Errico were born in Dothan.
• Richmond Flowers, Sr., former Attorney General of Alabama and strident opponent of segregation, was born and raised in Dothan.
• Singer Bobby Goldsboro, famous for his 1968 Top 40 No. 1 hit "Honey", grew up in Dothan and graduated from Dothan High School.
• Robert Reynolds "Bob" Jones, Sr., evangelist and founder of Bob Jones University, was reared in the Brannon Stand community west of Dothan, 1884–1899.
• Former Miss America, Heather Whitestone, also was born and raised in Dothan.
• Matt Cain, a starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, was born in Dothan and pitched a perfect game against the Houston Astros on June 13, 2012.^{[citation needed]}
• Artis Gilmore, Jacksonville University center and later Most Valuable Player of the American Basketball Association, attended middle and high school in Dothan.
• Former Playboy model Nicole Holland (List of Playboy NSS models G-R) was born and raised in Dothan.
• Gardner Dickinson, a 7-time PGA Tour champion golfer, was born in Dothan.
• Dothan is home to Gabe Gross, a former QB and baseball All-American for the Auburn Tigers, who also enjoyed a major league career with the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Oakland Athletics before retiring in 2011.
• Dale Kennington, a Contemporary Artist working in the style of New American Realism.
• Robert Edwin Russ, the founder of Ruston, Louisiana, lived near Dothan in his early years with his mother and stepfather.

• Dothan is the hometown of professional skateboarder Jamie Thomas, creator of two skateboard companies and a shoe company.
• Larry Brackins, an American football wide receiver who is currently a member of the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League was born and raised in Dothan and graduated from Dothan High School.
• Allen Forrest aka Matchstik Rapper and Music producer

• Johnny Mack Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) Born and raised in Dothan Alabama, was an All-American college football player at the University of Alabama and Hollywood film actor[1] during the 1920s and '30's originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.

Sister cities

Dothan has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Sakado, Japan, since 1988.
• Alajuela, Costa Rica, since 1989.

External links

• City of Dothan web site
• Dothan Chamber of Commerce
• Historic photos