Brilliant, Alabama

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Brilliant, Alabama
Location in Marion County and the state of Alabama
Location in Marion County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 34°1′21″N 87°46′2″W / 34.0225, -87.76722
Country United States
State Alabama
County Marion
Area
 - Total 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km²)
 - Land 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km²)
 - Water 0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation 620 ft (189 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 762
 - Density 224.1/sq mi (85.6/km²)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 35548
Area code(s) 205
FIPS code 01-09424
GNIS feature ID 0114918

Brilliant is a town in Marion County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 762.

Contents

[edit] History

The present Town of Brilliant was incorporated as Boston, Alabama and was named for the Bostick family. Down the hill on the Illinois Central Railroad, there was the Brilliant Coal Company. This presented a problem since there was already a Boston post office in the state. Later when the Brilliant Coal Company moved its location, they moved the post office to the top of the hill to Boston. It was decided to change the name of the town to Brilliant to honor the coal company that had brought such prosperity to the area. The town of Brilliant was built around the coal mining industry in the late 1800’s early 1900’s. To this day, there remain several buildings of historical significance that are important to the citizens of Brilliant. The structures are all located on Main Street

[edit] Geography

Brilliant is located at 34°1′22″N, 87°46′3″W (34.022764, -87.767372)[1].

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.9 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 762 people, 343 households, and 220 families residing in the town. The population density was 221.7 people per square mile (85.5/km²). There were 402 housing units at an average density of 116.9/sq mi (45.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.61% White, 0.13% Native American, and 0.26% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 343 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,224, and the median income for a family was $27,857. Males had a median income of $28,611 versus $15,703 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,516. About 22.4% of families and 26.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.3% of those under age 18 and 27.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links