Pell City is a city in and one of 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 st ...
s of
St. Clair County,
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 = 135,765 ...
, United States,
other seat being
Ashville Ashville or Asheville may refer to:
Places United States
* Ashville, Alabama
* Ashville, Louisville, Kentucky
* Ashville, New York
* Asheville, North Carolina
** Asheville metropolitan area
** Asheville School
** Asheville High School
** Ashe ...
. At the
2020 census, the population was 12,939. At the 2010 census, the city-limit population jumped to 12,695.
It was home to
Avondale Mills and its legacy in the
Avondale Mill Historic District.
History
Pell City was founded in 1890 by railroad investors and named after George Pell of the Pell City Iron and Land Company, one of its financial backers. The city was incorporated on May 6, 1891, but nearly failed during the
Panic of 1893.
Pell City was revived in 1902 when Sumter Cogswell built the Pell City Manufacturing Company, which subsequently became
Avondale Mills, a major landmark of the town until Thunder Enterprises, a Tennessee company, bought the building and began dismantling the factory in 2008. On February 14, 2008 a fire started at the mill. The fire was so large it could be seen from the Chula Vista/ Springville exit on Interstate 20 (I20). The water tower remains but the smoke stack was destroyed by workers after cracking in the cement made it a hazard.
The mill was the economic and social center of the town during its development and early growth. Besides the textile mill, other economic endeavors included agriculture and mercantile establishments. Large cotton, soybean, and cattle farms were located in the area. Pell City increased its size in 1956 when the nearby towns of Eden and Oak Ridge were merged with the city. The first mayor was Green Evans.
The residences of Sumter Cogswell and Green Evans (Pell City's first mayor) are two of the earliest structures, dating from the late nineteenth century. The majority of the historic structures date from 1902 to 1905.
Ashville, Alabama
Ashville is a city in and one of the county seats of St. Clair County, Alabama, United States, other seat being Pell City. Its population was 2,212 at the 2010 census, down from 2,260, at which time it was a town. It incorporated in 1822.
His ...
, in the northern part of St. Clair County was the county seat from 1821 to 1907. A constitutional amendment in 1907 established Pell City as the second county seat, and for many years St. Clair County was the only county in the country with two full-service county seats. Both county seats remain operational to this day although Pell City has far surpassed Ashville in growth in large part due to I-20 and Logan Martin Lake. The construction of Logan Martin Dam in 1964 created the lake and a large recreational area, which brought new businesses, temporary summer residents and tourists, and hundreds of new permanent residents building new homes along the new lake.
On April 8, 1998, an
F2 tornado
The Fujita scale (F-Scale; ), or Fujita–Pearson scale (FPP scale), is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation. The official Fujita scale category is determ ...
struck north of the city limits after the F5 tornado expired in western
Jefferson County. This windstorm killed two people in a mobile home. It remained for , partially damaging a church, twenty-six homes and mobile homes, and other buildings in Coal City. Ninety other homes and mobile homes suffered minor to major destruction. An additional twelve people were injured. The twister damaged a funeral home and twenty-five homes. The Bethel Baptist Church in
Odenville was destroyed a few minutes after its members left an Easter pageant rehearsal that had been cancelled because of the storm.
In 2006
Avondale Mills ceased operations. Two years later, in February 2008, Avondale Mills burned down in an accidental fire. At the time, Thunder Enterprises, a Tennessee firm, had completed almost half of the work in dismantling the building for materials. No employees were harmed in the fire.
![Pell City 130th anniversary](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Pell_City_130th_anniversary.jpg)
In November 2015, Pell City made global news when a video of the
Avondale Mills smokestack went viral on the internet. During a demolition of the smokestack, the 133-year-old structure collapsed on top of construction worker, Tim Philfer. Luckily, Philfer walked away unharmed from this accident.
Geography
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and or 9.57% is water. It is the largest city in St. Clair County. The city is located on the shores of
Logan Martin Lake, created by the construction of Logan Martin Dam in 1964 to provide hydro-electric power to the central region of the state. The city is surrounded by the unincorporated communities of
Wattsville
Wattsville is a small village in the Sirhowy Valley, eight miles north west of Newport, built in the 20th century for accommodation for mine workers.
Amenities
Modern Wattsville consists of two villages, Wattsville and Brynawel. It consists of o ...
to the north,
Cropwell to the south, Seddon to the east, and Chula Vista to the west.
The city is located along
Interstate 20, which runs west to east through the northern part of the city, leading east 114 mi (183 km) to
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 498,715 ...
and west 35 mi (56 km) to
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
. Access to the city can be found from exits 156 and 158.
U.S. Route 231 also runs through the city, leading north 19 mi (31 km) to Ashville and southwest 21 mi (34 km) to
Harpersville.
U.S. Route 78 also runs through the city, paralleling I-20.
Demographics
2000 census
As of the
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 ...
of 2000, there were 9,565 people, 3,830 households, and 2,772 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,275 housing units at an average density of . The population of the city is hard to pinpoint due to a large number of second residences, lake homes, and summer population influx. The racial makeup of the city was 83.41%
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 o ...
, 15.38%
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 ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.16%
Native American, 0.22%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 0.26% 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 0.55% from two or more races. 1.25% 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 forme ...
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 3,830 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were
married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.92. 76.3% of residents were high school graduates or higher, and 17.1% held a bachelor's degree or higher.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median household income in the city was $48,300. About 7.5% of families and 11.2% 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 15.2% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over. However, these figures provide an incomplete picture of the area. Many of the affluent neighborhoods along the lake shore that are often considered part of Pell City are actually just outside the city limits in unincorporated areas. These neighborhoods constitute a sizable population and income level, but are not reflected in official city census data.
2010 census
As of the
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 ...
of 2010, there were 12,463 people, 5,149 households, and 3,545 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,784 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 80.8%
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 o ...
, 15.6%
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 ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.8%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 1.1% 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 1.4% from two or more races. 2.3% 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 forme ...
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 3,830 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were
married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median household income in the city was $43,260. About 10.5% of families and 10.7% 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 14.6% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
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 12,939 people, 5,801 households, and 3,698 families residing in the city.
Government
In 2012, having surpassed a population of 12,000 residents, Pell City became only the 14th municipality 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 = 135,765 ...
to change its form of government to a Council-Manager form of government. Under this form of government, the city council appoints a
City Manager who then oversees the day-to-day operations of the city. While the mayor's position does not have a vote on matters that come before the council, the mayor may use his discretion to
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
certain items. The current
City Manager is Brian Muenger, who served in the same capacity for City of
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham.
...
.
Development
In 2015, Pell City residents were given the opportunity to vote on the legalization of Sunday alcohol sales. A study commissioned by the City of Pell City projected a $6.8 million economic impact if the referendum passed. On August 11, citizens voted 65% in favor of the referendum. On August 23, businesses were allowed to begin selling alcohol on Sundays for the first time. Likely due to the passage of this referendum, several corporate entities immediately entered into negotiations to open new restaurants and sports bars within the city.
Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings (originally Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, hence the nickname BDubs, or BW3) is an American casual dining restaurant and sports bar franchise in the United States, Canada, India, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, a ...
announced its intention to build a brand new restaurant in late 2015. Construction and training were completed in October 2016, and the restaurant opened on November 7, 2016.
The city announced in June 2016 that it had entered into an agreement with
Premiere Cinemas
Premiere Cinemas, officially known as Premiere Cinema Corporation., headquartered in Big Spring, Texas, is a privately held motion picture exhibitor. It is among the largest independently owned motion picture exhibitors in the U.S. and is ranked by ...
to develop a new 40,000 sq ft entertainment center which would include seven movie screens, a 10-lane bowling alley, a cafe, arcade and event rooms. The complex opened to the public on January 17, 2019
Healthcare
Located in Pell City is the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home, a nursing home and long-term care facility serving the entire county. The veterans home is a 280-bed facility built in a neighborhood-style of several small cottage clusters, instead of one large institution. The veterans home is named for
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 = 135,765 ...
native and
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...
recipient Colonel
Robert L. Howard
Robert Lewis Howard (July 11, 1939 – December 23, 2009) was the most highly decorated officer of Vietnam United States Army Special Forces and Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War.
He was wounded 14 times over 54 months of combat ...
.
The St. Vincent's St. Clair hospital, operated by the St. Vincent's Health System, serves the entire county, but is located solely within the city limits. It replaced an aging facility, formerly known as St. Clair Regional Hospital.
Education
After a period of growth in the 1980s, Pell City voted to split its school system off from the county system, becoming independent. The system has over 4500 students spread across
Pell City High School
Duran Junior High Schoo
Duran Sout
Iola Roberts Elementar
Walter M. Kennedy Elementar
Coosa Valley Elementar
Eden Elementar
and Williams Intermediate Schoo
The system also operates a Trade School as an alternative to college prep courses.
The idea of converting Duran South into a dedicated pre-k facility has been a topic of discussion by the school board since a work session in December 2019. That work session looked at consolidating seventh and eighth grade into one school, remodeling Pell City High School and converting Duran South. All three of these proposals have been adopted by the school board, with an addition to Duran North Junior High School currently under construction. .
In 2005
Jefferson State Community College
Jefferson State Community College (informally Jeff State) is a public community college with multiple campuses in Alabama, including the Jefferson Campus in northeastern Birmingham, Alabama (eastern Jefferson County), the Shelby-Hoover Campus in ...
opened a new campus location in Pell City offering a wide variety of community college courses. The school announced in 2009 that it will begin offering nursing programs to support the recently confirmed Veterans Nursing Home and St. Vincent's St. Clair Hospital.
In 2011, two of the city's schools, Iola Roberts Elementary and Pell City High School, began the year after undergoing extensive renovations and/or expansions to their campuses.
In November of 2021 the Pell City School System passed its five mill property tax referendum by 21 votes. This plan includes full-time art and music teachers for all the system's elementary schools, storm shelters at Eden Elementary School and Coosa Valley Elementary School, a complete renovation of Pell City High School along with a new cafeteria and band hall, a new multi-purpose building to Duran North Jr High School and various improvements and upgrades to the system’s sports facilities. .
Media
Pell City, and all of St. Clair County, is located in Birmingham's designated market area for local news and weather coverage. The city has one dedicated FM radio station,
WFHK.
Pell City is served by two daily and two weekly newspapers. The ''
Birmingham News'' serves the county, and ''
The Daily Home
''The Daily Home'' is a daily newspaper serving the Talladega County and St. Clair County, Alabama areas. Originally begun as a weekly in 1867 it was called ''Our Mountain Home'' until daily production began in 1909 at which point the name was c ...
'', which also represents Talladega County, maintains an office in the city. The weekly ''St. Clair News-Aegis'' and ''St Clair Times'' offer more local coverage. The latter is an offshoot of ''
The Daily Home
''The Daily Home'' is a daily newspaper serving the Talladega County and St. Clair County, Alabama areas. Originally begun as a weekly in 1867 it was called ''Our Mountain Home'' until daily production began in 1909 at which point the name was c ...
''.
Notable people
*
David Gulledge, former NFL player
*
Lum Harris, former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher, coach, and manager
*
Todd Jones
Todd Barton Jones (born April 24, 1968) is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for several teams and also filled the role of closer, most nota ...
, former pitcher for the
Detroit Tigers
*
Jeanne Pruett
Jeanne Pruett ( ) (born Norma Jean Bowman; January 30, 1937) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She also has credits as a published author. Pruett had several major hits as a music artist, but became best-known for 1973's "Satin ...
,
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer, best known for her song "
Satin Sheets"
*
Locke St. John, current relief pitcher for the
Texas Rangers
References
External links
Pell City's official Website
{{authority control
Cities in Alabama
Cities in St. Clair County, Alabama
County seats in Alabama
Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama
1890 establishments in Alabama