Elba, Alabama

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Coordinates: 31°25′2″N 86°4′38″W / 31.41722, -86.07722
Elba, Alabama
Location in Coffee County and the state of Alabama
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Coffee
Area
- Total	15.5 sq mi (40 km²)
- Land	15.4 sq mi (39.8 km²)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation	194 ft (59 m)
Population (2006)
- Total	4,141
- Density	270/sq mi (104.6/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	36323
Area code(s)	334
FIPS code	01-23296
GNIS feature ID	0117908

Elba is a city in Coffee County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 4,185. The city is the county seat of Coffee County.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Located in the Pea River basin at the river's junction with Whitewater Creek, Elba originated with an east-west ferry across the river in the early 1830s, between what is today Claxton and Polka Streets. Originally called Bridgeville, a post office was established in the town by 1841. John Simmons acquired the land on which Elba is located around 1840. In 1851 a lottery to determine a new name for the town was held. Simmons had been reading a biography of Napoleon, and his suggestion of Elba was selected.

Elba became the capital of Coffee County in 1851, and the town was moved back from the river a half-mile to the current location. Incorporated in 1853, Elba saw its fist public school established in 1863. The first marked grave in the Elba's still-active Evergreen cemetery was that of James Ham, who died in 1858. The first church established in Elba was Methodist; the present Methodist church was opened on February 12, 1911, with large stained-glass windows commemorating the Confederate Civil War dead from Coffee County.

The first railroad arrived in Elba on March 20, 1892. Dorsey Trailer was located at the end of the rail line, and the company manufactured the trailers that fueled the piggyback boom of the second half of the 20th century. The railroad line ended in West Elba, where the "New Town" industrial section of the town began. The Seaboard System Railroad discontinued rail service on November 27, 1984.

The Pea River, an essential component of Elba history, was originally called the Talakatchee River by the Creek Indians. Emerging from a swamp in Bullock County, the approximately 120-mile river joins the Choctawatchee River at Geneva. About half of the river's length is contained in Coffee County. Frequent floods of the Pea River have marked Elba history, especially in the month of March. The Lincoln flood of 1865, named for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in the same year, was the first to destroy the town. A particularly devastating flood occurred in 1929. The river crested at a depth of 43.5 feet early on March 15, 1929, and airplanes dropped supplies to the completely inundated town. There was only one death from the flood, an African-American man named "Phoe" Larkins. A child born at the Elba Hotel during the flood was named Noah Tucker after the biblical figure. Vivian Harper received the Theodore N. Vail Silver Medal for her heroic actions during the flood.

Another flood threatened in the summer of 1929. A six-year-old boy, Paul Rowe Brunson, was almost drowned in the Pea River when a footbridge acoss the river collapsed. He escaped death through timely rescue efforts, and the mail bag he was carrying also survived. A levee was built around the town in 1930; flood gates were erected and drainage systems improved. The Simmons Bridge was constructed and raised to its present level. Floods continued, however, with especially severe inundations in 1938, 1959 and 1975. The worst flood ever recorded in Elba occurred in 1990, with a river crest of 48 feet. The levee broke and Whitewater Creek overflowed into the town; Elba was completely flooded for four days and the town was almost totally destroyed.

Elba was the home of James E. "Big Daddy" Folsom, the only Coffee County native to become governor of Alabama. Another memorable resident of the town was "Uncle" Charlie Porter, born in slavery, who lived to be 122 years old. He was a frequent sight on the streets of Folsom with his burlap sack slung across his back. Long-time National Football League linebacker, Ronald McKinnon, who played for the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints, was a member of a state championship winning team at Elba High School.

[edit] Geography

Elba is located at 31°25′2″N, 86°4′39″W (31.417263, -86.077442)^[1].

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40.0 km²), of which, 15.4 square miles (39.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.52%) is water. Elba is located beside the banks of the Pea River. In 1853, the town of Elba was formally formed. The name Elba was drawn out of a hat at a town meeting where each citizen put their ideas for the town's new name in. James Simmons, a local resident, had been reading a book about Napoleon Bonaparte's exile to the Isle of Elba. His suggestion was the winner. New Orleans Saints LB Ronald McKinnon is from Elba, AL. He was a prominent player on the football team (Elba High School Tigers) in 1989 when Coach Mack Wood (a local legend and recently deceased) led the team to the 3-A State Championship title. Elba is nicknamed The City of Flowing Wells. In the 1990s, there were three floods (1990, 1994, and 1998). The city's levee system has recently undergone a multi-million dollar renovation..

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 4,185 people, 1,593 households, and 1,099 families residing in the city. The population density was 272.3 people per square mile (105.1/km²). There were 1,873 housing units at an average density of 121.9/sq mi (47.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 63.92% White, 34.29% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.02% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,593 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% 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 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,021, and the median income for a family was $29,563. Males had a median income of $25,756 versus $21,052 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,382. About 25.8% of families and 30.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.7% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.