Cardiff, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Cardiff is a town in Jefferson County
, Alabama
, United States
west of Gardendale
. At the 2000 census the population was 82. It is named after the capital of Wales
. It is one of four Jefferson County cities named after cities in Great Britain, the others being Birmingham, Leeds and Brighton.
. It is immediately downstream of Brookside
. The region is part of the Cumberland Plateau
, with shallow but deeply incised stream valleys dissecting sedimentary rock, including significant seams of bituminous coal
.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 82 people, 33 households, and 26 families residing in the town. The population density
was 401.3 people per square mile (158.3/km2). There were 38 housing units at an average density of 186.0 per square mile (73.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.90% White
and 6.10% Black
or African American
.
There were 33 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,107, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $28,906 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,067. There were 5.6% of families and 8.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
was the historical basis of the economy. The town, for years the smallest incorporated town in the State of Alabama, declined with the decline of underground coal mining and the rise of strip mining
. The epochal flood of May 2003 destroyed a number of buildings in that part of Cardiff close to Five Mile Creek.
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
west of Gardendale
Gardendale, Alabama
Gardendale is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, and a northern suburb of Birmingham. The population was 11,626 at the 2000 census. 2009 Census estimates propose a population of 13,720.-History:...
. At the 2000 census the population was 82. It is named after the capital of Wales
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. It is one of four Jefferson County cities named after cities in Great Britain, the others being Birmingham, Leeds and Brighton.
Geography
Cardiff is located at 33°38′43"N 86°55′59"W (33.645384, -86.932965). on Five Mile Creek, a tributary of the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior RiverBlack Warrior River
The Black Warrior River is a waterway in west central Alabama in the southeastern United States. The river rises in the extreme southern edges of the Appalachian Highlands and flows 178 miles to the Tombigbee River, of which the Black Warrior is the primary tributary...
. It is immediately downstream of Brookside
Brookside, Alabama
Brookside is a former mining town, predominantly settled by Eastern European immigrants, located in north-central Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 1,393. The mayor is Roger McCondiche.- History :...
. The region is part of the Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
, with shallow but deeply incised stream valleys dissecting sedimentary rock, including significant seams of bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 82 people, 33 households, and 26 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 401.3 people per square mile (158.3/km2). There were 38 housing units at an average density of 186.0 per square mile (73.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.90% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
and 6.10% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
.
There were 33 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,107, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $28,906 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $16,067. There were 5.6% of families and 8.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
History
Coal miningCoal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
was the historical basis of the economy. The town, for years the smallest incorporated town in the State of Alabama, declined with the decline of underground coal mining and the rise of strip mining
Surface mining
Surface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
. The epochal flood of May 2003 destroyed a number of buildings in that part of Cardiff close to Five Mile Creek.