Thorsby, Alabama
| The town of Thorsby, Alabama | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town — | |||
|
|||
| Nickname(s): Little Swede Town, The Peach Basket | |||
 |
|||
| Coordinates: 32°55′1″N 86°42′57″W / 32.91694°N 86.71583°W | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Alabama | ||
| County | Chilton | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Mayor - Council | ||
| • Mayor | Dearl Hilyer | ||
| Area | |||
| • Town | 5.1 sq mi (13.4 km2) | ||
| • Land | 5.1 sq mi (13.3 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 696 ft (212 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| • Town | 1,820 | ||
| • Density | 356.9/sq mi (135.8/km2) | ||
| • Metro | Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman Combined Statistical Area | ||
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | ||
| ZIP code | 35171 | ||
| Area code(s) | 205 | ||
| FIPS code | 01-76080 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0153689 | ||
| Website | townofthorsby.com | ||
Thorsby is a town in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town was 1,820. The town mayor is Dearl Hilyer. The Swede-founded town's name, "Thorsby" is Swedish for "Thor's Village."
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Thorsby is located at 32°55'1.171" North, 86°42'57.442" West (32.916992, -86.715956).[1]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13 km2), of which, 5.1 square miles (13 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it is water. The total area is 0.58% water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,820 people, 714 households, and 527 families residing in the town. The population density was 355.5 people per square mile (137.2/km²). There were 780 housing units at an average density of 152.4 per square mile (58.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.98% White, 6.04% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.37% from other races, and 0.22% from two or more races. 2.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 714 households out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% are married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,635, and the median income for a family was $46,328. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $23,810 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,956. 9.4% of the population and 5.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 14.3% of those under the age of 18 and 13.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
[edit] Climate
Thorsby has a Humid subtropical climate, characterized by hot summers, cold winters, and overly abundant rainfall, as most Alabama receives over 50 inches of rain annually. The spring and summer are moderately rainy, with frequent strong to severe thunderstorms. The fall and winter months are cold and cloudy. The town is almost always under cloud cover from November to March. January sees average daily high temperatures of 53.0 °F (11.7 °C) and lows of 31.8 °F (−0.1 °C). In July the average daily high is 90.6 °F (32.6 °C) and the low is 69.7 °F (20.9 °C). The average annual temperature in Thorsby is 62 °F (17 °C). In late winter, normally from January through February, Thorsby normally acquires small amounts of snow accumulation. Snowfall averages only 1.9 inches (4.8 cm), but during the Great Blizzard of 1993, the town received over a foot (12 in/30 cm) of snow, with drifts almost three feet, and on February 28 - March 1, 2009, the town accumulated almost six inches of snow. The average yearly rainfall in Thorsby is about 59 inches (1498 mm), with March being the wettest month and October the driest. Thorsby receives around 204 rainy/cloudy days a year, ranking it one of the rainiest/cloudiest small towns in Alabama. It also receives dense fog annually, around mid-December. The fog is known as Valley Fog, and it impairs visibility extremely.
The spring and fall months are pleasant but variable as cold fronts frequently bring strong to severe thunderstorms and occasional tornadoes to the region. The fall season features more rainfall and fewer storms, as well as lower humidity than the spring, but it is also a secondary severe weather season. Thorsby is located on the heart of a tornado alley known as the Dixie Alley due to the frequency of tornadoes in Central Alabama. In late summer and fall months, Thorsby experiences occasional tropical storms and hurricanes due to its proximity to the Central Gulf Coast.
[edit] History
Thorsby is a small town with a rich, historical past. Thorsby was settled in 1865 by three Swedes, and established in 1901 by Scandinavian immigrants who had originally settled in New England, but who were seeking a mild climate and fertile soil for growing food. One of those earliest settlers was Theodore T. Thorson, for whom the town was eventually named (the suffix "by" meaning "town" in Swedish). The town grew quickly, with a hotel, a sawmill and lumber company, and two wineries being built within the first couple of years. The Town of Thorsby was declared a promised land for northerners looking to relocate to a warmer climate, suitable for farming and better health. The fertile soil of the South produced grapes in large numbers, along with other fruits such as strawberries, and the peaches for which Chilton County is famous. The founders formed the Concordia Land and Improvement Association and began advertising in New England newspapers about the ‘utopia’ they had discovered in the Southeastern U.S. Many traveled by railroad to purchase a tract of land and start a better life. Thorsby became affectionately known as the little “Swede Town” by locals.
Today, many of the descendants of those original Scandinavian settlers still call Thorsby home. While agriculture still plays a vital role in the town's economy, the town of Thorsby is also home to businesses, manufacturers, and industry. There are restaurants, shops, and many small businesses. Thorsby has a well-maintained and heavily used city park with athletic fields. Thorsby is located almost exactly between the downtown areas of Birmingham and Montgomery, with either destination being approximately 45 miles/72 kilometers from the center of town. This location makes Thorsby a prime candidate for new residential, commercial and industrial development. Each Autumn, the town of Thorsby celebrates her heritage with the Annual Swedish Festival that includes an arts and crafts fair, a pageant, music, car and motorcycle shows and food native to the American South. The town maintains a museum in the old Norwegian Lutheran Church named “Helen Jenkins Chapel”. A Scandinavian Cemetery is available for visits any time. The Thorsby Town Council consists of Jean Nelson, Tara Jewell, Neal Benson, Willis Britt and Marvin Crumpton. The town operates its own police and fire departments, as well as departments of building inspection, law, parks and recreation, and the Thorsby Water Works. The Chilton County School System operates the K-12 Thorsby School in the town.[3]
[edit] Annual Swedish festival
Thorsby Swedish Festival, an annual heritage festival, is held around the middle of October.The event celebrates and heralds the town’s Scandinavian roots. The festival hosts a beauty pageant, car show, entertainment, arts and crafts booths, traditional Swedish food vendors, games, and fun for the entire family in the Richard H. Wood Memorial Park. The 2008 festival saw 4,000 or so visitors and each year continues to increase. There is a current movement among town residents to find more ways to connect with their Swedish beginnings. The town displays the Swedish flag and coat-of-arms in the Richard H. Wood Memorial Park during the time of the festivities. Besides hoping to recruit Swedish businesses to central Alabama, Thorsby leaders are interested in starting a sister city relationship with Torsby, Sweden.
[edit] Thorsby High School
Thorsby High School is a,2-A,K-12 educational institution located in the Town of Thorsby. Thorsby School has been a public school since 1957. The school
originated as Thorsby Institute shortly after the town was founded in the early 1900s. Thorsby Institute was founded as a private school and was turned over to the Chilton County Board of Education to become a part of the public school system in 1957. Thorsby Institute provided a quality education for many years to local and out of state students. Thorsby School continues to provide a good education in the public school system. There is an old school house in central Thorsby, which was in use until the early 1960s. There has been a total of three schools built in Thorsby, the original, which is still standing, a short-lived school that burned down in the late 1970s, and the present school which was built in the place of the burned school. The school's address is 54 Opportunity Drive, Thorsby, AL 35171, and the phone number is (205) 280-4880. Based on its state test results, it has received a Great Schools Rating of 3 out of 10. The school has an average Parent Rating of 4 out of 5 stars, based on reviews from 29 parents. 834 students attended Thorsby High School in the 2006-2007 school year. During the '06-'07 school year there were 51 teachers on staff, giving Thorsby High School a student-teacher ratio of 16.5. There were also 54 kindergartners, 66 first graders, 61 second graders, 59 third graders, 65 fourth graders, 69 fifth graders, 74 sixth graders, 74 seventh graders, 69 eighth graders, 70 Freshmen, 53 Sophomores, 63 Juniors, and 57 Seniors during that year. Currently, there are 388 (45%) of students enrolled that are eligible for discounted/free lunch. The school mascot is The Thorsby Rebel,[disambiguation needed 
] and the colors are maroon and white. The high school's principal is Russ Bryan, and the vice principals are Tim Fortner and Mr. Lousuirre.
[edit] Helen Jenkins Chapel
Helen Jenkins Chapel is very important to the townspeople of Thorsby. This church was originally built as a Norwegian Lutheran Church. It was later sold to the Congregational Church and played a big role with Thorsby Institute student life (thus the reason it is named after the long serving principal of Thorsby Institute - Helen Jenkins). After the Congregational Church disbanded, it was sold to the Masons who did some renovations to the building. They handed the building to the Town of Thorsby and it was used as a temporary band practice facility for the Thorsby High School Band. Presently, it serves as public meeting space and houses a museum of the towns Scandinavian heritage.
[edit] Movies based in Thorsby
The B grade zombie movie Hide and Creep was based in Thorsby. A few of the scenes from the movie were filmed in and around the town. Most of the downtown scenes were actually filmed in Leeds, Alabama but the classic Coke verses Pepsi scenes were filmed in Thorsby. The movies is best known from its runs on the SyFy channel. Hide an Creep was the first feature length film by Birmingham based Crewless Productions. Hide and Creep had its world premiere September 23, 2004 at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham, Alabama. Both the film and an earlier short titled Birthday Call were directed by Chuck Hartsell and Chance Shirley, and were written by Chance Shirley.
[edit] References
- ^ "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.
- ^ The town of Thorsby (Scandinavians in Alabama)
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 32°55′01″N 86°42′57″W / 32.916992°N 86.715956°W
|
||||||||||||||||||||
