Jasper, Alabama

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Jasper, Alabama
—  City  —
Location in Walker County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 33°50′32″N 87°16′38″W / 33.84222°N 87.27722°W / 33.84222; -87.27722
Country United States
State Alabama
County Walker
Government
 • Mayor Sonny Posey
Area
 • Total 26.9 sq mi (69.6 km2)
 • Land 26.9 sq mi (69.6 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 328 ft (100 m)
Population (2011)
 • Total 13,857
 • Density 522.4/sq mi (201.9/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 35501-35504
Area code(s) 205
FIPS code 01-38416
GNIS feature ID 0120822
Website http://www.jaspercity.com/

Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,659. As of 2011 the population had was 13,857.[1] The city is the county seat of Walker County,[2] and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Jasper is located at 33°50′32″N 87°16′38″W / 33.84222°N 87.27722°W / 33.84222; -87.27722 (33.842347, -87.277174).[3]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.9 square miles (70 km2), of which 26.9 square miles (70 km2) is land and 0.04% is water.

[edit] History

A welcome sign sits beside Walker High School, notating the school's state titles.

Jasper, named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, a Red Stick War hero, was settled in 1815, but was not incorporated until 1888.

During the Civil War, Union troops marching toward Selma burned the courthouse and several other buildings in town and raided neighboring farms for supplies.[4]

The first significant growth of the area was realized in 1886, when the Kansas City-Memphis & Birmingham and the Sheffield & Birmingham Railroads were completed through Jasper. The population grew from 200 people in 1886 to more than 3,000 in 1890.[4] In a special edition in 1891, The Mountain Eagle stated there were 400 coke ovens in operation, six coal mines, one foundry and machine shop, two saw mills, one brick work, two sandstone quarries, four hotels, and two banks.

President Franklin Roosevelt visited the town in 1940 to attend a memorial service for his friend and supporter, William Bankhead.[4]

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] Popular culture

In the third season of the television show Lost, it was revealed that the character James "Sawyer" Ford was born in Jasper

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1880 269
—
1890 780 190.0%
1900 1,661 112.9%
1910 2,509 51.1%
1920 3,246 29.4%
1930 5,313 63.7%
1940 6,847 28.9%
1950 8,589 25.4%
1960 10,799 25.7%
1970 10,798 0%
1980 11,894 10.2%
1990 13,553 13.9%
2000 14,052 3.7%
2010 13,857 −1.4%

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 14,052 people, 5,728 households, and 3,809 families residing in the city. The population density was 523.0 people per square mile (201.9/km²). There were 6,473 housing units at an average density of 240.9 per square mile (93.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.15% White, 13.98% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.l.

There were 5,728 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,044, and the median income for a family was $43,674. Males had a median income of $35,182 versus $22,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,491. About 10.2% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Schools

Elementary (K-5)

Memorial Park School, T.R. Simmons Elementary School, West Jasper Elementary School

Junior High (6-8)

Maddox Middle School (formerly "Jasper Junior High", grades 7 - 8 and co-located with "Central Elementary School", grades 1 - 6)

Combined Elementary and Junior High (K-8)

Farmstead Elementary/Junior High School

High School (9-12)

Walker High School Curry High School (Jasper, Alabama)

[edit] Media

[edit] Television

Combs Broadcasting

  • TV16HD
  • W16CM-D
  • 16.1, 16.2, 16.3, 16.4

[edit] Radio

[edit] Newspaper

[edit] Churches

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.bestplaces.net/city/alabama/jasper
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  3. ^ "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. 
  4. ^ a b c Kaetz, James P.. "Encyclopedia of Alabama: Jasper". encyclopediaofalabama.org. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-2536. Retrieved 16 May 2010. 
  5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

6. http://www.thr33daysdead.com]

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 33°50′32″N 87°16′38″W / 33.842347°N 87.277174°W / 33.842347; -87.277174

Municipalities and communities of Walker County, Alabama, United States
County seat: Jasper
Cities
Towns
Unincorporated
community
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jasper,_Alabama&oldid=470539792"
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