Anniston is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Calhoun County in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. According to 2019

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

estimates, the city had a population of 21,287. Named "The Model City" by

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

newspaperman

Henry W. Grady Henry Woodfin Grady (May 24, 1850 – December 23, 1889) was an American journalist and orator who helped reintegrate the states of the Confederacy into the Union after the American Civil War. Grady encouraged the industrialization of the Sout ...

for its careful planning in the late 19th century, the city is situated on the slope of Blue Mountain.

History

Civil War

Though the surrounding area was settled much earlier, the mineral resources in the area of Anniston were not exploited until the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

. The

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confede ...

then operated an iron furnace near present-day downtown Anniston, until it was finally destroyed by raiding Union cavalry in early 1865. Later,

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impu ...

for sewer systems became the focus of Anniston's industrial output. Cast iron pipe, also called soil pipe, was popular until the advent of plastic pipe in the 1960s.

Woodstock Iron Company

1887 Perspective Map of Anniston Alabama

In 1872, the Woodstock Iron Company, organized by

Samuel Noble Samuel Noble (1779–1853) was an English engraver, and minister of the New Church (Swedenborgian). Life He was born in London on 4 March 1779, son of Edward Noble (died 1784), a bookseller and author of a work on perspective, and brother of ...

and Union Gen. Daniel Tyler, rebuilt the furnace on a much larger scale, and started a planned community named Woodstock, soon renamed "Annie's Town" for Annie Scott Tyler, Daniel's daughter-in-law and wife of railroad president

Alfred L. Tyler Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

. Anniston was chartered as a town in 1873. Though the roots of the town's economy were in iron, steel, and clay pipe, planners touted it as a health resort, and several hotels began operating. Schools also appeared, including the Noble Institute, a school for girls established in 1886, and the Alabama Presbyterian College for Men, founded in 1905. Careful planning and easy access to rail transportation helped grow Anniston. In 1882, Anniston was the first city in Alabama to be lit by electricity. By 1941, Anniston was Alabama's fifth largest city.

World War I and II

In 1917, at the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the United States Army established a training camp at Fort McClellan. On the other side of town, the Anniston Army Depot opened during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

as a major weapons storage and maintenance site, a role it continues to serve as munitions-incineration progresses. Most of the site of Fort McClellan was incorporated into Anniston in the late 1990s, and the Army closed the fort in 1999 following the

Base Realignment and Closure Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is a process by a United States federal government commission to increase United States Department of Defense efficiency by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the en ...

round of 1995.

Civil Rights era

Anniston was the center of national controversy in 1961 when a mob bombed a bus filled with civilian Freedom Riders during the American Civil Rights Movement. As two Freedom buses were setting out to travel the south in protest of their

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

following the Supreme Court case saying bus segregation was unconstitutional, one headed to Anniston, and one to

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, before finishing in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Freedom Riders were riding an integrated bus to protest Alabama's Jim Crow segregation laws that denied African Americans their

. One of the buses was attacked and firebombed by a mob outside Anniston on

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

, Sunday, May 14, 1961. Prior to the bus being firebombed, attackers broke windows, and slashed tires, using metal pipes, clubs, chains and crowbars, before the police came to escort the bus away. The bus was forced to a stop just outside of Anniston, in front of Forsyth and Sons grocery, by more mob members. As more windows were broken, rocks and eventually a firebomb were thrown into the bus. As the bus burned, the mob held the doors shut, intent on burning the riders to death. An exploding fuel tank caused the mob to retreat, allowing the riders to escape the bus. The riders were viciously beaten as they tried to flee, where warning shots fired into the air by highway patrolmen prevented the riders from being lynched on the spot. A 12-year-old girl, Janie Forsyth, set out against the mob with a bucket of water and cups to help the Riders, first tending to the one who had looked like her own nanny. Forsyth and Son grocery is located along Alabama Highway 202 about west of downtown. The site today is home to a historic marker and was designated Freedom Riders National Monument by President Barack Obama in January 2017. In response to the violence, the city formed a bi-racial Human Relations Council (HRC) made up of prominent white business and religious leaders, but when they attempted to integrate the "whites-only" public library on Sunday afternoon, September 15, 1963 (the same day as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham), further violence ensued and two black ministers, N.Q. Reynolds and Bob McClain, were severely beaten by a mob. The HRC chairman, white Presbyterian minister Rev. Phil Noble, worked with an elder of his church, Anniston City Commissioner Miller Sproull, to avoid

KKK The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

mob domination of the city. In a telephone conference with President John F. Kennedy, the President informed the HRC that after the Birmingham church bombing he had stationed additional federal troops at Fort McClellan. On September 16, 1963, with city police present, Noble and Sproull escorted black ministers into the library. In February 1964, Anniston Hardware, owned by the Sproull family, was bombed, presumably in retaliation for Commissioner Sproull's integration efforts. On the night of July 15, 1965, a white racist rally was held in Anniston, after which Willie Brewster, a black foundry worker, was shot and killed while driving home from work. A $20,000 reward was raised by Anniston civic leaders, and resulted in the apprehension, trial and conviction of the accused killer, Damon Strange, who worked for a leader of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Ca ...

. Historian Taylor Branch called the conviction of Damon Strange a "breakthrough verdict" on p. 391 of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, ''

At Canaan's Edge ''America in the King Years'' is a three-volume history of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement by Taylor Branch, which he wrote between 1982 and 2006. The three individual volumes have won a variety of awards, including the 19 ...

''. Strange was convicted by an all-white Calhoun County jury to the surprise of many people, including civil rights leaders who had planned to protest an acquittal. This was the first conviction of a white person for killing a black person in civil rights era Alabama.

PCB contamination

PCBs were produced in Anniston from 1929 to 1971, initially as the Swann Chemical Company. In 1935 Monsanto Industrial Chemicals Co. bought the plant and took over production. In 1969, the plant was discharging about 250 pounds of the chemicals into Snow Creek per day, according to internal company documents. In 2002, an investigation by ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'' revealed Anniston had been among the most toxic cities in the country. The primary source of local contamination was a

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed i ...

chemical factory, which had already been closed. The EPA description of the site reads in part:

The Anniston PCB site consists of residential, commercial, and public properties located in and around Anniston, Calhoun County, Alabama, that contain or may contain hazardous substances, including
polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by ...
(PCB) impacted media. The Site is not listed on the NPL, but is considered to be a NPL-caliber site. Solutia Inc.'s Anniston plant encompasses approximately of land and is located about 1 mile west of downtown Anniston, Alabama. The plant is bounded to the north by the Norfolk Southern and Erie railroads, to the east by Clydesdale Avenue, to the west by First Avenue, and to the south by Highway 202. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were produced at the plant from 1929 until 1971.

Geography

At the southernmost length of the Blue Ridge, part of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...

, Anniston's environment is home to diverse species of birds, reptiles and mammals. Part of the former Fort McClellan is now operating as

Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge Mountain Longleaf National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in eastern Alabama, near Anniston, Alabama on the former site of Fort McClellan. It takes its name from some of the last remaining mountain longleaf pine (''Pinu ...

to protect endangered Southern Longleaf Pine species. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.15%, is water. In 2003, part of the town of Blue Mountain was annexed into the city of Anniston, while the remaining portion of the town reverted to unincorporated Calhoun County. Part of the city limits extend down to Interstate 20, with access from exit 188. Via I-20,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

is 65 mi (105 km) west, and

is 91 mi (146 km) east.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Anniston has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

Anniston first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an incorporated town.

2020 Census data

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 21,564 people, 9,277 households, and 5,455 families residing in the city.

2010 Census data

As of the census of 2010, there were 23,106 people living in the city. The population density was . There were 11,599 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 51.5%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 43.6% Non-Hispanic White, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 1.7% from two or more races. 2.7% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 9,603 households, out of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.91. In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,400, and the median income for a family was $37,067. Males had a median income of $31,429 versus $21,614 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,689. About 25.1% of families and 29.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.2% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.

Anniston Precinct/Division (1880-)

Anniston Beat (Precinct) (Calhoun County 15th Beat) first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census. In 1890, "beat" was changed to "precinct." In 1960, the precinct was changed to "census division" as part of a general reorganization of counties. In 1980, three additional census divisions were consolidated into Anniston, including

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

Weaver Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...

and

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

Crime

Homicides

Arts and culture

World's Largest Chair, Anniston, Alabama

In 1899, the county seat of Calhoun County moved from Jacksonville to Anniston. More than 100 years later, the community is a bustling center of industry and commerce with more than 22,000 residents. Over the years, city officials and local citizens have worked to retain the environmental beauty of the area while allowing it to thrive economically and to preserve its history. The Spirit of Anniston Main Street Program, Inc., a nonprofit organization started in 1993, spearheaded the restoration and revitalization of historic downtown Anniston, with a focus on the city's main thoroughfare, Noble Street. The Noble Streetscape Project encouraged local business owners to refurbish storefront façades, while historic homes throughout the downtown area have been repaired and returned to their former condition. The preservation effort included the historic Calhoun County Courthouse, located on the corner of 11th Street and Gurnee Avenue since 1900. The original building burned down in 1931, but the courthouse was rebuilt a year later. Thanks to a complete restoration in 1990, the stately structure is still in use today. Anniston has long been a cultural center for northeastern Alabama. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival was founded in the city in 1972 and remained there until moving to Montgomery in 1985 seeking more robust financial support. The Knox Concert Series produces an annual season of world-renowned musical and dance productions, and the Community Actors' Studio Theatre community theatre organization performs plays, musicals, and revues featuring local performers, actors, and musicians. CAST also features specially funded programs to educate area children in the arts for free. The city is home to the

Anniston Museum of Natural History The Anniston Museum of Natural History is a museum in Lagarde Park, Anniston, Alabama, exhibiting more than 2,000 natural history items on permanent display, including minerals, fossils, and rare animals in open dioramas. In addition to explorin ...

and the Berman Museum of World History. These institutions house mummies, dioramas of wildlife, and artifacts from a bygone age in contemporary, professional displays and exhibits. The Alabama Symphony Orchestra since 2004 has performed a summer series of outdoor concerts, Music at McClellan, at the former Fort McClellan. The city has many examples of Victorian-style homes, some of which have been restored or preserved. Several of the city's churches are architecturally significant or historic, including the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Grace Episcopal Church, Parker Memorial Baptist Church, and the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, a predominantly African-American church in what is known as the Zion Hill community. Temple Beth El, dedicated in 1893, is the oldest building in the state continuously used for

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

worship. The original main street, Noble Street, is seeing a rebirth as a shopping and dining district in the heart of downtown. The

Chief Ladiga Trail The Chief Ladiga Trail is a rail trail in Alabama that stretches for from Anniston to the Alabama-Georgia state line. It is the state's first rail trail project. History Trail background The Chief Ladiga is on the same rail corridor as t ...

, part of a paved rail trail with the Silver Comet Trail of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

, has its western terminus in Anniston. Anniston was featured in the fifteenth episode of the Small Town News Podcast, an improv comedy podcast that takes listeners on a fun and silly virtual trip to a small town in America each week, in which the hosts improvise scenes inspired by local newspaper stories.

Fort McClellan

Fort McClellan—former site of the U.S. Army Military Police Training Academy, a Vietnam era Infantry Training Center, Chemical Corps Regimental Headquarters, Chemical Warfare training center, and Women's Army Corps Headquarters—was decommissioned in the 1990s. A portion of the former fort is now home to the Alabama National Guard Training Center. Another of the fort were set aside for the

in 2003. The

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-te ...

also uses a portion of the decommissioned fort for the

Center for Domestic Preparedness The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) is the only U.S. federal facility chartered to provide comprehensive preparedness training programs to the nation's emergency response providers. The facility provides all-hazards training to approximatel ...

, the nation's only civilian "live agent" training center; emergency response providers from all over the world come to Fort McClellan to be trained in dealing with live agents and weapons in a real-time, monitored setting.

Government

Anniston is governed by Alabama's "weak mayor" form of city government. Four city council members are elected to represent the city's four wards, and the mayor is elected at-large. Day-to-day functions of city government are carried out by the city manager, who is appointed by the mayor and city council. The current five-member city council are Jack Draper (mayor), Jay Jenkins (Ward 1), D.D. Roberts (Ward 2), Ciara Smith (Ward 3 and vice-mayor), and Millie Harris (Ward 4). Anniston is the

of Calhoun County, Alabama. Circuit and district courts for the county and the district attorney's office are located in the Calhoun County Courthouse at the corner of 11th Street and Gurnee Avenue. Other county administrative offices are in the Calhoun County Administrative Building at the corner of 17th and Noble streets, and a United States Courthouse, part of the U.S. Alabama Northern District Court, is located at the corner of 12th and Noble streets.

Education

Public schools in Anniston are operated by

Anniston City Schools Anniston City Schools is the public school district of Anniston, Alabama Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statis ...

. These include: *Anniston High School (Grades 9–12) *Anniston Middle School (Grades 6–8) *Golden Springs Elementary School (Grades K–5) *Randolph Park Elementary School (Grades K–5) *Tenth Street Elementary School (Grades K–5) *Cobb Pre-School Academy (Pre-K) Statewide testing ranks the schools in Alabama. Those in the bottom six percent are listed as "failing". As of early 2018, Anniston High School was included in this category. The school system boasts one of the most high-tech computing capabilities in the state, according to representatives from Huntsville as well as various news agencies . Every school is equipped with labs featuring Macintosh computers, plasma displays, and interactive whiteboards. Some schools have more computer labs, and Anniston High School also has an ACCESS Lab that allows for videoconferencing based classes involving other schools, supported by a high speed fiber network. A public four-year institution of higher learning, Jacksonville State University, is located to the north in Jacksonville. Anniston is home to some satellite campuses of Gadsden State Community College, both at the former Fort McClellan and at the Ayers campus in southern Anniston. There are several private primary and secondary schools in Anniston, including: *Faith Christian School * Sacred Heart of Jesus School, a longstanding Roman Catholic school *

The Donoho School The Donoho School is a private school in Anniston, Alabama that was honored by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program in 2005. The Donoho School serves students in grades PK through 12. History The Anniston Academy was founded as a secondary institutio ...

, a K–12 college-preparatory school An obelisk installed in 1905 commemorates "Dr. Clarence J. Owens, president of the Anniston College for Young Ladies".

Media

Anniston is served by two daily newspapers: '' The Birmingham News'' statewide edition, and the local 25,000 circulation daily paper, '' The Anniston Star''. Anniston-based Consolidated Publishing Co., publisher of ''The Anniston Star'', also owns and operates advertising-supported newspapers in nearby Jacksonville,

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

and Cleburne County. Local radio stations include WHMA AM and FM and WHOG 1120 AM.

WEAC-CD WEAC-CD, virtual channel 24 (UHF digital channel 35), is a low-power, Class A The Walk TV, and AMGTV- affiliated television station licensed to Anniston, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Alabama Heritage Communications. WEAC maint ...

is the only television station that directly broadcasts from the Anniston area, but many

stations have towers and news bureaus here, such as WJSU-TV (WJSU is a local broadcast station for Birmingham-based ABC 33/40), WBRC-TV (

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

), and WVTM-TV ( NBC). Alabama Public Television erected its tallest tower atop Cheaha Mountain south of Anniston. WJSU-TV 40 was historically a local CBS affiliate, broadcasting local newscasts daily. Formerly its own Arbitron-defined broadcast market, today Anniston is a part of the Birmingham-Anniston- Tuscaloosa television

designated market area A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

. Radio stations are divided into three sub markets within that market; Anniston is in the Anniston-

Gadsden Gadsden may refer to: Places *Gadsden, Alabama **Gadsden Depot, a United States Army Depot in the city of Gadsden, Alabama *Gadsden, Arizona *Gadsden, Indiana * Gadsden, South Carolina * Gadsden, Tennessee * Gadsden County, Florida * Gadsden Ind ...

– Talladega radio sub market.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The following major highways pass through Anniston: * US 431

U.S. Highway 431 (Anniston Eastern Bypass/Golden Springs Road) * Alabama 21

State Route 21 (Quintard Avenue/McClellan Boulevard) * Alabama 202

State Route 202 The Anniston Western Bypass runs from Interstate 20 in

(the Coldwater exit) and runs north into the present State Route 202. It is five lanes wide, handling Anniston Army Depot traffic. Future plans will extend it on the present County Road 109 by widening it to connect with US 431. State Route 202 follows this route from CR 109 (Bynum-Leatherwood Road) southward. The Anniston Eastern Bypass was a stalled project of the Alabama Department of Transportation to build a four-lane highway in Calhoun County until revived by the 2009 federal stimulus package. It was the largest influx of federal money into the local economy since Fort McClellan closed. More than $21 million was earmarked for this project in 2005. This funding was spent acquiring rights of way and grading a section of the proposed bypass from Oxford to the community of Golden Springs. As of April 2009, the section was a graded, but undriveable, clay dirt road bed. The Eastern Bypass was revived by the 2009 Federal Stimulus Package and was opened to traffic into McClellan on the northwest end in January 2011. As of December 2015, the route is now open to traffic and carries US-431 from the Saks community southward.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

serves Anniston with its Crescent service, operating to and from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

New York. Southbound trains depart at 10:00am, and northbound trains depart at 3:59pm (central time). Daily service has been suspended, and currently southbound trains destined for New Orleans arrive on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Northbound trains, destined for New York arrive on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Anniston Army Depot

Anniston is home to the Anniston Army Depot which is used for the maintenance of most Army tracked vehicles. The depot also housed a major chemical weapons storage facility, the Anniston Chemical Activity, and a program to destroy those weapons, the

Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility Anniston Chemical Activity was a U.S. Army chemical weapon storage site located in Alabama. The Army had stored approximately seven percent of the nation’s original chemical weapons stockpile at the Anniston Army Depot since the early 1960s. I ...

. In 2003, the Anniston Army Depot began the process of destroying the chemical weapons it had stored at the depot and at Fort McClellan. An incinerator was built to destroy the stockpile of Sarin, VX nerve agent, and mustard blister agent stored at the depot. Destruction of the weapons was completed in 2011. The incinerator and related operations were officially closed in May 2013, and the incinerator was disassembled and removed from the depot at the end of 2013.

Notable people

* Jonathan Allen, NFL football player * General Edward "Ned" Almond, active during Korean War *

George T. Anderson George Thomas Anderson (February 3, 1824 – April 4, 1901) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Nicknamed "Tige," Anderson was noted as one of Robert E. Lee's hardest-fighting subordinates. Early life and c ...

, Civil War general * Ray Anderson, boxer * Michael Biehn, actor * Larry Bowie, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

player * Anne Braden, civil rights activist * June Burn, author * Keith Butler, NFL player and football coach * Red Byron, NASCAR driver * Asa Earl Carter, segregationist, speech writer, and author of ''

The Education of Little Tree ''The Education of Little Tree'' is a memoir-style novel written by Asa Earl Carter under the pseudonym Forrest Carter. First published in 1976 by Delacorte Press, it was initially promoted as an authentic autobiography recounting Forrest Car ...

'' * Quinton Caver,

player *

B. B. Comer Braxton Bragg Comer (November 7, 1848 – August 15, 1927) was an American politician who served as the 33rd Governor of Alabama from 1907 to 1911, and a United States Senator in 1920. As governor, he achieved railroad reform, lowering rates fo ...

, 33rd Governor of Alabama * John Craton, classical composer * Louie Crew, emeritus professor, poet, gay activist * Michael Curry, NBA player, Florida Atlantic University head coach * Cow Cow Davenport, boogie-woogie pianist *

Eric Davis The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

, NFL cornerback * William Levi Dawson (1899–1990), composer, whose best-known work is his '' Negro Folk Symphony'' *

Nannie Doss Nannie Doss (born Nancy Hazel; November 4, 1905 – June 2, 1965) was an American serial killer responsible for the deaths of 11 people between some time in the 1920s and 1954. Doss was also referred to as the Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts ...

, serial killer * Bobby Edwards, country music singer known for "

You're the Reason "You're the Reason" is a song by Bobby Edwards, released as a single in the United States in 1961. The song reached number four on the Hot C&W Sides chart and number 11 on the Hot 100 chart. Chart performance Bobby Edwards Joe South Hank ...

" * Andra Franklin, NFL football player * David F. Friedman, filmmaker and film producer *

James R. Hall James Reginald Hall Jr. (born July 15, 1936) is a retired senior officer in the United States Army who served as the final commander of the Fourth United States Army before its inactivation in 1991. Prior to serving as commander of the Fourth Ar ...

, retired Lieutenant General, U.S. Army; final commanding officer of the Fourth United States Army *William C. Hamilton, Jr, last commanding officer of the USS ''Enterprise'' (CVN-65), the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. * James Harman, blues singer, harmonica player * Audrey Marie Hilley, infamous for poisoning her husband and trying to poison her daughter *

Delvin Lamar Hughley Delvin Lamar Hughley (born April 18, 1978) is a former American football defensive back for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos of the National Football League. Hughley also spent time in the Arena Football League with the Colorado Crush. He ...

, NFL and Arena Football player * Ken Hutcherson,

player and religious leader *

Thomas Kilby Thomas Erby Kilby Sr. (July 9, 1865 – October 22, 1943) was an American politician. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Alabama and the 36th governor of Alabama. Biography Kilby was born in Lebanon, Tennessee, and was educated in publi ...

, eighth Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and the 36th Governor of Alabama * Douglas Leigh, innovative lighting designer of Times Square and Empire State Building * Perry Lentz, author and professor of English *

Harry Mabry Harry Mabry (January 11, 1932 – January 10, 2004) was a television news director and anchor in Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama. Early life Born January 11, 1932, in Philadelphia, Mabry moved with his parents to Birmingham at an early age. F ...

, television news director and anchor *

Elvin McCary Elvin may refer to: * Elvin (given name) * Elvin (surname) * Elvin (service), a distributed event routing service * ''Elvin!'', a 1968 album by Elvin Jones See also * * * Alvin (disambiguation) * Elfin (disambiguation) * Elvan (disambiguation) ...

, member of both houses of

Alabama State Legislature The Alabama Legislature is the legislative branch of the state government of Alabama. It is a bicameral body composed of the House of Representatives and Senate. It is one of the few state legislatures in which members of both chambers se ...

; 1974 Republican nominee for Governor; born, died and interred in Anniston * Kivuusama Mays, former

player * Lucky Millinder,

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed p ...

and

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...

bandleader and singer *

George C. Nichopoulos George Constantine Nichopoulos (October 29, 1927 – February 24, 2016), also known as Dr. Nick, was an American physician of Greek descent. He was best known as Elvis Presley's personal physician and was controversial due to the singer's longstand ...

, physician known as Dr. Nick; raised in Anniston * Robert Ernest Noble, U.S. Army major general * Tommy O'Brien, MLB third base and outfielder; born, died and interred in Anniston * Katherine Orrison, author and film historian *

Will Owsley William Reese "Will" Owsley III (March 6, 1966 – April 30, 2010), known professionally as Owsley, was an American singer and songwriter. His two solo albums won critical acclaim, and his debut album was nominated for a Grammy Award, as was the ...

, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter *

John L. Pennington John L. Pennington (1829July 9, 1900) was an American politician and newspaper publisher. He was an Alabama state senator, and the fifth Governors of Dakota Territory, Governor of Dakota Territory. Biography Pennington was born at the town of New ...

, newspaper publisher, governor of Dakota Territory *

Troymaine Pope Troymaine D. Pope (born November 29, 1993) is an American football running back. He played college football at Jacksonville State. He has also been a member of the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Los Angeles ...

player * John Reaves, quarterback, University of Florida and

Mike D. Rogers Michael Dennis Rogers (born July 16, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party o ...

, congressman from Alabama's 3rd district * David Satcher, Surgeon General, 1998–2002 * Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Grammy-winning songwriter *

Tremon Smith Tremon Smith (born July 20, 1996) is an American football cornerback and kick returner for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Arkansas, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the s ...

, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs * Willie Smith, MLB pitcher and outfielder * Shannon Spruill, professional wrestler *

Vaughn Stewart Vaughn Morton Stewart, (January 16, 1919 — December 18, 1992) a native of Anniston, Alabama, was a collegiate and professional football player. Football career Stewart was named to the All-State team while playing at Anniston High School. He p ...

, former

player * Vaughn Stewart III, delegate in Maryland General Assembly *

Max Wellborn Maximilian Bethune Wellborn (January 22, 1862, in Lewisville, Arkansas – November 28, 1957, in Anniston, Alabama) was the first chairman of the board and a governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He also served as a county commissione ...

, chairman and governor of Atlanta Fed

Footnotes

External links

City of Anniston official website"Anniston"
''Encyclopedia of Alabama'' {{Authority control 1872 establishments in Alabama Cities in Alabama Cities in Calhoun County, Alabama County seats in Alabama Civil rights movement Planned cities in the United States Populated places established in 1872