Ashland, Alabama
| Ashland, Alabama | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
|
1st Street at dusk; Ashland, Alabama | |
 Location in Clay County and the state of Alabama | |
| Coordinates: 33°16′19″N 85°50′12″W / 33.27194°N 85.83667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alabama |
| County | Clay |
| Incorporated | 1871 |
| Named for | Henry Clay's estate |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor/City Council |
| • Mayor | Larry J. Fetnor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.3 sq mi (19.1 km2) |
| • Land | 7.3 sq mi (19.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,119 ft (341 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 2,037 |
| • Density | 272.9/sq mi (104.5/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 36251 |
| Area code(s) | 256 |
| FIPS code | 01-02860 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0159091 |
| Website | http://www.cityofashland.net/ |
Ashland is a town and former city[2] in Clay County, Alabama, United States. The population was 2,037 at the 2010 census.[1] The town is the county seat of Clay County.
History
Clay County was formed by an act of the Alabama General Assembly on December 7, 1866. Less than a year later, Ashland was established as the county seat on land donated by Hollingsworth Watts for the construction of a courthouse. Ashland was incorporated in 1871 and was named for 19th century statesman Henry Clay's Kentucky estate home.[3]
During the early years, the town grew very rapidly. The town continued to grow with the opening of Alabama's first graphite mine in 1899.[3] When World War I ended, the market for graphite dropped drastically, thus ending the town's growth phase.
The 1930s brought the Great Depression and boll weevil to Ashland that destroyed the cotton industry. Farmers were forced to abandon what had been the community's major industry. Timber, poultry, and cabinet making became the dominant industries by the beginning of the 21st century.[3]
One of the newest attractions in Clay County in the 1920s, was the chicken business. Millions of chickens and eggs and long chicken houses In or about 1921, Reverend Secelar Claxton Ray took one hundred, day-old chicks to the Clay County Fair and put them under an oil burning brooder and called attention to the advantage of using chickens on the farm to supplement the 'all cotton' cash crop. This was something new, but it did gradually got the attention of the local farmers. He was now fully in the poultry business, and named it Goodwill Poultry Farm and Hatchery. He bought houses then idle at the local graphite mines in Clay County and hired neighbors in their spare time and built the hatchery and chicken houses and an extra tenant house on the farm, southeast of Ashland, Alabama whose population of close to one thousand had grown considerably from two hundred in 1881.[4]
-
SC Ray Farm
Geography
Ashland is located at 33°16′20″N 85°50′13″W / 33.27222°N 85.83694°W (33.272206, −85.836925).[1]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city had a total area of 7.3 square miles (19 km2), of which 7.2 square miles (19 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.41%) is water.
At 1,130 feet (340 m), Ashland is Alabama's highest elevated county seat.[5]
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Ashland has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. [6]
| Climate data for Ashland, Alabama | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11 (52) |
14 (57) |
18 (65) |
23 (73) |
27 (80) |
30 (86) |
31 (88) |
31 (88) |
28 (83) |
23 (74) |
18 (64) |
13 (56) |
22.3 (72.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1 (30) |
1 (33) |
4 (39) |
8 (47) |
13 (55) |
17 (63) |
19 (67) |
19 (66) |
16 (60) |
9 (48) |
4 (40) |
1 (33) |
9.2 (48.4) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 140 (5.5) |
142 (5.6) |
170 (6.7) |
117 (4.6) |
114 (4.5) |
112 (4.4) |
140 (5.5) |
107 (4.2) |
107 (4.2) |
86 (3.4) |
114 (4.5) |
130 (5.1) |
1,479 (58.2) |
| Source: Weatherbase [7] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 118 | — | |
| 1880 | 387 | 228.0% | |
| 1890 | 635 | 64.1% | |
| 1900 | 422 | −33.5% | |
| 1910 | 1,062 | 151.7% | |
| 1920 | 1,655 | 55.8% | |
| 1930 | 1,476 | −10.8% | |
| 1940 | 1,608 | 8.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,593 | −0.9% | |
| 1960 | 1,610 | 1.1% | |
| 1970 | 1,921 | 19.3% | |
| 1980 | 2,052 | 6.8% | |
| 1990 | 2,034 | −0.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,965 | −3.4% | |
| 2010 | 2,037 | 3.7% | |
| Est. 2013 | 1,980 | −2.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 2013 Estimate[9] | |||
2000 Census data
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 1,965 people, 854 households, and 519 families residing in the city. The population density was 271.5 inhabitants per square mile (104.8/km2). There were 975 housing units at an average density of 134.7 per square mile (52.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 73.74% White, 25.29% Black or African American, 0.10% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 2.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 854 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 15.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,469, and the median income for a family was $33,583. Males had a median income of $24,715 versus $18,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,927. About 12.2% of families and 19.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 23.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public schools are:
-
Ashland Elementary School.
-
Clay County High School (Now Closed)
According to the Alabama High School Athletic Association Clay County High School holds seven Class 2A championships.
- Football- 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2005
- Boys basketball −1991, 1992
Additionally, CCHS was the 1-A State Football Champions in 2002
Clay County (Alabama) High School Graduates 1933
Max Alexander, Riley Bonner, Robert Haynes, Warren Horne, Fred Hunt, Grover Johnson, Esrom Kelly, Johnnie Langley, Russell Moon (m. Tenza Belle Doggett), Lowell Ogletree (m. Garnet Gaither), Mallory Ramsey, Claxton Ray (m. Gay Cotney), Hugh Rozelle, Burma Thomaston, Ed Weaver (Deceased), J.D. Williams (De), Evelyn Alford (m. Ralph Maril), Louise Allen (De) (m. Arthur Horn De), Inez Blankenship, Elaine Crompton, Ruth Dison (m. W. Clifton Rowe), Tenza Belle Doggett (m. Russell Moon), Maurine Griffin (m. James Peak), Elva Hornsby, Martha Hooter, Winelle Ingram (m. W. Rilet), Ammie Lou King, Virginia Kirk, Lorene Mayo (De), Ruth Morrison, Lillie McKinney (m. Howard Hickman), Beatrice Smith (m. James Alen Fain), Mattie Lou Tomlin (m. Joe Leigat), Edna Thompson (m. Leon Barker), Mattie Ree Upchurch, Addie Jo young (m. M.Willis).[11]
Media
- Radio stations
Notable natives
- Howard Ballard, former NFL player
- Hugo Black, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1937 until 1971. His first law office was on the square in Ashland.
- Hiram Wesley Evans, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1922 to 1939.
- Bob Riley, Alabama's 52nd governor
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ↑ U.S.Census change list
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Small Town Historic Markers, Alabama Tourism Department, archived from the original on 3 February 2011, retrieved February 2, 2011
- ↑ Some Thoughts on the Bible as the Word of God, Rev. S.C. Ray, self, 1976
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ Climate Summary for Ashland, Alabama
- ↑ "Weatherbase.com". Weatherbase. 2013. Retrieved on November 3, 2013.
- ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". Census.gov. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ List compiled in 1977 CCHS Reunion Committee
External links
Coordinates: 33°16′20″N 85°50′13″W / 33.272206°N 85.836925°W
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