Brent is a city in Bibb 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 2020 census, the population was 2,972.

History

Brent was founded in 1898 along the

Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad The Gulf, Mobile and Ohio was a Class I railroad in the central United States whose primary routes extended from Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, as well as Chicago, Illinois. From its two pa ...

line in the southern portion of Bibb County, named after surveyor Brent H. Armstrong. The community was incorporated in 1913.City of Brent - History
Retrieved February 3, 2016. On May 27, 1973, Brent was almost completely destroyed by an F4 tornado during an outbreak of violent weather in the Deep South, killing 5 people and injuring 56 in the area. The tornado was on the ground for 139 miles (224 km), currently the longest track to date in Alabama history, beginning just northeast of

Demopolis Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the 2020 census. The city lies at the confluence of the Black Warrior River and Tombigbee River. It is situated atop a cliff composed of th ...

in Hale County and eventually dissipating at

Cheaha Mountain Cheaha Mountain , often called Mount Cheaha, is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located a few miles northwest of the town of Delta, Alabama, Delta in Cheaha State Park, which offers a lodge, a restaurant, and other ...

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

. NOAA, Long Track F-4 Tornado - Hale, Bibb, Perry, Shelby, Talladega and Clay Counties, May 27, 1973
Retrieved February 3, 2016. Adjacent

Centreville Centreville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C., the nation's capital. It had a population of 73,518, making it the most-populous community in Fairfax County as of t ...

received significant damage as well as locations in nearby counties.''The Brent Tornado 1973: A Time To Remember'', A Red Letter Day by John Brasher
Retrieved February 2, 2016. Brent was able to be rebuilt before being hit by another EF3 on March 25, 2021, also damaging the adjacent town of

were to have the

Bibb County Airport Bibb County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Bibb County, Alabama, United States. It is located east of the central business district of Centreville, Alabama. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems f ...

rendering the airport a total loss.

Geography

Brent is located near the center of Bibb County at 32°56'24.864" North, 87°10'29.935" West (32.940240, -87.174982). It lies in the

Cahaba River The Cahaba River is the longest substantially free-flowing river in Alabama. It is a major tributary of the Alabama River and part of the larger Mobile River basin. With headwaters near Birmingham, the Cahaba flows southwest, then at Heiberger tu ...

valley and is adjacent to the city of Centreville, the county seat, which is across the Cahaba River from the city.

U.S. Route 82 U.S. Route 82 (US 82) is an east–west United States highway in the Southern United States. Created on July 1, 1931 across central Mississippi and southern Arkansas, US 82 eventually became a route extending from the White Sands of New ...

passes through the northern part of town, bypassing the town center, and leads northwest to

Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

and southeast to Montgomery, the state capital. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Brent has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.34%, is water.

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 divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Brent has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,972 people, 1,055 households, and 762 families residing in the city.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 4,947 people, 1,178 households, and 788 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,323 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 53.5%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 45.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. 2.1% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,178 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 23.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% 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 3.10. In the city, the population was spread out, with 15.6% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 39.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 209.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 278.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,044, and the median income for a family was $42,440. Males had a median income of $43,211 versus $22,010 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,799. About 14.9% of families and 18.6% 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 25.1% of those under age 18 and 38.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Brent is governed via the mayor-council system. The city council consists of five members each elected from single member districts. The mayor, currently Bobbie White, is elected by the entire city. The

Alabama Department of Corrections The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) is the agency responsible for incarceration of convicted felons in the state of Alabama in the United States. It is headquartered in the Alabama Criminal Justice Center in Montgomery. Alabama has re ...

operates the Bibb Correctional Facility in Brent.Bibb Correctional Facility
."

. Retrieved on July 4, 2011. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Brent Post Office.

Transportation

Intercity bus service is provided by

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

.Brent, AL Greyhound Station
Intercity Bus Service

Notable people

* Charles Cleveland, former professional basketball player for the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

* The visionary art environment of outsider artist and Methodist minister George Paul Kornegay was based on a hill near Brent.

References

External links

City of Brent official website
{{authority control Cities in Alabama Cities in Bibb County, Alabama Birmingham metropolitan area, Alabama