Jasper, Alabama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,052. The city is the county seat of Walker CountyGR6, and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal.
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[edit] Geography
Jasper is located at (33.842347, -87.277174)GR1.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 69.6 km² (26.9 mi²). 69.6 km² (26.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.
[edit] History
Jasper, named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, a Red Stick War soldier, was settled in 1815, but was not incorporated until 1888. The first significiant growth of the area was realized in 1886, when the Kansas City-Memphis & Birmingham and the Sheffield & Birmingham Railroads were completed through Jasper. The population grew from 200 people in 1886 to more than 3,000 in 1890. In a special edition in 1891, The Mountain Eagle stated there were 400 coke ovens in operation, six coal mines, one foundry and machine shop, two saw mills, one brick work, two sandstone quarries, four hotels, and two banks.
[edit] Notable residents
It is the birthplace of famous TV and movie stars Polly Holliday and George Lindsey, the actor who played Goober on The Andy Griffith Show. It is also the birthplace of United States Senator John H. Bankhead II, former Speaker of the House William Brockman Bankhead, Alabama millionaire James Stanley Freeman and his son, famed World War II admiral James Shepherd Freeman, and home of the late Congressman Tom Bevill. The late actress Tallulah Brockman Bankhead lived for awhile at her father's home in Jasper as a child.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 14,052 people, 5,728 households, and 3,809 families residing in the city. The population density was 201.9/km² (523.0/mi²). There were 6,473 housing units at an average density of 93.0/km² (240.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.15% White, 13.98% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.l.
There were 5,728 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33, and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,044, and the median income for a family was $43,674. Males had a median income of $35,182 versus $22,868 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,491. About 10.2% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Schools
Elementary (K-5):
Memorial Park School, T.R. Simmons Elementary School, West Jasper Elementary School
Junior High (6-8):
Maddox Middle School
High School (9-12):
Walker High School
[edit] Businesses
Dill Communications [1] - Communications
Drummond Company [2] - Coal
Walker Baptist Hospital [3] - Healthcare
[edit] Churches
- St. Cecilia's Catholic Church [4] - Roman Catholic
- Jasper's First Baptist Church [5] - Southern Baptist
- Jasper First Church of The Nazarene [6] - Nazarene
- Sixth Avenue Church of Christ [7] - Church of Christ
- New Prospect Baptist Church [8] - Southern Baptist
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
