Jasper, Alabama
Encyclopedia
Jasper is a city in Walker County, Alabama
Walker County, Alabama
Walker County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Williams Walker, a member of the United States Senate. As of 2010 the population was 67,023...

, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,659. As of 2011 the population had was 13,857. The city is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Walker County
Walker County, Alabama
Walker County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.Its name is in honor of John Williams Walker, a member of the United States Senate. As of 2010 the population was 67,023...

, and once ranked among the world's leading producers of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

.

Geography

Jasper is located at 33°50′32"N 87°16′38"W (33.842347, -87.277174).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.9 square miles (69.7 km²), of which 26.9 square miles (69.7 km²) is land and 0.04% is water.

History

Jasper, named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper
William Jasper
William Jasper was a noted American soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was a sergeant in the 2nd South Carolina Regiment.Jasper distinguished himself in the defense of Fort Moultrie on June 28, 1776...

, a Red Stick War hero, was settled in 1815, but was not incorporated until 1888.

During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Union troops marching toward Selma burned the courthouse and several other buildings in town and raided neighboring farms for supplies.

The first significant 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.

President Franklin Roosevelt visited the town in 1940 to attend a memorial service for his friend and supporter, William Bankhead.

Notable residents

  • John H. Bankhead II
    John H. Bankhead II
    John Hollis Bankhead II was a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama. Like his father, John H. Bankhead, he was elected three times to the Senate, and like his father, he died in office....

    , United States Senator
  • Eric Esch
    Eric Esch
    Eric Scott Esch is an American heavyweight boxer, kick-boxer, professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist commonly referred to as Butterbean....

    , professional boxer, MMA fighter and kick boxer, Star of Big Law: Deputy Butterbean
  • Tallulah Brockman Bankhead, actress
  • William Brockman Bankhead, Speaker of the House of the United States Congress
    United States Congress
    The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

  • Tom Bevill
    Tom Bevill
    Tom Bevill , a Democrat, was a fifteen-term U.S. congressman representing Alabama's 4th Congressional District .-Early years and education:...

    , member, United States Congress
    United States Congress
    The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

  • James Shepherd Freeman
    James Shepherd Freeman
    James Shepherd Freeman was a World War II Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and the son of Alabama millionaire James Stanley Freeman....

    , admiral, United States Navy
    United States Navy
    The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

  • James Stanley Freeman
    James Stanley Freeman
    James Stanley Freeman , known as "Big Jim", was an Alabama millionaire in the early 20th century and one of the first Americans to amount a fortune through Wall Street investments....

    , businessman
  • Polly Holliday, actress
  • George Lindsey
    George Lindsey
    George Lindsey is an American character actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show, as well as for his tenure on Hee-Haw.-Early life and career :...

    , actor
  • Sandy Posey
    Sandy Posey
    Sandy Posey is an American popular singer, who enjoyed success in the 1960s with singles such as her 1966 recording of Martha Sharpe's composition, "Single Girl." She is often described as a country singer, although, like Skeeter Davis her output has varied...

    ,singer
  • Michael Rooker
    Michael Rooker
    Michael Rooker is an American actor.-Early life:Rooker, who has eight brothers and sisters, was born in Jasper, Alabama and studied at the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, where he moved with his mother and siblings at the age of thirteen, after his parents divorced.-Movie career:He made his...

    , (former resident) actor
  • Eric Dover
    Eric Dover
    Eric Dover is an American musician, guitarist and singer, most notably with Jellyfish, Slash's Snakepit, Imperial Drag and Alice Cooper.-Biography:...

    , Vocalist/Guitarist for Slash's Snakepit
    Slash's Snakepit
    Slash's Snakepit were an American rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed by then-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash in 1993. Though often described as a solo or side project, Slash stated that Snakepit was a band, with equal contributions by all members...

     and Sextus (Band)

Popular culture

In the third season of the television show Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...

, it was revealed that the character James "Sawyer" Ford was born in Jasper

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 14,052 people, 5,728 households, and 3,809 families residing in the city. 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 523.0 people per square mile (201.9/km²). There were 6,473 housing units at an average density of 240.9 per square mile (93.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.15% 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...

, 13.98% 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...

, 0.21% Native 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...

, 0.53% Asian
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...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander
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...

, 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
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 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.

Schools

Elementary (K-5):
Memorial Park School, T.R. Simmons Elementary School, West Jasper Elementary School

Junior High (6-8):
Maddox Middle School (formerly "Jasper Junior High", grades 7 - 8 and
co-located with "Central Elementary School", grades 1 - 6)
Combined Elementary and Junior High (K-8):
Farmstead Elementary/Junior High School

High School (9-12):
Walker High School
Curry High School (Jasper, Alabama)

Radio

  • WQJJ-LP
    WQJJ-LP
    WQJJ-LP is a low-power FM radio station - the only FM radio station licensed to serve the community of Jasper, Alabama, USA, by the Federal Communications Commission...

     97.7 FM (Adult Contemporary/Oldies
    Oldies
    Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....

     )
  • WJLX 1240 AM (Oldies
    Oldies
    Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....

    )
  • WIXI
    WIXI
    WIXI is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Jasper, Alabama, USA. The station, established in 1946 as WWWB, is currently owned and operated by Snavely Broadcasting Company, LLC....

     1360 AM (Classic Country
    Classic country
    Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...

    )

Churches

  • AwakeningLIFE - Non-denominational
  • St. Cecilia's Catholic Church - Roman Catholic
  • First Baptist Church  - Southern Baptist
    Southern Baptist Convention
    The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...

  • Jasper First Church of The Nazarene - Nazarene
    Church of the Nazarene
    The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...

  • First Baptist Church of Frisco
  • Sixth Avenue Church of Christ - Church of Christ
    Church of Christ
    Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...

  • Woodland Trace Church of Christ - Church of Christ
    Church of Christ
    Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...

  • New Prospect Baptist Church - Southern Baptist
    Southern Baptist Convention
    The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...

  • First United Methodist Church - United Methodist
  • St. Mary's Episcopal Church - Episcopal
  • First Free Will Baptist Church
  • The Oasis Church - Assembly of God
  • Jasper Independent Methodist Church - Methodist
  • Jasper Ward - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Westside Baptist Church - Southern Baptist
  • McArthur Heights Church of Christ - Church of Christ
    Church of Christ
    Churches of Christ are autonomous Christian congregations associated with one another through common beliefs and practices. They seek to base doctrine and practice on the Bible alone, and seek to be New Testament congregations as originally established by the authority of Christ. Historically,...

  • Cornerstone Assembly of God - Assembly of God
  • Eastside Baptist Church - ( Southern Baptist )
  • Zion Rest Primitive Baptist Church - Primitive Baptist
    Primitive Baptist
    Primitive Baptists, also known as Hard Shell Baptists or Anti-Mission Baptists, are conservative, Calvinist Baptists adhering to beliefs that formed out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 1800’s over the appropriateness of mission boards, bible tract societies, and temperance...


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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