Red Bay is a city in Franklin County,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, United States. It was founded in 1907; its western boundary line is integral with the state line between Mississippi and Alabama. The population was 3,232 at the 2020 census. The town's name comes from the area's red clay soil and the many redbay trees (''Persea borbonia'') in this area of north Alabama.

History

What is now Red Bay was originally known as "Vinson's Crossroads," and was initially located further to the southwest along Gum Creek. A branch of the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also co ...

was constructed through the area in 1907, and Red Bay developed into an important lumber and shipping center. The city incorporated during this same period.James P. Kaetz,
Red Bay
" ''Encyclopedia of Alabama'', 7 June 2018.

Oak trees

One of the city's most well known and admired features are the redbay trees. The trees, planted by the Red Bay Garden Club in the 1930s, cast a canopy over Main Street.

Red Bay High School

The first school in Red Bay was located where the First United Methodist Church stands today. In 1903, this school had one faculty member who was responsible for teaching, as well as most of the custodial duties. After crops were harvested, students attended school through the remainder of the fall and winter months until the spring planting season.Watts, Clara. "Franklin County Education Association Directory: 2004-2005." Franklin County Chapter, Alabama Education Association. The second school was constructed in the early 1900s. It was located on the site that is now the location of the Red Bay City Park. It was a small building with few amenities. The school continued dismissals timed with the local harvests. In 1927, a new school site was selected, and a new school built for $45,000. Since this construction, the location of the school has not changed. The building constructed in 1927 was a brick "U", one of the most popular school designs in Alabama at the time. Facing the school, the right wing of the "U" housed the elementary classes while the left wing held the high school. Once inside the school, after going under the stone entryway, the office of the principal was on your immediate left. A small room on the right served as the library. A large auditorium with double wooden seats that could be folded and stored was centrally located between the two wings. The building housing the home economics and agriculture departments was located on the left of the main school building. At a later date, classrooms were added to the left wing of the main building. Due to the slope of the site, a ground-level lunchroom was included in this addition. With steps leading from the hallway, the first cafeteria available to Red Bay students became operational. Due to increased enrollment, a new high school section was completed in 1962. In 1967, the auditorium and elementary wing of the 1927 building was destroyed by fire. The disaster occurred while school was in session, but no injuries occurred. Plans began immediately to rebuild the school. A new auditorium and elementary classroom section first welcomed students during the 1968–69 school year. In 1976, Red Bay celebrated both the nation's bicentennial and the opening of a new gymnasium. Eight years later, in 1984, a new cafeteria was ready for use in time for the school's annual football banquet. The former cafeteria was renovated providing five additional classrooms, a photography lab, and a yearbook staff workroom.

School athletics

Football games were first played in a pasture where the present Sunshine Homes plant is located. Later, the games were played at the American Legion Field which is the current location of Tiffin Motor Homes. Red Bay finished runnerup in football in 1974 and 1976. Following the 1976 runner-up game, there was a scandal involving Red Bay football team and coaches on alcohol abuse before the game. The football teams in the following seasons struggled to win a game, until the 1986-87 team which won the first game in years. There were players who, prior to this time, granted scholarships at Alabama and Auburn. One notable player was Van Tiffin, who went on to the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

and made his mark there by kicking a 52-yard game-winning field goal against Alabama's archrival Auburn that is now known in Alabama's hall of fame as "The Kick". The Red Bay football teams reached state semifinals in 1990, 1997, and 2007. Red Bay girls basketball has five state championships. Red Bay boys basketball made the final eight teams in 1995 with a 26–5 record. Red Bay's highest finish in tennis was 2008, in fifth place. Red Bay baseball was class 2A State runnerup in 1987. Red bay city hall fire

City Hall fire

In the summer of 2006, the Red Bay City Hall caught fire after a transformer exploded. Construction on a new city hall building began shortly afterward. The contractor bid for the new city hall by Burton Construction of Belmont, Mississippi, was supposedly $750,000. Bids were also set for a new police department building with the lowest bid being placed at $500,000.

Geography

Red Bay is located in western Franklin County at (34.439898, -88.138208). The western border of the city is the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

state line. It is situated on the

Tennessee Valley Divide The Tennessee Valley Divide is the boundary of the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and its tributaries. The Tennessee River drainage basin begins with its tributaries in southwestern Virginia and flows generally west to the confluence of t ...

, with the northern half of the city draining north to Bear Creek, a tributary of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

, and the southern half draining south to Gum Creek, a tributary of the Tombigbee River.

Alabama State Route 24 State Route 24 (SR 24) is a state highway in the northwestern and north-central part of the state. The western terminus of the route is near Red Bay at the Mississippi state line, where it continues as Mississippi Highway 76 (MS 76) ...

is a four-lane highway that passes south of the city center, leading east to Russellville and west to the Mississippi line. Tremont, Mississippi, is to the southwest. 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 1.01%, is water.

Demographics

1990

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 incl ...

of 1990 the racial makeup of the city was 95.06%

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 ...

, 3.25%

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 have o ...

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.62% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. 0.9% 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 ...

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.

2000

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,374 people, 1,429 households, and 987 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,594 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.86%

, 1.45%

, 0.21% Native American, 0.62% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were

of any race. There were 1,429 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,596, and the median income for a family was $32,177. Males had a median income of $28,524 versus $20,169 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 city was $14,653. About 17.7% of families and 20.9% 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 24.6% of those under age 18 and 20.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010

As of the

of 2010, there were 3,158 people, 1,362 households, and 898 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,508 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.5%

, 1.2%

, 0.3% Native American, 3.9% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 5.1% of the population were

of any race. There were 1,362 households, out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were

living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $27,303, and the median income for a family was $41,696. Males had a median income of $38,328 versus $24,211 for females. The

for the town was $18,133. About 23.5% of families and 29.3% of the population were below the

, including 47.4% of those under age 18 and 17.2% of those age 65 or over.

2020

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 3,232 people, 1,220 households, and 640 families residing in the city.

Climate

Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. 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, notabl ...

subtype for this climate is " Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).

Notable people

* Brenda White (Frame) was born in Halltown, AL (a suburb located just outside the city limits of Red Bay, AL.) She graduated from Red Bay High School in 1959. She is retired from the IBM Corporation in Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC. Brenda was an Advisory Level Systems and Procedures Analyst and the Financial Planner for the Software Division in Research Triangle Park, NC. She retired from the IBM Corporation in 2002. *

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

, the "First Lady of Country Music," born near the Alabama/Mississippi border, with Red Bay being the closest town from her birthplace *

Lindell Cooley Lindell Cooley (born February 3, 1963) is a pastor, Christian singer and was worship leader of the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, Florida. He is known for his soulful gospel and rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a natura ...

, pastor,

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

singer and

worship leader Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many w ...

of the

Brownsville Revival The Brownsville Revival (also known as the Pensacola Outpouring) was a widely reported Christian revival within the Pentecostal movement that began on Father's Day June 18, 1995, at Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida. Characteristic ...

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

* Tonya Suzanne Holly, television and film producer * Mac McAnally,

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-songwriter, session musician and record producer * Eric Powell, member of the Mississippi Senate from the 4th District * Van Tiffin, former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

; graduated from Red Bay High School * Zadoc L. Weatherford, former

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

* Johnny Mack Morrow who served in the Alabama Legislature from 1990 to 2018 graduated from Red Bay High School.

References

External links

City of Red Bay official websiteBay Tree Council for the Performing ArtsFranklin County Chamber of CommerceThe Red Bay News
{{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Franklin County, Alabama