Midland City is a town in Dale County,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. At the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 2,344. It incorporated in 1890. It is part of the Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

2013 hostage standoff

On January 29, 2013, 65-year-old Vietnam War-era veteran Jimmy Lee Dykes climbed aboard a school bus and fatally shot the driver; he then abducted at random a five-year-old boy named Ethan, who was sitting at the closest seat. He took Ethan into an underground bunker, where he held him captive. About a week after the incident,

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

agents were able to storm the bunker, kill Dykes, and rescue Ethan.

Geography

Midland City is located in southeastern Dale County at (31.307945, -85.490606). It is bordered to the east by the town of

Napier Field Napier Field is a town in Dale County, Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 409. It is part of the Ozark micropolitan statistical area. The town was originally constructed as a military air base during the Second World War. It is cu ...

, to the southeast by the city of Dothan, and to the west by the town of Pinckard.

U.S. Route 231 U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US&nbs ...

passes through the town, leading northwest to Ozark, the Dale County seat, and southeast to the center of Dothan. Alabama State Route 134 passes through the center of Midland City, leading east to

Headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

and west to Newton via Pinckard. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Midland City has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 1,703 people, 707 households, and 477 families in the town. The population density was . There were 805 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 70.58% White, 25.19% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 3.05% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 707 households 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 28.7% of households were one person and 10.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93. The age distribution was 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males. The median household income was $20,000 and the median family income was $24,474. Males had a median income of $26,927 versus $17,174 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,438. About 26.0% of families and 30.8% 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 ...

, including 44.1% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 2,344 people, 944 households, and 636 families in the town. The population density was . There were 1,014 housing units at an average density of 169 per square mile (65/km). The racial makeup of the town was 70.4% White, 23.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 1.7% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. 4.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 944 households 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples living together, 22.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 26.9% of households were one person and 7.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98. The age distribution was 28.0% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% 65 or older. The median age was 31.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.4 males. The median household income was $29,591 and the median family income was $39,071. Males had a median income of $33,305 versus $23,897 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,283. About 26.7% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the

, including 36.9% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,239 people, 818 households, and 465 families residing in the town.

Notable people

* Bobby Bright, U.S. congressman from Alabama * Earl Hutto, congressman from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

from 1979 to 1995 * Nathan Mathis, former state representative In August 2016, Interim Mayor, Patsy Capshaw Skipper garnered national attention due to a racist

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

comment. When asked about the election by a Facebook friend, Patsy Capshaw Skipper replied, "I lost. The

nigger In the English language, ''nigger'' is a racial slur directed at black people. Starting in the 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been increasingly replaced by the euphemistic contraction , notably in cases where ''nigger'' is Use–menti ...

won", referring to her opponent Joann Grimsley who was elected as Midland City's first black mayor.

References

External links

City-Data.com

ePodunk: Profile for Midland City, Alabama, AL
{{authority control Towns in Dale County, Alabama Towns in Alabama Enterprise–Ozark micropolitan area