Locust Fork is a town in
Blount County, Alabama
Blount County is a county located in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,134. Its county seat is Oneonta.
Blount County is a moist county. In the November 6, 2012 elections, a countywide ballot initiative t ...
, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 1,186 people,
up from 1,016 in 2000.
History
While traveling south with his troops in 1815, General
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
camped along a river in the area. General Jackson carved his name in a
locust tree
Locust tree can mean:
* Any of a number of tree species in the genera ''Gleditsia'' or ''Robinia'', including:
:: Honey locust (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), a leguminous tree with pods having a sweet, edible pulp
:: Black locust (''Robinia pseudoac ...
, naming the area Locust Fork. In the early 1800s Nick Hudson built a public inn in what is now Locust Fork. He erected barns to shelter the horses and hogs of the
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
farmers who drove them to the deeper South for a more profitable market.
Locust Fork was incorporated January 18, 1977.
Geography
Locust Fork is located southwest of the center of Blount County, at 33°53'47.494" North, 86°37'50.048" West (33.896526, -86.630569).
It is situated on a bluff overlooking the Blackburn Fork of the
Little Warrior River
Little Warrior River is a river in Blount County, Alabama. It is a tributary of the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River
The Locust Fork River, in the U.S. State of Alabama, is one of three major tributaries of the Black Warrior River, stre ...
. Just north of town, the Blackburn Fork enters the Little Warrior River, which flows into the
Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River
The Locust Fork River, in the U.S. State of Alabama, is one of three major tributaries of the Black Warrior River, stretching across Blount, and some portions of Etowah, Jefferson and Marshall counties. Its course (1) drains a watershed of an ...
northwest of the town.
Locust Fork is located in one of the northeast-to-southwest valleys that make up the southern end of the Appalachian mountain chain.
Sand Mountain forms the southeast side of the valley, and McAnnally Mountain and Hog Mountain form part of a broader, more broken ridge to the northwest. The area has been mined for coal over the past 100 years, but no current active coal mining operations exist in the immediate area, which consists of rolling hill farm country.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.37%, is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 1,192 people, 467 households, and 381 families residing in the town.
2010 census
As of the census
of 2010, there were 1,186 people, 435 households, and 342 families residing in the town. The population density was 119.1/km
2 (308/mi
2). There were 469 housing units at an average density of 46.9/km
2 (120.2/mi
2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.8%
Native American, 1.0% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.6% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race.
There were 435 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 24.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100.8 females age 18 and over, there were 96.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,313, and the median income for a family was $59,167. Males had a median income of $41,776 versus $40,114 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $21,356. About 9.2% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation and growth
Locust Fork straddles
Alabama State Route 79
State Route 79 (SR 79) is a state highway that extends northeastward from Birmingham to the Tennessee state line. Prior to the completion of Interstate 65 (I-65), SR 79 was the southern part of the route that connected Birmi ...
, which is a north–south highway running from
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 West ...
to the south and
Scottsboro to the northeast. Blount County Road 13 runs northwestward to connect to Alabama Highway 160 between the communities of
Hayden Hayden may refer to:
Places Inhabited places in the United States
*Hayden, Alabama
*Hayden, Arizona
*Hayden's Ferry, former name of Tempe, Arizona
*Hayden, California, former name of Hayden Hill, California
*Hayden, Colorado
*Hayden, Idaho
*Hayden ...
and
Nectar
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
. Blount County Road 15 intersects Alabama 79 just north of Locust Fork and provides a connection to the county seat of
Oneonta, to the east. Also located along County Road 15 is the Limestone Springs Golf Course and residential development, southeast of town. The nearest interstate highways are
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
located some west of Locust Fork and
Interstate 59
Interstate 59 (I-59) is an Interstate Highway located in the southeastern United States. It is a north–south route that spans from a junction with I-10 and I-12 at Slidell, Louisiana, to a junction with I-24 near Wildwood, Georgia.
The ...
located some east of Locust Fork. Air travel is handled primarily from the
Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport
Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport , formerly Birmingham Municipal Airport and later Birmingham International Airport, is a civil-military airport serving Birmingham, Alabama. The airport also provides scheduled airline service fo ...
located some southwest of Locust Fork. Locust Fork is located along one of the two major Alabama state highways that run northeast from Birmingham to the Sand Mountain area of
Guntersville
Guntersville (previously known as Gunter's Ferry and later Gunter's Landing) is a city and the county seat of Marshall County, Alabama, Marshall County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the ...
,
Albertville
Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France.
It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In 2018, the commune had ...
, and
Boaz
Boaz (; Hebrew: בֹּעַז ''Bōʿaz''; ) is a biblical figure appearing in the Book of Ruth in the Hebrew Bible and in the genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament and also the name of a pillar in the portico of the historic Temple in Jerusa ...
. It is an alternate route from Birmingham to
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
and
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
.
The Locust Fork area has and continues to see strong residential growth mainly due to outflow from
Jefferson County as residents there seek a more rural environment as well as a lower tax structure. As a result of this growth, enrollment in schools has risen substantially. Also, traffic along the main Highway 79 artery has risen, and the road has become increasingly dangerous between the termination of a four-lane divided highway just north of
Pinson and Locust Fork. There has been some discussion of upgrading the road to four-lane status, but such work is still considered several years away. Locust Fork will also be impacted by the eventual construction of the
Northern Beltline, which is slated to cross Highway 79 just north of Pinson. This controlled-access highway (officially designated as Interstate 422) will provide much quicker access for Locust Fork residents traveling east to
Trussville
Trussville is a city in Jefferson and St. Clair counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population at the 2020 census was
26,123.
Geography
Trussvi ...
or westward to
Gardendale,
Graysville, and
Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population of 1 ...
. However, this route is still 10–15 years away from completion.
Government
Locust Fork is an incorporated town and has a mayor and town council elected by the citizens. The mayor and council are elected for four-year terms. The current mayor is Joseph Hughes, and the current council members are Weslie Powell (Mayor Pro-Tem), Robert Chamblee, Barbara Richey, Joseph Lay and Joey White. The Community Center has been named after Sarah Holt, former Mayor and Council Person, serving the community for over 30 years.
Schools
Locust Fork High School and Elementary School are located in the center of the town along the west side of Alabama Highway 79. The school nickname is Hornets with school colors of green and white. Locust Fork High School is currently classified as a 2A school under the AHSAA 7 tier classification system. There is a ratio of one teacher for every 20 students. The schools draw their students from a large portion of southern and southwestern Blount County. The schools are part of the Blount County School System. The high school football stadium is named Gary Pate Field in honor of a former Locust Fork football coach. The Lady Hornets Basketball Team won the 2016-2017 AHSAA 3A State Championship, the first State Championship of any kind for Locust Fork High School.
Parks and municipal facilities
Locust Fork has a city park located on the west side of Alabama Highway 79 just south of the high school. The park includes a walking trail, playground for small children, picnic facilities, pavilion, barbecue pit, one baseball field, one T-ball field and one softball field. The Locust Fork Community Center is located just south of the park on Highway 79. Contact the Locust Fork Town Hall for more information regarding the Community Center. The Town Hall is open from 8-12 and 1–4, Monday through Thursday. The nearest golf courses are the highly acclaimed semi-private Limestone Springs (located just off Blount County Route 15 east of the town).
Churches
There are several churches representing several denominations located in or near Locust Fork. The town has the largest Baptist church in the county.
Infrastructure
The community is served by a volunteer fire department that provides fire suppression and Advanced Life Support Pre-hospital EMS Services and is patrolled by the Blount County Sheriff's Office. There is a dental office, pharmacy, medical clinic and general retail in Locust Fork.
Media
Locust Fork is located in the Birmingham television and radio market. Newspapers include ''
The Birmingham News
''The Birmingham News'' is the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The paper is owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its founding through September 30, 2012. After that day, the ''News'' and its two ...
'' and ''The Blount Countian''.
References
External links
Town of Locust Fork official websiteLocust Fork High School
{{authority control
Towns in Alabama
Towns in Blount County, Alabama
Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama