Thorsby, Alabama

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Coordinates: 32°55′1″N 86°42′57″W / 32.91694, -86.71583
Thorsby, Alabama
Location in Chilton County and the state of Alabama
Country	United States
State	Alabama
County	Chilton
Area
- Total	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)
- Total	1,820
- Density	356.9/sq mi (135.8/km²)
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

Thorsby is a town in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town was 1,820.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Crossing incident
4 References
5 External links

[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 (13.3 km²), of which, 5.1 square miles (13.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 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/sq mi (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] Crossing incident

The Thorsby, Alabama grade crossing accident was a crash between a freight train and a van at a grade crossing on a rural road near Thorsby, Alabama, which occurred at 5:46 a.m. CT on February 8, 2007. Four people died and four others were injured in the accident.

The van was attempting to cross the tracks of CSX Transportation where they cross Chilton County Road 29, near that road's intersection with U.S. Highway 31 approximately two miles (3 km) southeast of Thorsby. The van was struck by a train from Baldwin, Florida bound for Louisville, Kentucky. The train consisted of two locomotives and 38 freight cars, mainly automobile carriers.

Eight construction workers, all of them natives of the Mexican state]] of Veracruz, were riding in the van. They were on their way to jobs in Birmingham.^[3] The four people killed were:

Miguel Clavijo, age 19
Diego Varela, age 27
Rico Sipriana, age not made public
Hugo Sipriana, age not made public, son of Rico Sipriana

The crossing was guarded only by a crossbuck and stop sign, both in poor condition.

The Thorsby area has been particularly troublesome for CSX regarding grade crossing accidents. The Federal Railroad Administration reported four accidents in the area during 2006.^[4]

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the accident.^[5]