Atmore, Alabama

"Atmore" redirects here. For the Canadian hamlet, see Atmore, Alberta.

Atmore
City
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Escambia
Area
• Total	8.3 sq mi (21.7 km2)
• Land	8.3 sq mi (21.6 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	282 ft (86 m)
Population  (2007)
• Total	7,427
• Density	924.8/sq mi (353.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	36502-36504
Area code	251
FIPS code	01-03004
GNIS feature ID	0113272

Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,676. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 7,530. [1] The city was named for Mr. C.P. Atmore.

The federally recognized Poarch Band of Creek Indians is headquartered here.

Geography

Atmore is located at 31°1′23″N 87°29′31″W (31.023183, -87.492067)Template:GR.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.4 square miles (21.6 km²), of which, 8.3 square miles (21.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 7,676 people, 3,148 households, and 2,071 families residing in the city. The population density was 922.5 people per square mile (356.2/km²). There were 3,535 housing units at an average density of 424.9/sq mi (164.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.48% White, 46.31% Black or African American, 2.41% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,148 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 30.8% 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 2.40 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 79.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $22,867, and the median income for a family was $29,813. Males had a median income of $28,114 versus $19,594 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,734. About 20.0% of families and 23.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

Community Information

Atmore was first recorded as a stop on the Louisville-Nashville Railroad. The town was named after Mr. Charles Pawson Atmore, a General Ticket Agent on the Louisville-Nashville Railroad, who often stopped at the Williams Station depot. Since the early 1990s, the city has held Williams Station Day, an Arts and Crafts festival in honor of this event.

For most of the 20th century, the Atmore area was primarily a farming, timber, and light industry community. A major commercial industry has been Swift Supply Lumber Company. For many years, the "Vanity Fair" lingerie company operated a manufacturing sewing plant in Atmore, offering employment to the citizens of Atmore and surrounding communities. Its closing created a short-term employment crisis.

In the last 20 years, telecommunications have had a greater role in the economy, first with Southland Systems, a long distance and fiber optics corporation, which sold out to Worldcom (later MCI-Worldcom). Later, its offices were incorporated into Touch #1, another long distance corporation, which was then bought out by Z-Tel.

With federal recognition and the founding of gaming casinos, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians reservation near I-65 has increased its economic contributions to the region. The tribe now operates the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel in Atmore, which provide for tourism and conferences.

Atmore is building a subdivision and Water Park near I-65.

Famous residents

• Evander Holyfield, four-time World Heavyweight boxing champion, was born in Atmore.
• Paul Birch, American actor and the original "Marlboro Man"[2], was born in Atmore.
• Don McNeal, star defensive back for Alabama and the Miami Dolphins, was born and raised in Atmore.

External links

• Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce
• City of Atmore
• Escambia County Industrial Development Authority
• Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance
• Atmore Advance (weekly newspaper)
• [http://atmorenews.com Atmore News (weekley newspaper and monthly magazine)
• Atmore Public Library
• Poarch Creek Indians
• Poarch Creek Indian Wind Creek Casino & Hotel
• [http://co.escambia.al.us/commission.html Escambia County Alabama Commission